Music Exec Reveals He Once Had to Beg Staff to Watch Taylor Swift Perform!

Before she became a global pop icon, Taylor Swift was just starting out.

“Fourteen years ago, I had to persuade people at Billboard to watch Taylor Swift perform in our cafeteria as she was promoting her debut album,” recalls Bill Werde, now director of the esteemed Bandier Music Program at Syracuse University, in an exclusive with Page Six.

At that time, Werde served as the editorial director at Billboard and describes the venue as “a cheesy little cafeteria with poor lighting and terrible acoustics, yet Taylor played as if she were in Madison Square Garden.”

He noted that the audience was comprised of “12 irritable journalists who were all eager to return to their looming deadlines.”

Despite being far from a well-known name at that point, Swift performed “Picture to Burn” to the modest crowd.

Starting off in typical Swift style, she announced, “Before I play this next song, I want you all to know that I really do try to be a nice person. But if you break my heart, hurt my feelings, make me feel really bad, or are really mean to me, I’m going to write a song about you,” she declared.

At the event, the Grammy Award-winning artist was dressed in a strapless knee-length white dress and tan leather cowboy boots, her blond hair styled in long, soft curls.

Werde mentioned to Page Six, “We recorded Taylor’s performance only because our boss back then insisted we tape any artist who visited. It was still the early days of video recording.”

Fast forward 14 years, Swift just finished her record-setting Eras Tour right before turning 35.

As previously reported, the “Cruel Summer” singer is “definitely looking forward to some downtime,” shared an insider with Page Six. Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, “has encouraged her to take it easy,” the source added.

“Taylor was ready for the tour to end because she’s exhausted and is eager for some rest and relaxation,” the insider explained.

The worldwide star’s Eras Tour began in March 2023 in Glendale, Ariz., and wrapped up in Vancouver on December 8.