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Taylor Swift previously said she was uninspired to include politics in her music. Now, she's singing a different tune

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In newly released audio from a 2011 interview with 鈥60 Minutes,鈥 a then-21-year-old Taylor Swift says she was, at the time, not inspired to sing about topics related to politics.

It wasn鈥檛 until over a decade into Swift鈥檚 career, in 2018, that she decided to finally broach the topic publicly and in her music, and the never-before-heard audio 鈥 released on Tuesday in the debut episode of a new podcast titled 鈥 sheds light on Swift鈥檚 early philosophy about staying mum.

鈥淎s far as politics and who I want to be making decisions for our country and all that, I don鈥檛 really sing about that,鈥 Swift told award-winning journalist and 鈥60 Minutes鈥 host Lesley Stahl at the time, according to the newly released audio.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 get melodies and ideas in my head that have to do with the issues of our economic climate,鈥 Swift added. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 fit into a chorus.鈥

That has since changed, in case you haven鈥檛 heard.

Swift, now 34, has since written a number of songs that reflect her feelings on politics and societal causes that are important to her. It鈥檚 a stark contrast from her take as a young woman in her 20s, who was then a rapidly rising star focused on her connection to her fans, navigating fame and pumping out hits.

Taylor Swift performing the Eras Tour in Germany in July. (Andreas Rentz/TAS24/Getty Images/CNN Newsource)

She initially began voicing her political positions in 2018, when she endorsed two Tennessee Democratic candidates in the midterm elections. They both lost, respectively, and Swift wrote a politically charged song about it titled 鈥淥nly the Young,鈥 released in 2020 in conjunction with her documentary 鈥淢iss Americana.鈥

That same year, Swift endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket, an endorsement punctuated by the singer expressing regret in 鈥淢iss Americana鈥 for not speaking up about political causes sooner. In one emotional scene, Swift told her father, Scott Swift, that she felt the need 鈥渢o be on the right side of history,鈥 while in another scene, she was critical of then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

Swift has also used her platform to advocate for women鈥檚 rights, reproductive health care and LGBTQ2S+ rights, vocalizing her support for the causes through songs such as the LGBTQ2S+ Pride anthem 鈥淵ou Need to Calm Down鈥 or 鈥淭he Man,鈥 both from her 2019 album 鈥淟over.鈥

An on-screen message shown at the end of the 鈥淐alm Down鈥 music video further clarified Swift鈥檚 stance and passion for propping up LGBTQ2S+ rights, urging people to sign her petition for 鈥淪enate support of the Equality Act on Change.org.鈥

鈥淟et鈥檚 show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all our citizens equally,鈥 the message read.

U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris made a splash earlier this month when her campaign played Swift鈥檚 2019 track 鈥淭he Man鈥 at a post-debate party. The song and its accompanying music video, directed by Swift, sparked headlines at the time of its release with its references to stark cultural double standards between men and women.

The song choice came after Swift endorsed Harris鈥 presidential run in the 2024 election, in a social media post in which she included a call to action for her followers to register to vote.

The move drove hundreds of thousands of people to visit the Vote.gov link that she provided, and her endorsement of Harris ended months of speculation over whether the Grammy-winner would share her political views ahead of November鈥檚 election.

Swift initially captivated her fans with her music, creating a loyal Swiftie base that seems to hang on her every word. Regardless of whether she chooses to directly sing about politics or social causes, she now seems to know all too well how powerful her music can be.

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