Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott sat down with Billboard to talk about working with Taylor Swift. During the interview, the rocker said the pop singer was listening to his band in the womb.
Elliott was asked about the time he sang ‘Photograph’ with Swift and if he ever thought she would be this big today. The rocker explained being impressed by where she is now:
“We were just so very impressed with Taylor — because, as you know, the album 1989 is called that because that’s year she was born.”
He then explained how Swift has been listening to Def Leppard even in the womb:
“So basically, in the womb, she was listening to ‘Pyro’ and ‘Hysteria,’ because her mom was a big fan. She was born to Def Leppard, basically. [Prior to CMT Crossroads] we saw this article where she said, ‘There’s only one band I would do Crossroads with,’ and it was us. We were beyond flattered and management said, ‘We should get in touch with her management to see if she actually really means it.’ And she did.”
Elliott’s Kids Didn’t Believe He Sang With Swift
Elliott teamed up with Swift 16 years ago for an episode of CMT’s ‘Crossroads.’ Back then, Swift was just starting her music career with country songs.
In an interview with Rock City, the rocker recalled working with Swift. He called the event ‘strange’ and recalled his children’s reaction when he first told them about it:
“It’s a strange thing. My kids, who are 14, 7 and 4, have never seen me with Taylor Swift. And I’ve told them. They didn’t believe me. [Laughs] Because my kids are Swifties. And they didn’t believe that daddy had sung with Taylor Swift. So I had to pull the DVD out and put it on. And they were just like this. [Opens his mouth wide]”
You can watch the performance below.