Taylor Swift opens up about Beyonce tour ‘rivalry’

Taylor Swift is frustrated by the media’s incessant need to “pit women against each other”.

In March, the 33-year-old “Anti-Hero” pop star embarked on the North American leg of her massive Eras Tour. Months later, Beyoncé, 42, kicked off her Renaissance world tour.

While both record-breaking tours have been celebrated for leading this summer’s pop culture revival, there has still been a significant amount of comparisons made between the two in the media and by fans.

“There were so many stadium tours this summer, but the only ones that were compared were me and Beyoncé,” Swift said in a new interview with Time magazine for her Person of the Year 2023 cover story.

“Clearly it’s very lucrative for the media and stan culture to pit two women against each other, even when those two artists in question refuse to participate in that discussion,” she added.

Gushing over Beyoncé, the “Cruel Summer” singer called her “the most precious gem of a person – warm and open and funny”.

“And she’s such a great disrupter of music-industry norms. She taught every artist how to flip the table and challenge archaic business practices,” Swift praised.

Last week (30 November), Swift attended the London premiere of Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour film. Her reciprocal support came after the “Cozy” singer made a surprise appearance at the October premiere of Swift’s Eras Tour film.

On Wednesday (6 December), Time magazine announced that Swift had been named 2023 Person of the Year. She was chosen among a strong list of contenders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, King Charles III, the live-action Barbie movie, and Vladimir Putin.

“While her popularity has grown across the decades, this is the year that Swift, 33, achieved a kind of nuclear fusion: shooting art and commerce together to release an energy of historic force,” the magazine said about its selection.

Of the honour, Swift told the publication: “This is the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt, and the most creatively fulfilled and free I’ve ever been.

“Ultimately, we can convolute it all we want, or try to overcomplicate it, but there’s only one question... Are you not entertained?”

Swift’s recognition comes on the heels of a whirlwind year in her professional life. Her career-spanning Eras Tour dominated 2023 ticket sales. It’s estimated to have grossed over $1.4bn, while her concert film surpassed $250m at the global box office since its opening weekend in October.

As for her personal life, she and Kansas City Chief tight end Travis Kelce have made headlines with their high-profile romance.

Elsewhere in her Time interview, Swift revealed when her relationship with Kelce really started.