Pop
Paul McCartney dubs himself pop's 'grandad' as he praises Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter
Sir Paul McCartney says he’s happy to offer guidance to today’s biggest pop stars, though he insists Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and their peers hardly need any advice.
Sir Paul McCartney has joked that he’s become the “grandad” of the modern pop world, admitting he’s always willing to share wisdom with artists like Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter - even if he doesn’t think they need much help.
Speaking to Vernon Kay on BBC Radio 2’s Tracks Of My Years, now available on BBC Sounds, McCartney reflected on the parallels between his own rise to global fame and the level of attention surrounding today’s chart‑toppers.
He said: “You do see the parallel, you know the fame and the amount of fame.
“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.”
He added that he’d happily step in if asked.
Macca continued: “If she asked for it, I definitely would. I'm like the older brother to that generation, or more like the grandad, actually.”
McCartney went on to praise the current wave of young stars - including Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter - for their talent and attitude.
He said: “They’re really cool people, they're very good.
“I like their voices. If they need any advice, yeah, I would be happy to give it, but I don't think they do.”
By contrast, McCartney admitted he is completely baffled by modern influencer culture and the rise of celebrities “who don’t seem to be particularly talented”.
The 83-year-old Beatles legend opened up about fame in the social media era and confessed he struggles to understand how internet personalities can become globally famous almost overnight.
Appearing on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast with Richard Osman and Marina Hyde, McCartney said: “I think a lot of this influencer stuff - I just don't really get it, because I'm not that generation.
“But I see it, you can't help it. My wife will be looking at Instagram and showing me something, and then one of those will come on.”
The Hey Jude songwriter then took a thinly veiled swipe at online fame culture.
He said: “I think it's funny - and I suppose it always happened - but people who don't seem to be particularly talented are incredibly famous. Billions of hits and views.”
The music icon quickly acknowledged his comments might make him sound old-fashioned.
He joked: “You've got to be careful about talking about that, because it makes you sound very old-fashioned. Which I am.”
Having spent more than six decades as one of the world’s most recognisable stars, McCartney also reflected on how attitudes towards fame have dramatically changed since the height of Beatlemania in the 1960s.
He insisted celebrities of his generation embraced public attention rather than complaining about it.
McCartney said: “I think the big difference is in yourself. When you're first famous, you love it - because it's what you were trying to achieve.
“So something goes well, people in the street recognise you, and you love it. There was none of this, ‘Oh, people are bothering me’ - that's a modern affliction. We loved it. And you learn to deal with it.”
