Taylor Swift and The National have crossed paths more than anyone would have expected this year, and now she’s revealed that they are indeed her favourite band.
The band’s Aaron Dessner has played a huge role in both of Swift’s 2020 albums, folklore and evermore, and the entirety of The National feature on evermore cut ‘Coney Island’.
Speaking to Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Swift explained why she loves the band so much.
“I love the way they do that sort of down-beat, sometimes self-loathing, reflective, ‘cut down to the heart of the matter’ lyricism,” she said.
She then went on to explain that The National frontman Matt Berninger didn’t write his verse on ‘Coney Island’ – Swift did.
“We had an idea that Matt could sound amazing on this, and that was the perspective I was coming from,” she said.
“A male perspective of regret or guilt after a lifetime of a patter of behaviour.”
She also added a tidbit of Berninger singing the words ‘happy birthday’ in the song, the release of which coincided with Swift’s own 31st birthday.
“I knew I was going to release it on my birthday week,” she said.
“I got my favourite lead singer of my favourite band to wish me a happy birthday.”
The extensive interview traverses a lot of ground, with Swift also confirming that “this feels like it” for a while. After putting two albums out in the space of five months, you can’t blame her.
Watch the full interview below.
