Darius Rucker Makes a Bold Declaration About Taylor Swift

Rocker turned country music star Darius Rucker shared his honest thoughts about Taylor Swift and her hit Eras Tour during a recent interview.

While speaking with Newsweek for an article published on Friday, June 28, the Hootie & the Blowfish alum recalled first seeing Swift, 34, perform onstage back in 2007 when she was still a teenager and, in his mind, “just a baby.”

Rucker, 58, said he recognized right away that the “Cruel Summer” songstress would one day become “a superstar.”

“It was just obvious,” he boldly declared.

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As for the pop superstar’s ongoing Eras Tour, which celebrated its first show in Dublin, Ireland , on the same day that Rucker’s interview was published, the “Wagon Wheel” singer said Swift is doing things “the right way” with “great music and great shows.”

“I’m just so happy for her I can’t stand it,” he said.

When Swift first crossed paths with Rucker years ago, the “Fortnight” singer was still firmly cemented in the country music genre, a path she broke from with her first pop album, 1989 , in 2014. Other country stars have, as Rucker did, expressed admiration in the years that followed for Swift’s ability to shift into a new genre and expand her fanbase.

A few years after Rucker first watched Swift perform, the 14-time Grammy Award winner praised him while performing at a concert in 2011 in Columbia, S.C.

"You know, my favorite country artist is from South Carolina,” Swift told her audience before inviting Rucker to join her onstage, Taste of Country reported at the time.

More than a decade later, Swift kicked off her Eras Tour in March 2023 in the U.S. While currently touring internationally, she is scheduled to return to the U.S. this fall before wrapping up her tour in December.

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