Taylor Swift on How to Navigate Negativity

Even if you’re not one of Taylor Swift’s legion of devoted fans, her acceptance speech at Tuesday’s 2021 BRIT Awards is worth a listen.

Swift was given the Global Icon award, an honour that celebrates artists who have made a worldwide impact — not just through their music, but also through their advocacy. (To give you an idea of the elite company she joins, past honourees include Elton John and David Bowie.)

She took the first half of her speech to thank the people she’d worked with over the past year, and to thank her UK fans for their support. But it’s at the 2:36 mark that things get real, after Swift thanks her friends and family.

“If there’s one thing that I’ve learned, it’s that you have to look around you everyday, and take note of the people who have always believed in you,” she says, advising that you never take those people for granted.

She goes on to address the newer artists in the room, as well as anyone listening who has a goal or a dream that they’re working towards. “There is no career path that comes free of negativity. If you’re being met with resistance, that probably means that you’re doing something new. If you’re experiencing turbulence or pressure, that probably means you’re rising.”

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