Paul McCartney can ‘see the parallel’ between Taylor Swift and The Beatles

By Andrea Dresdale May 26, 2026 | 11:00 AM

Paul McCartney during The Beatles’ concert in Milan, Italy, 24th June 1965. (Sergio del Grande / Mondadori via Getty Images); Taylor Swift performs Nov. 1, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Kevin Mazur/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

Paul McCartney thinks Taylor Swift’s global fame is similar to the level of superstardom he once experienced with The Beatles — though he wouldn’t presume to give her any advice about it.

While appearing on BBC Radio 2, McCartney was asked how he perceives Taylor’s fame compared to that of his former group, and whether he’d offer advice to her or any other current pop superstars. “Absolutely, yeah,” the Beatles legend responded. “And you do see the parallel, y’know, like the fame and the amount of fame and the worldwide fame that Taylor Swift has and that we had. But I don’t think she needs any advice, [to] tell you the truth!”

“If she asked for it, I definitely would,” McCartney, 83, continued. “Because I’m like the older brother to that generation, y’know. Or, more like the grandad, actually.”

McCartney also shared that he recently met many of today’s female pop stars at a party thrown by his wife, Nancy Shevell, and daughter, designer Stella McCartney, whom he said are “very good at getting cool people to a party.” Guests included Taylor, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish.

“I ended up chatting to them all,” he said, adding, “They’re really cool people. They’re very good. So basically to answer your question, I like their voices. If they needed any advice, yeah, I would be happy to give it, but I don’t think they do.”