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Back in 2009, Taylor Swift was a 19-year-old country singer who was one of the newest faces on the music scene, and Beyoncé was a 28-year-old global icon with more than a decade of industry experience under her belt.
And their worlds ended up colliding in spectacular fashion at that year’s VMAs, when Kanye West infamously stormed the stage while Taylor was accepting her award to declare that Beyoncé should have won instead.
At the time, Beyoncé was shown looking absolutely mortified by Kanye’s actions, and it was later reported that both she and Taylor cried backstage after the incident.
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Aware that the teenager’s big moment had been stolen from her, Beyoncé then invited Taylor up on stage to finish her interrupted speech when she won a different award later on in the night.
Ever since, the two stars have been on friendly terms, with Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, being pictured attending intimate parties hosted by Taylor over the years.
But this affinity for one another reached new heights last year, when Taylor and Beyoncé made a point of showing up for one another at high profile events.
In October, Beyoncé made an incredibly rare public appearance at the LA premiere for Taylor’s concert film, with Taylor later taking to her Instagram page to gush about the guest of honor.
Posting a Boomerang video of herself and Bey looking cozy in an empty movie theater, Taylor wrote: “I’m so glad I’ll never know what my life would’ve been like without @beyonce‘s influence.”
“The way she’s taught me and every artist out here to break rules and defy industry norms,” she added. “Her generosity of spirit. Her resilience and versatility. She’s been a guiding light throughout my career and the fact that she showed up tonight was like an actual fairytale. 😇🙏🥹”
And the following month, Taylor attended the London premiere of Beyoncé’s concert film, with Tay flying in especially to support Bey’s release.
Fans previously speculated whether these appearances were a hint that something was brewing between the two music icons, and when Beyoncé announced that the second act of her 2022 Renaissance album would be country music, the speculation ramped up a gear.
In case you missed it, Beyoncé dropped two new songs and plans of an upcoming album in a commercial during the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, and fans have been left thrilled by the surprise switch in genre.
And it also wasn’t lost on them that Taylor first found fame with country as they wondered whether she’d go back to her roots for a collaboration with Bey.
Somebody else echoed: “what if Beyoncé and Taylor collab on a country song???”
And on Tuesday, Beyoncé’s producer Killah B teased exactly that during an appearance on TMZ Live. Killah B produced and cowrote Bey’s new song “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and was asked if fans should expect any collabs on the upcoming album, particularly with Taylor.
While Killah seemed keen not to give too much away, he did tease: “Let’s just say she’s on the approach of shocking the world. I’ll let your imagination decide what that means.”
The cryptic comment sent social media into overdrive, with many taking it as a confirmation that Taylor will be making a surprise appearance on the album.
However, almost as quickly as the excitement began, sources poured cold water over the whole thing to EW, with an insider telling the publication that Taylor is not featured on Beyoncé’s new record in any way.
Meanwhile, neither Taylor nor Beyoncé have publicly commented on the speculation, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what Bey has in store for us when she releases Act II on March 29.
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