Taylor Swift recently participated in The Recording Academy’s The Icon Sessions, where she offered a deep dive into her songwriting process and reflected on her two-decade career as a songwriter during a 45-minute conversation moderated by Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.
As part of her appearance, Swift also performed a piano medley of “I Knew It, I Knew You,” her recent contribution to Toy Story 5, along with “August” and “All Too Well.”
“I never turned to music to forget my human experience,” Swift explained. “I turned to music to remember it. And so in songwriting, I find myself drawn to consequences, stakes, and the passage of time so we can see those decisions through.”
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“I think I’ve always been very fascinated and challenged by the idea of never making a lateral move creatively,” she added of her songwriting approach.
To illustrate that point, Swift shared an anecdote about how her song “I Knew You Were Trouble” was originally a “sad piano ballad” before taking it to producers Max Martin and Shellback, who suggested turning it into a dubstep track. “[It] ended up being the best thing for it, and I think as a collaborator, my favorite people to be in the room with are ‘Yes, and?’ people,” Swift said.
Swift also discussed how the unique way she responds to critics: “Sometimes when people are mocking me, it’s really fun to mock them back. Sometimes I like to just use words that they have to look up in order to talk shit about.”
The Icon Sessions is the second such appearance Swift has reportedly done in recent weeks as awards season campaigning begins to ramp up. She also reportedly participated in a sit-down at the Ross House in Los Angeles to promote her Disney+ special The Eras Tour: The Final Show, which is up for five Emmy Awards at next month’s ceremony. Swift is no doubt also hoping to add more Grammys (eligibility for the 2027 Grammys closes this Friday) and a potential Oscar nomination for the aforementioned “I Knew It, I Knew You” in the months ahead.