Carole King showed off her rendition of Taylor Swift‘s “Shake It Off” during the inaugural Swifties for Kamala call. The coalition’s kick-off event feature an appearance from King, who addressed the 34,000 attendees and offered a snipped of Swift’s 2014 single.
“I am a Swiftie, and Taylor and I are actually friends,” King said during the call. “We have had conversations backstage and I see her as sort of my musical and songwriting granddaughter. We have a lovely relationship, and I’m so proud of her.”
She added that her favorite song is 1989‘s “Shake It Off” and explained why she wanted to lend her support to Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. “I’m excited about Kamala, because so many people are excited about Kamala, and I have met her,” King said. “I admire her and the stars lined up, and Joe Biden did a really gracious, hard thing to do, and I’m so proud of him. But this is about you. I know you have your ways of communicating and social networking and organizing.”
She encouraged the Swifties on the call to get involved in multiple ways. “I’ve been a political activist for years,” King said. “I’ve been a caller, I’ve been a door knocker, even as a famous person. I’m telling you all this because if any of you are thinking of volunteering to be door knockers or phone callers, but you’re a little nervous about what you might say, please believe me, you will be working with an organizer who will give you steps. Don’t be afraid, because there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. There is too much at stake.”
The kick-off call raised $122,000 for the Harris-Walz presidential campaign. It also featured Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representatives Becca Balint and Chris Deluzio as speakers.
“You come together hand in hand, friendship bracelets on your wrists, and you overcome anything life throws at you,” Warren noted. “It’s about standing up for what is right against bullies like Donald Trump.”
Although Swift was not in attendance during the call, the organizers shared on social media that Swift is “always welcome to show up to our party.” The coalition was birthed the same day President Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Harris, and soon declared their mission statement: to help elect Harris as the 47th president of the United States.
The group has garnered a quarter of a million followers across social media platforms and launched a newsletter with subscribers across all 50 states and multiple countries.
In 2021, Swift introduced King during her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with a performance of King’s “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” and called the rock icon “the greatest songwriter of all time.” Swift, a cat mom to Scottish folds Meredith Grey and Olivia Benson, and Ragdoll Benjamin Button, also made a shout-out to the cat featured on the cover art of Tapestry. When recalling the honor, King said she was both overwhelmed with emotions and humored by Swift’s intro.
“That was hilarious,” King told Rolling Stone that year. “An inspiration to all cats that they too can be on the cover of an album!”
King later praised Swift during the induction, for her performing and songwriting abilities. “She owns the song and the stage and she just carries herself, and she’s a tall woman,” King said. “She carries herself with the full grace of her stature, and she knows what the audience wants, and she loves the song and she loves bringing it to them. And she loves her fans. That is like, the foundation of who she is. She loves her fans and they know it.”
Earlier this month, Swifties for Kamala’s social media manager Rohan Reagan told Cosmopolitan that the coalition wasn’t waiting around for Swift’s personal endorsement for president to take action.
“We are not waiting on Taylor to show her support for Kamala Harris,” Reagan said. “We are doing this outside of her, using the platform of Swifties as a way to get people involved in the election. Taylor did throw her support toward Joe Biden during the 2020 election, so it is possible that she’ll show her support again. But Swifties for Kamala aren’t waiting for her to do that.”
