Taylor Swift revealed the surprise gift she received from country singer Kenny Chesney early in her career which she said helped “fuel my dream,” and she’s never forgotten.
As Time magazine’s “Person Of The Year” for 2023, the 33-year-old shared a heartbreak she experienced at age 17 that came after she’d scored a coveted spot on Chesney’s tour.
“This was going to change my career,” Swift said. “I was so excited.”
However, when she arrived home a few weeks later, she saw her mom weeping on the steps and said she thought there had been a family emergency. Through the tears, Swift learned Chesney’s tour would be sponsored by a beer company, and she was too young to join.
“I was devastated,” she added.
Time Magazine: We’d like to name you Person of the Yea-
Me: Can I bring my cat. https://t.co/SOhkYKSTwG
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) December 6, 2023
But then, a few months later, at Swift’s 18th birthday party, Chesney’s promoter gave her a card from the country music star that explained how sad he was she wasn’t able to join the tour, and he wanted to make it up to her. Inside the card, she said, was a check.
“It was for more money than I’d ever seen in my life,” Swift told the outlet. “I was able to pay my band bonuses. I was able to pay for my tour buses. I was able to fuel my dreams.”
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Chesney told the reporter Swift’s story-telling ability is why he gave her the gift all those years ago.
“She was a writer who had something to say,” Chesney said. “That isn’t something you can fake by writing clichés. You can only live it, then write it as real as possible.”
And while that heartbreak so many years ago seems far off given her insane popularity now, Swift said she’s keenly aware “nothing is permanent.”
“I’ve been raised up and down the flagpole of public opinion so many times in the last 20 years,” the “Shake It Off” hitmaker told the outlet. “I’ve been given a tiara, then had it taken away.”
“So I’m very careful to be grateful every second that I get to be doing this at this level, because I’ve had it taken away from me before,” she added.
“There is one thing I’ve learned: My response to anything that happens, good or bad, is to keep making things,” Swift continued. “Keep making art. But I’ve also learned there’s no point in actively trying to quote-unquote, ‘defeat your enemies.’ Trash takes itself out every single time.”
Related: Taylor Swift Named Time’s ‘Person Of The Year’ For 2023: ‘Are You Not Entertained?’