Taylor Swift has officially made her Olympics debut. Well, kind of. Listen, would I believe it if the pop star, on top of everything else, somehow managed to snag a gold on the uneven bars? Sure. (Though she’s taller, so volleyball is probably more her speed). But no, Swift’s foray into sports consisted of a promo spot that she narrated and soundtracked for NBC’s coverage of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The promo is mainly in support of Team USA’s women’s all-around gymnastics competitors Sunisa Lee and Jade Carey (the alternate for Simone Biles), which shows footage of the athletes and their teammates practicing and laughing together in a gym. “Life can surprise you,” Swift narrates as the title track of 2020's Evermore, which also features Bon Iver, plays. “It can humble you. It can test you. It can inspire you. They didn’t expect this to be the story, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t ready for the spotlight."
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She continues: “They’ve worked for this. They’ve dreamed about this. They belong here. So don’t be surprised as the story takes flight from here in the women’s all-around in Tokyo."
They've worked for this.
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 29, 2021
They've dreamed about this.
They belong here.
Couldn't have said it better ourselves, @taylorswift13.
The #TokyoOlympics women's all-around. 8 p.m. ET tonight. NBC and https://t.co/FmEtvutDRA pic.twitter.com/iiPB5dK2jf
The hype basically worked, as Lee won gold in the women’s gymnastics all-arounds that took place on July 29.
Upon seeing the promo, Biles had an emotional response. And understandably so — on top of being a proud Swiftie, the gymnast's run at the 2021 Olympics has been especially complicated due to her struggles with her mental health.
I cried watching YOU. I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience. We all learned from you. Thank you. https://t.co/VQxyeEf0mJ
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 3, 2021
"I'm crying," Biles captioned her repost of the promo on Twitter. "How special. I love you @taylorswift13."
Swift was quick to reply in kind, returning Biles' sentiment.
"I cried watching YOU," said the singer. "I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch you all these years, but this week was a lesson in emotional intelligence and resilience. We all learned from you. Thank you."
Swift also narrated another promo for the U.S. women's national soccer team, soundtracked by her Lover single "You Need To Calm Down," as they continue on their quest for gold at the Olympics.
🎥| @taylorswift13 lends her voice and narrates in a new commerical for #Olympics
— Taylivia Team (@TayliviaTeam) July 30, 2021
— “You need to calm down” is also and background music for it! pic.twitter.com/FVxlHIaa2Q
The singer may not be competing for a gold medal, but she has been involved in a heated competition of her own, as she works to fully gain control of all of her music. So far, she has already re-recorded Fearless (Taylor’s Version), and is rumored to be releasing 1989 next, all in hope of barring record executive Scooter Braun — who bought her masters in 2019 and then sold them to an investment firm the next year for $300 million — from profiting off of her work.
Using these particular two songs, which come off of albums that Braun doesn't own, is an automatic win for Swift. Now, hopefully, her support will boost a few others to get up on that podium.
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