NEWSTaylor Swift Reveals Her Coping Mechanism When Fame Gets 'Unmanageably Big': 'You Chose This'
Taylor Swift revealed her coping mechanism when her fame got 'unmanageably big' at the interview for 'The Icon Sessions.'
Aug. 25 2026, Updated 12:50 p.m. ET
Taylor Swift revealed how she handled the pressure that came with her level of fame.
"I go through several processes and coping mechanisms that I’ve gone through over the years," she said.
"And one of them is saying, 'You chose this. You chose this every day. You could have opted out of this any day before it got unmanageably big.' And I decided not to because I love it that much," Swift added.
Swift shared this during an interview for The Icon Sessions, a retrospective, career-spanning conversation presented by the Recording Academy's Songwriters & Composers Wing.
Taylor Swift Shared Her Approach To Fame
Taylor Swift discussed the coping mechanisms she used when fame became overwhelming.
She explained what mattered the most to her about her career.
As for Swift, "that’s just where it begins and where it ends."
"Everything that comes with this ultimately is worth it as long as I get to still make music," she said.
Taylor Swift Stayed Focused On Music
Taylor Swift reflected on how she continued making music despite outside opinions.
Swift reflected on what continued to drive her creatively despite outside opinions about her work.
While music was about "emotional truths" for Swift, she said she stopped listening to people who questioned whether she had a "valid perspective" for a "certain genre."
"I realized that I’m making music because I’m playing for the fans," she said.
"I’m putting this out for people who care about it and who look to music as a way to cope with their life in the way that I did," Swift added.
She also opened up about what helped her stay grounded in her decision to make music.
"I think that if you can actually go through all those checkpoints and realize that putting out music you’ve made that you love so much is not the path to universal validation, if you’re still doing it, then you love it for the right reasons," Swift revealed.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Taylor Swift Reflected On Her Songwriting Career
Taylor Swift reflected on songwriting and the lessons she learned throughout her career.
Swift reached another milestone in June when she was inducted into the 2026 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
During her 20-minute speech, she spoke about the role songwriting played throughout her career.
"No one taught me how to do it," Swift said.
"I had to be taught how to entertain the crowd and learn choreography, and be less annoying, and navigate the industry, and fiercely protect my own sanity. I had to learn all of that over time through difficult lessons, and massive amounts of trial and error, and chaos, and calamity," she added.
"The songwriting, for me, is pretty much the only thing I ever just naturally did," she continued.
Taylor Swift performed 'I Knew It, I Knew You,' 'August' and 'All Too Well' during 'The Icon Sessions.'
Following a discussion with Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., Swift sat at the flower-covered piano she played during the surprise song portion of her Eras Tour shows.
The singer kicked off the medley with "I Knew It, I Knew You," which was recently recorded for the Toy Story 5 soundtrack.
She then moved into "August" before performing the 2021 extended version of "All Too Well."
