Swift told Colbert that when she’s seeking clarity, she likes to look for common threads in other people’s stories: “Even if our lives don’t look the same on the surface, there are experiences we all understand,” she said.

But among all the voices she listens to, Swift said she feels “incredibly fortunate” to have direct access to Nicks’ insight. “Stevie has this magical, grounded, wise way of seeing the world,” Swift shared. “Talking to her, hearing about what she’s lived through   it’s shaped me in the best possible way. She really carved out the path that artists like me now get to walk.”

Swift and Colbert reminisced about how deeply intertwined the two musicians have been for more than a decade. Their connection became public in 2010 when they performed “Rhiannon” and “You Belong with Me” together at the Grammys  a moment Swift later described as nothing short of a “fairy tale.” Nicks, at the time, praised Swift’s drive and storytelling gifts, calling her a songwriter who could move audiences the way legends like Neil Diamond and Elton John did.

In recent years, Nicks has openly reflected on the impact Swift’s music has had on her as well. She revealed that Swift’s “You’re on Your Own, Kid” helped her process the loss of her longtime friend and bandmate Christine McVie, who died in 2022. Nicks also penned a poem for Swift in 2023, which was published as the written prologue in The Tortured Poets Department. Swift returned the gesture by referencing Nicks in the album track “Clara Bow.”

Speaking to TODAY.com in April 2024, Nicks explained what she hopes Swift carries forward from her legacy: honesty. “I never write anything that isn’t true,” she said. “If Taylor learned anything from me, it’s that. I don’t bend the story. If you broke my heart, I’m not pretending I broke yours. I tell it exactly as it was.”

For Swift, that straightforward wisdom is part of what makes Nicks irreplaceable: a guiding voice, a creative inspiration   and a living reminder of the path she herself continues to forge.