Hayley Williams recalled how she first contacted Taylor Swift after Kanye West criticized Swift at the 2009 VMA for beating Beyonce and receiving an award.
The Paramore singer performed in front of the crowd at the opening of Swift’s US tour at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Paramore supported Swift last night (March 17) and will perform tonight (March 18) in the same hall.
She spoke about the couple’s early interactions, explaining that it was Swift’s mother, Andrea, who wanted the teen stars to be able to form a supportive relationship due to the fact that they were both so young in the music industry.
“I remember feeling like, ‘We’re so small, we’re so young,'” Williams recalled on stage in the late 2000s. “At that time I was about 18 years old. And I felt a little lonely being so young and doing something like the Grammys and all that.
Paramore's Hayley Williams recounts the first time she reached out to Taylor Swift. #ErasTour pic.twitter.com/lfh5pxrVDR
— Variety (@Variety) March 18, 2023
Andrea Swift approached Williams, who is now also performing solo outside Paramore, and gave her her daughter’s phone number, saying, “She’s just getting started, she doesn’t know anyone. And I really want her to be among people her age who are doing the same thing.”
Williams went on to say that “because I’m like the shyest freak when I’m not on stage,” she hasn’t contacted Swift for a while.
“I didn’t text her until a certain VMA scandal,” Williams continued, explaining that she did it then because “this person is really cool and didn’t deserve it.”
In 2009, at the MTV VMA (Video Music Awards), West burst onto the stage when Swift was accepting the award for best Video Artist, and told her: “I’ll let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.” ! One of the best videos of all time!”
Williams added: “It was around that time that I got to know Miss Taylor Swift a little.
“We have to follow its trajectory. And I’m sure you know that because you’re here tonight and you obviously understand that, but there are times when I talk to people and I say, “I’m not sure you understand how fucking incredible this man, this artist, is.”
Swift’s “Eras” tour opened last night with a giant setlist of 44 songs, which lasted just over three hours – watch the video here.
The singer performed several tracks from each of her ten albums, starting with “Lover” in 2019 and ending with “Fearless”, “Evermore”, “Reputation”, “Speak Now”, “Red”, “Folklore”, “1989”. ‘, ‘Taylor Swift’ and finally ‘Midnight’.
Swift’s US tour dates have already been confirmed this spring and summer, however, a note on her website states that international dates have not yet been announced.
