Taylor Swift Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Beatles are without a doubt one of the most prominent and influential musical acts in history, and it sounds like one of the band’s former members thinks that Taylor Swift might be in that category, too.

During a recent interview with American Songwriter, The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was asked whether or not he thought that the frenzy around Taylor Swift rivaled the Beatlemania of the 1960s.

“Do you think what’s happening with Taylor Swift could be the closest thing to Beatlemania for this generation?” asked Katherine Yeske Taylor for American Songwriter.

Starr certainly did not hold back his praise for Swift in response.

“I do,” he said. “I think Taylor Swift is great anyway. She’s pulling them in, you know. When we talk about her, I always have to mention that the first time I met her, she was 14. She was at the Grammys with her mother. Then, I saw a photo of her the other day, just yesterday, of her and her mother.”

Swift has taken the music world by storm over the past several years and earned her status as one of the most influential musicians of all time, even before her 35th birthday.

However, Starr was quick to point out that The Beatles are still relevant, too.

“Taylor is the ‘now’ one. We are the ‘still now,’” Starr explained.

Over the past several months, Swift has taken her popularity even further thanks in part to her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who has helped expand her reach into the realm of sports, as well.

Clearly, Swift is already a music icon, and other icons recognize that.

[American Songwriter]