Inside Taylor Swift's Friendship With Ice Spice

Music industry powerhouse Taylor Swift notably crafted an iconic girls-only squad during her legendary "1989" era, and she still has many strong female friendships to this day, one of which is with rapper Ice Spice. The stars were mutual fans of each other before they collaborated on "Karma (Remix)." In a Variety interview with Spice, it was revealed that her team contacted Swift to put feelers out for a potential collaboration after Spice watched her "Miss Americana" documentary and was moved by it. 

Swift reached out to her about the "Karma" collab, which she described in a voice memo that Spotify shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. The singer-songwriter recalled how she had been listening to Spice's music while preparing for the Eras Tour, "So I immediately got her number and said, 'Hey, would you want to do your version of "Karma"? Do you relate to this?'" The "Bad Blood" hitmaker also raved about Spice's dedication and even called the rapper "my new favorite artist."

Some fans called out Swift's collab with Spice as problematic because Matty Healy, her rumored boyfriend at the time of the track's release, contributed to a racist discussion about the up-and-coming rapper on a podcast. Spice later confirmed to Variety that Healy had apologized, noting simply, "We're good." She seemingly never held his behavior against Swift either, because when the pop star shared the collaboration news on X, Spice retweeted the announcement and called the "Maroon" singer the "sweetest person ever." Spice has also shared many compliments for Swift publicly, and vice versa.

When Ice Spice found out that Taylor Swift had been listening to her album "Like..?" she described the moment as completely "surreal" in an interview with The Guardian. Spice continued, "She's so sweet — I was obsessed with how humble she was and willing to work. She gives me so much advice — we talk all the time and she's so funny. But I can't say what she be telling me."

The rapper didn't offer up any further information on what her and Swift's text conversations entail while speaking on "Up Next," but she did describe getting the call from her manager that Swift wanted to work with her. The "Deli" hitmaker had been having a really horrible day, and that news turned Spice's sad tears into happy tears. On working with Swift, the rapper gushed that she was "so humble and so nice." 

Swift was waiting outside the recording studio when Spice arrived to record her "Karma" verse and "I'm like, why is Taylor Swift outside? Like, 'Taylor, what are you doing here?'" She also reminisced about performing at the Eras Tour for the MetLife Stadium performances. The crowds were so loud, and Spice expressed gratitude for the opportunity to perform for about "200,000 people" (across all three nights).

The Variety write-up on Ice Spice included Taylor Swift raving about the younger performer too. "I relate to Ice in many ways, but I think her dedication and focus is what blew me away from the very start," she enthused. The "Cardigan" singer also discussed how prepared Spice was to record their song together, sending Swift a snippet of her verse on "Karma" before they'd even entered the studio together. Swift continued, "Recording, she was quick and laser focused, but intuitive and decisive and knew when she had it nailed."

🎥| Taylor Swift and Ice Spice having fun at the #VMAs pic.twitter.com/knV0wk4eFS

— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) September 13, 2023

The unlikely duo had a fun viral moment when they were spotted sitting together at the 2023 VMAs and having a great time. Spice even described her relationship with Swift as familial when she told Variety, "That's my sis. We was talking about a bunch of things. She's so funny. We was sipping on a little something something. Just chatting, vibing." 

The rapper also mentioned how her friendships with Swift and Nicki Minaj have bolstered her confidence, saying, "Them supporting me and just encouraging me gives me all the motivation I need." In addition to their time at the VMAs, Swift and Spice were spotted watching the Kansas City Chiefs win the 2024 Super Bowl. Could another iconic collaboration be on the horizon?