It’s been well over 10 years since that infamous September night at the MTV VMAs when Taylor Swift, 30, was interrupted by Kanye West, 42, as she accepted the Moon Man for Best Female Video. Though time has passed, Taylor still holds onto that memory, and the message it sent her by one of her industry colleagues. “As a teenager who had only been in country music, attending my very first pop awards show, somebody stood up and sent me the message: ‘You are not respected here. You shouldn’t be here on this stage,’” Taylor shared in her cover story for Variety, published on Jan. 21. For Taylor, the spectacle completely changed her world and contributed to some of the more difficult moments she maneuvered throughout the rest of her career.
The “Lover” songstress took Kanye’s actions to heart. “That message was received, and it burrowed into my psyche more than anyone knew,” she confessed to the outlet. But rather than give into public pressure, the Grammy winner chose to turn the moment on its head. “That can push you one of two ways,” Taylor recollected of her state of mind following the 2009 MTV VMAs. “I could have just curled up and decided I’m never going to one of those events ever again, or it could make me work harder than anyone expects me to, and try things no one expected, and crave that respect — and hopefully one day get it.”
Well over a decade later, Taylor has seemingly earned what she sought out. She’s transitioned from a Country darling to a contemporary pop songstress, and earned all sorts of accolades and honors along the way. She was named Billboard‘s Woman of the Decade in December 2019, broke the record for most accumulated American Music Awards, and continues to add to her Grammy Award nomination count — which now stands at 35 nominations and 10 wins. Upon reflection, Taylor revealed whether or not she still ruminates on the moment she shared unwillingly with Kanye in 2009. “I don’t think too hard about this stuff now.”
