Ringo Starr is giving his two cents on the “Swiftie effect.”
The former drummer for The Beatles recently weighed in on the craze surrounding music superstar Taylor Swift, and he made a bold comparison to the days of Beatlemania.
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While sitting down for an interview with American Songwriter, Starr was asked if he believes the “Bejeweled” singer can hold a candle to the amount of cultural influence that The Beatles had.
Of course, he replied, “I do.”
“Taylor is ‘the now’ one,” Starr, 84, told the outlet, while quipping that he and the rest of his Beatles bandmates are the “still now” ones.
Starr also mentioned other famous artists, like Madonna, who have certainly had their moments of taking over popular culture, but he seemed to imply that Swift is the dominant influential force for this generation.
During the interview, Starr went on to further sing Swift’s praises, stating, “I think Taylor Swift is great anyway.”
“She’s pulling them in, you know,” he continued, before telling a personal anecdote about his experience meeting the “Anti-Hero” singer.
“When we talk about her, I always have to mention that the first time I met her, she was 14. She was at the Grammys with her mother,” the music icon recalled. “Then, I saw a photo of her the other day, just yesterday, of her and her mother.”
“So mom’s still at it,” he said with a laugh.
Fans on social media were glad to hear Starr’s take on Swift’s monumental level of fame, as one user on X (formerly Twitter) pointed out that Starr is among the only people “who can truly understand the power of fan hysteria.”
“Ringo acknowledging Taylor’s impact is truly iconic,” another user added.