Global superstar Taylor Swift opened up about who she relies on for guidance when it comes to navigating success and the music industry.
In an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the singer shared that she makes a conscious effort to stay grounded by connecting with people whose experiences, while different from hers, still offer valuable perspective.
"I try really hard not to do the whole like, 'Oh, my god, there's no one that can relate to what I'm going through!' You know what I mean? Nobody wants to hear that. And I don't want to hear it," she highlighted.
She added: "It annoys me when I start to go down that path. So I try to find through-lines in many people's experiences. Like, I think we can like relate to each other even if our lives aren't identical."
Taylor shared that legendary singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks is one of the people she frequently turns to for advice.
"I've been very lucky. I have Stevie Nicks in my life in a way that affects me positively constantly. Being able to talk to her and have a phone call with her and hear what she's been through. She paved the way for me and any other artist to get to do this on this level. So I feel very lucky that she's like [lending] her very magical, wonderful, wise approach to life to me," she said.
The "Blank Space" hitmaker also named renowned producer and songwriter Max Martin as another key source of wisdom.
"Also, I work with Max Martin who I think is one of the greatest, most legendary, creators, producers, songwriters that I think we are very lucky to live in the time that he is continuing to make music," she said.
She shared that working closely with Martin has allowed her to learn from his ability to evolve creatively over time.
"I was very lucky to get to work with him in my new album The Life of a Showgirl... So I get to talk to him a lot. He's reinvented his sound so many times and I think that what I look up to the most in people is career-longevity, friendship-longevity, and longevity in their relationships. How do you keep a good thing going," she remarked.
The singer also revealed that she finds comfort in seeking advice from her fiancé, NFL star Travis Kelce. "I can talk to him about any of this," she highlighted.
In the same interview, Taylor reflected on two monumental moments in her life this year: reclaiming ownership of her master recordings and getting engaged.
"[It's] a good year... Like getting engaged to the love of my life, gettting all my music back, those were two things that just never could have happened. They could've just never happened. It wasn't like, oh it's just a matter of time. Like both those things could've just never arrived in my life. And I am so grateful for both of those things happening, and my fans are why I was able to get my music back, you know, that's how I spent my Eras Tour money," she said.
Before reclaiming her masters, Taylor admitted she had complicated emotions about her first six studio albums. Listening to her older work often brought both pride and pain.
"I used to have this very strange conflicted feeling of, like I'd hear the song 'Ready For It' (from Reputation album) and I'd be like, 'Man, this song goes hard' [and cry]... So it was this strange, conflicted feeling that, man those are my memories and that's when I was going through that 'cause a recording is such a snapshot of where you are in your life," she stated.