Taylor Swiftis known for reaching out to her favorite artists for collaborations. While she was still in the country genre, she was vocal about how much she admired Tim McGraw, even naming her first single after him. In 2013, the two would even sing together on McGraw’s track “Highway Don’t Care.“Swift has also featured artists like Colbie Caillat, Ed Sheeran, and Kendrick Lamar on her songs, generating some ofpop’s best collaborations.

When the singer began rerecording her albums, her vault tracks gave her more opportunities to duet with her favorite artists.Singers like Maren Morris, Phoebe Bridgers, and Hayley Williamshave all appeared onSwift’s vault tracks. However, in 2020 and 2022, Swift released collaborations with two of her favorite artists, and the work paid off - as she ended up taking home Grammys for them.

Taylor Swift Often Cites Lana Del Rey & Bon Iver As Her Favorite Artists

Both Artists Have Influenced Swift’s Music

Taylor Swift has publicly expressed her love for both Lana Del Rey and Bon Iver before she ever collaborated with the artists. At the 2019 Billboard Women In Music event,Swift called Del Rey the most influential artist in pop music. The singer praised her collaborator for her drive to keep making art despite being ruthlessly criticized by the public. Del Rey’s influence is also present in a lot of Swift’s music, especially in the1989track “Wildest Dreams,” which has often been compared to Del Rey’s 2012 song “Without You.”

As for Bon Iver, his work was a major influence onfolkloreandevermore, even beyond the songs that he worked on. DuringFolklore: The Long Pond Sessions, Swift admitted that she and her former boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, were big Bon Iver fans. When Swift heard Alwyn playing the piano and singing the first verse of “exile,“she knew Iver would be the perfect person to sing on the track.

Swift Collaborated With Bon Iver On Both Folklore & Evermore In 2020

Iver Worked On “Exile” and “Evermore”

Since the singer was working with producer Aaron Dessner, Bon Iver’s Big Red Machine bandmate, he was able to put her in contact with Iver and get him to sing and write on “exile.” After the song’s success, the two collaborated again onfolklore’s sister albumevermore. For their second collaboration,Swift and Iver wrote and sang together on the album’s title track.

Unfortunately,evermoredidn’t take home any awards at the 2022 Grammy Awards ceremony. However,folkloretook home just one a year earlier, and it was the highest honor of the night. While “exile” lost Best Pop Duo Performance to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain On Me,“Swift won Album of The Yearfor the third time that night.

Swift Collaborated With Lana Del Ray On Midnights In 2022

Del Rey Collaborated On “Snow On The Beach”

In 2022, when Taylor Swift releasedMidnights, she finally gave the world the long-awaited Lana Del Rey collaboration. Since Swift had spoken so highly of her and both artists frequently work with producer Jack Antonoff, it felt inevitable.Del Rey co-wrote and sang on the album’s fourth track, “Snow On The Beach.” However, fans felt like the singer’s vocals weren’t prominent enough. In May, Swift releasedMidnights Til Dawn Edition,which included a new version of the track called “Snow On The Beach (Featuring More Lana Del Rey.)”

Since Swift had spoken so highly of her and both artists frequently work with producer Jack Antonoff, it felt inevitable.

This time, the singer performed the entire second verse, using her ethereal vocals to bring the song to life. At the 2024 Grammy Awards, Del Rey was nominated for Album of The Year forDid You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevardalongside Swift’sMidnights.Swift ended up winning the award forMidnightsinstead, and she excitedly pulled Del Rey up on stage with her, as she wanted her to be acknowledged for her contributions to the album.

Unfortunately, social media felt Del Rey looked uncomfortable and thought Swift was rubbing her win in Del Rey’s face. Luckily,the singer cleared up the allegations, admitting she didn’t feel any negativity at any point during the ceremony.Most importantly, she got to share a special moment withTaylor Swift, who has admired her since the beginning of her career.