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Paul McCartney believes today's biggest pop stars are experiencing the same level of worldwide fame once associated with The Beatles, and he says Taylor Swift is leading that conversation.
During a recent interview on BBC Radio 2, the 83-year-old music icon reflected on the scale of Swift's popularity and compared it to the height of Beatlemania in the 1960s.
"You do see the parallel, you know the fame and the amount of fame," McCartney said. "The worldwide fame that Taylor Swift has and that we had."
Despite being one of the most successful musicians in history, McCartney admitted Swift likely does not need guidance from him when it comes to handling superstardom.
"I don't think she needs any advice to tell you the truth," he said with a laugh. "If she asked for it, I definitely would. I'm like the older brother to that generation, or more like the grandad, actually."
McCartney also praised several younger artists, including Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, revealing that he has met many of them through gatherings hosted by his wife Nancy Shevell and daughter Stella McCartney.
"They're really cool people, they're very good," he said. "I like their voices."
Swift's rise has also seen her surpass one of the Beatles' chart records. Last year, she reportedly became the artist with the most songs simultaneously in the United World Top 10 chart, overtaking the Beatles' long-standing 1964 achievement.
The interview also touched on McCartney's own legacy and his continued connection with fans decades after Beatlemania transformed popular culture. The Beatles remain the act with the most No. 1 hits in Billboard Hot 100 history and have sold more than 600 million albums worldwide.
Elsewhere in the conversation, McCartney opened up about why he dislikes taking photos with fans. Speaking on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, he compared the experience to a tourist attraction he once saw in France.
"There's a guy on the beachfront who's got a monkey, and you pay to have your photo taken with the monkey," he explained. "I really do not want to feel like that monkey."
