Taylor Swift has said that she “went through some really low times” as she discussed the inspiration behind her now-iconic snake visuals.
The singer’s ‘Reputation’ stadium tour kicked off in Arizona last night (May 8). During the show, she was joined onstage by support acts Charli XCX and Camila Cabello for a performance of ‘Shake It Off’.
During the striking two-hour set at the University of Phoenix Stadium, Swift also took a moment to discuss the snake imagery that was used to promote her latest record.
“A couple of years ago, someone called me a snake on social media and it caught on,” Swift told the crowd. “And then a lot of people called me a lot of names on social media.
“I went through some really low times for a while because of it. I went through some times when I didn’t know if I was going to get to do this anymore.”
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Offering advice to her fans, she added: “I wanted to send a message to you guys that if someone uses name-calling to bully you on social media, and even if a lot of people jump on board with it, that doesn’t have to beat you. It can strengthen you instead.”
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Swift then said that she “learned a really important lesson” about “how much you value your reputation”.
“I think the lesson is that you shouldn’t care so much if you feel misunderstood by a lot of people who don’t know you, as long as you feel understood by the people who do know you.”
Swift was seemingly referring to her feud with Kanye West, which came to a head in 2016.
Ahead of her first show of the tour, Swift did however end her long-running beef with Katy Perry. The ‘Chained To The Rhythm’ star sent Swift a literal olive branch to “clear the air”.
It had previously been widely reported that the pop stars didn’t see eye to eye, with Swift’s single ‘Bad Blood’ believed to have been inspired by the rivalry.
Swift will play UK and Ireland dates as part of the ‘Reputation’ tour in June. See those in full below. Tickets are available here.
Friday June 8 2018 – MANCHESTER Etihad Stadium
Saturday June 9 2018 – MANCHESTER Etihad Stadium
Friday June 15 2018 – DUBLIN Croke Park
Saturday June 16 2018 – DUBLIN Croke Park
Friday June 22 2018 – LONDON Wembley Stadium
Saturday June 23 2018 – LONDON Wembley Stadium