Taylor Swift & Madonna Have Quite A History

The world of pop music is a full circle now, and it's all thanks to Madonna praising Taylor Swift as a princess of pop. During an interview with Richard Willkins for Network Nine's Today show, she said, "It's good to have princesses [of pop]. It means there's lots of pretty dresses around. I like Taylor Swift. I think she writes some really catchy pop songs. I can't get them out of my head." Of course, Swift responded with an amazing Tumblr post that sounds like exactly what any of us would say: "Thanks now I'm dead." (A few amazing hashtags followed too: "#HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH THIS" and "#BE COOL TAYLOR STOP BEING EMBARRASSING.")

This was far from the first time that Swift and Madonna interacted. Although the two haven't shared a stage yet or gotten in the studio together, there have been comparisons between the two artists for years — especially after Swift's venture into the pop world with 1989. To fully illustrate how similar they are, I've rounded up the history of their lives crossing paths, which is mostly Swift talking about Madonna's influence and wanting to be just as unpredictable as the Queen of Pop. Hey, a princess has to become a queen at some point in her life, right?

Swift Wants To Reinvent Herself Like Madonna

"One element of Madonna's career that really takes center stage is how many times she's reinvented herself," Swift told Billboard in 2013. "It's easier to stay in one look, one comfort zone, one musical style. It's inspiring to see someone whose only predictable quality is being unpredictable." Swift has definitely done that, going from a wide-eyed, big-dress-wearing country gal with her acoustic guitar to a full-blown pop star. On that note...

Swift Compares Herself To Madonna's Pop Star Status

Before 1989's release, Swift didn't see herself as a pop star. When she was compared to top pop star Madonna in 2013, she told the Salt Lake Tribune, "I would never see myself that way. I see myself as kind of this girl who writes songs in her bedroom. You can kind of dress it up all you want and you can put together an amazing theatrical production, you can become a better performer as time goes by, and you can try to excite people, but I'm always going to be a girl who writes songs in her bedroom in my own personal perception of myself."

1989's Major Madonna Influence

In Swift's 2014 Rolling Stone cover story, the author notes, "As the title suggests, 1989 was influenced by some of Swift's favorite Eighties pop acts, including Phil Collins, Annie Lennox and "Like a Prayer"-era Madonna." Very specific, but very true.

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