While Taylor Swift has reigned over her corner of pop music for the last several years, she’s also quick to uphold other hard-working musicians around her. Just last year, Swift hailed Lana Del Rey as “the most influential artist in pop.” But Swift has now named a handful of her female predecessors who have made a huge impact on her early life and influenced her career through their music.
Speaking to her fans in an Instagram story, Swift explained that she curated a playlist of some of the female artists who have influenced her the most. The list includes the Dixie Chicks, Liz Phair, Vanessa Carlton, Alanis Morissette, and many more. The singer told fans the playlist was to give back to her “faraway mentors:”
“At the end of Women’s History Month, I wanted to make a playlist of songs and artists who made music that became the soundtrack to my life for a time, a phase, endless rides on the school bus, getting my license and driving around alone, screaming into a hairbrush and deciding ultimately that I wanted to make music too. I see these women as my faraway mentors, who taught me how music can really make someone’s life easier and more magical. These female professors guided me melodically, lyrically, spiritually and emotionally without even knowing it. And though I haven’t met most of these women, I will forever be grateful to them.”
Check out Swift’s 51-song playlist below.