Watch: Ringo Starr Reveals Why Taylor Swift Is This Generation’s Beatlemania (Exclusive)

It’s hard to compete with the fervor and ubiquity of the Beatlemania movement of the 1960s, but former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr believes one modern artist has come close. And after all, who better able to identify new Beatlemania than someone who was a part of the original movement?

The drummer revealed who he believed is the 2020s’ equivalent of the Fab Four in an exclusive interview with American Songwriter. And to be honest, we can’t say we’re surprised at his answer.

Ringo Starr Believes Taylor Swift Is This Generation’s Beatlemania

Former Beatle and prolific solo artist Ringo Starr sat down with American Songwriter ahead of the release of his October 2024 country album, Look Up. During the interview, he revealed who he believed to be the modern-day equivalent of the Beatles in terms of ubiquity, cultural influence, and passionate fan base. Starr’s perspective is interesting not only because he was part of the original Beatlemania movement but also because he first met this future icon when she was still a teenager.

So, who does Starr believe to be the 21st-century version of the Fab Four? Solo artist, global pop icon, and billionaire Taylor Swift, naturally.

“I think Taylor Swift is great anyway,” Starr said. “She’s pulling them in, you know. When we talk about her, I always have to mention that the first time I met her, she was 14. She was at the Grammys with her mother. Then, I saw a photo of her the other day, just yesterday, of her and her mother.”

Starr mentioned other pop stars who have held similar status in the past, like Madonna. But he reasserted that Taylor Swift’s musical and cultural impact most closely resemble the wave of Beatlemania he and his bandmates experienced in the mid-1960s.

The Former Beatle Certainly Isn’t Alone In His Opinion

Ringo Starr has long been a Swiftie, citing Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” as one of his favorite songs in a 2009 conversation with ABC. “I love Taylor Swift. That’s just how I am,” Starr said (via Far Out Magazine). “I love her.”

Starr’s former bandmate, Paul McCartney, has also expressed his admiration for Swift. During a 2018 interview with the BBC, McCartney admitted to taking inspiration from Swift and her fan base for his track “Who Cares.” He explained, “I was actually thinking about Taylor Swift and her relationship to her young fans. It’s sort of a sisterly thing.” McCartney used Swift’s familial example to write a song directly to listeners who might be struggling. “Who cares about you? Well, I do.”

Even those who weren’t in the Fab Four can recognize Swift’s likeness to the Beatles. Billy Joel shared the same sentiment in a 2023 New York Times article after watching an “Eras” tour performance in Florida. “The only thing I can compare it to is the phenomenon of Beatlemania,” he said.

Of course, Swift doesn’t need validation from other artists. Her album sales, world tours, and massive cultural following are proof of her success. However, Swift is fully aware that she’s standing on the shoulders of giants. (She said as much when she sent Don McLean a bouquet after “All Too Well” beat out “American Pie” for the longest chart-topping song of all time.)

So, to have those giants pluck her off their shoulders and place her amongst them as a musical behemoth in her own right only confirms what we already knew. It’s Taylor Swift’s world, and we—us, you, Ringo, Paul, and Billy included—are just living in it.

Featured Image via American Songwriter