Though Taylor Swift started her career as a country singer, she has been firmly in the pop world for over a decade. The 35-year-old has dominated the genre, but she didn’t feel sure of herself when she first changed her sound. Swift said that while she had many mentors in country music, she felt iced out in the pop world.

Taylor Swift said she felt isolated when she moved over to pop music

When Swift released 1989 in 2014, she moved from country to pop music. It wasn’t always an easy transition, as she left behind some great mentors. 

“I had so many mentors in country music,” she told Billboard. “Faith Hill was wonderful. She would reach out to me and invite me over and take me on tour, and I knew that I could talk to her. Crossing over to pop is a completely different world. Country music is a real community, and in pop, I didn’t see that community as much.”

Though she said things improved after a few years, she felt that everyone was in competition with one another in the pop world. It made her feel alone.

“Now there is a bit of one between the girls in pop — we all have each other’s numbers and text each other — but when I first started out in pop, it was very much you versus you versus you,” she explained. “We didn’t have a network, which is weird because we can help each other through these moments when you just feel completely isolated.”

Taylor Swift says she has tried to support up-and-coming pop stars

Because of this experience, Swift said she wants to be someone to whom younger pop artists can turn when they feel lost. She has navigated many ups and downs in her career and wants to help others do the same.

“I’ve had several upheavals of somehow not being what I should be,” she said. “And this happens to women in music way more than men. That’s why I get so many phone calls from new artists out of the blue, like, ‘Hey, I’m getting my first wave of bad press, I’m freaking out, can I talk to you?’ And the answer is always yes!”

She never saw it as an imposition. Instead, she welcomed contact from virtual strangers.

“I’m talking about more than 20 people who have randomly reached out to me,” she said. “I take it as a compliment because it means that they see what has happened over the course of my career, over and over again.”

Swift hoped to break down barriers between women

Several years into her pop career, Swift said she saw things changing for the better. She hoped to continue to see female artists supporting each other.