Taylor Swift, who knows a little something about surviving overwhelming public scrutiny, narrated a heartfelt tribute to Simone Biles that aired ahead of Biles’s balance-beam event on Tuesday. The tribute, which was set to Swift’s folklore track “this is me trying,†begins with Swift asking, “What do we want from our heroes? What do we expect of them? What do we need from them? What happens when they surprise us?†Over footage of Biles’s vault performance and Biles cheering on her teammates, Swift continues, “When you have the attention of the world, everything you do takes on a bigger meaning. It can be a heavy burden. It can be a chance to change everything.â€
“Throughout the last week, her voice has been as significant as her talents, her honesty as beautiful as the perfection that had long been her signature,†Swift concludes. “But don’t you see? It still is. She’s perfectly human, and that’s what makes it so easy to call her a hero. Simone Biles, back on the beam in Tokyo.†Biles took notice of the tribute on Tuesday evening, after making bronze in the balance-beam competition. “I’m crying,†she tweeted, “how special. I love you @taylorswift13.â€
Swift responded, “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.†Looks like Swift has earned another Olympian fan.