Back in 2010, Stevie Nicks Predicted the Rise of Pop Music’s Biggest Star: “It’s Women Like Her Who Are Going To Save the Music Business”

Love, like, or dislike her, there is one thing you cannot deny: Taylor Swift is the most popular musician in the world. Swift has altered local economies, garnered a fanbase that is equivalent to a religious following in both size and loyalty, and reiterated the importance of musical ownership in the music business. Again, you can love, like, or dislike her, but what you can argue with is the fact that she has changed the music business. One person who predicted Taylor Swift’s rise and astronomical impact was Stevie Nicks.

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For the 2010 Time 100 list, Stevie Nicks wrote an entry for the then-20-year-old Taylor Swift. For context, by the time Taylor Swift was 20, she had a No. 1 hit, a No. 1 album, and a plethora of awards and nominations. In other words, there was a lot to write home about, and Stevie Nicks did just that when she wrote her review of Taylor Swift in 2010 following her 20th birthday in December of 2009.

Stevie Nicks’ Bold Prediction Came to Fruition

In 2010, Stevie Nicks and Taylor Swift performed together at the 2010 Grammy Awards. The performance was not highly praised by critics and fans around the world. Regardless, the moment marked the changing of tides and the passing of the torch. Nicks and Swift certainly have a lot of similarities and differences, but they share the common ground of celebrity greatness, and Nick acknowledged Swift’s greatness in her piece for Time.

“This girl writes the songs that make the whole world sing, like Neil Diamond or Elton John,” Nicks wrote for Time. “She sings, she writes, she performs, she plays great guitar. Taylor can do ballads that could be considered pop or rock and then switch back into country. When I turned 20 years old, I had just made the serious decision to never be a dental assistant. Taylor just turned 20, and she’s won four Grammys.”

“Taylor is writing for the universal woman and for the man who wants to know her. The female rock-’n’-roll-country-pop songwriter is back, and her name is Taylor Swift. And it’s women like her who are going to save the music business,” continued Stevie Nicks.

Stevie Nicks’ prediction of sorts was right on the money if you ask us. Truly, in the 21st century, has there been a musician more influential than Taylor Swift? You may disagree, but that is a fairly difficult point to back up. The evidence is certainly in her favor.

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