Taylor Swift shared the Brad Paisley prank that kept her up at night for months

Taylor Swift took advantage of one of the most important moments of her career to recall a story she had kept in her memory for almost two decades. The singer spoke about her relationship with Brad Paisley and revealed a prank that, according to her, had consequences for months.

Swift joked that she had been “estranged” from Paisley since 2007, when she was just 17 years old and opened some shows on his Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour. The reason behind that supposed distance had to do with a scene far less glamorous than an awards ceremony: her tour bus ended up filled with thousands of live crickets.

The Brad Paisley prank Taylor Swift couldn't forget

As Swift recalled, Paisley took the prank too far by completely filling her bus with the insects.

The memory was so intense that the singer said that for months she couldn't sleep because of the sound of the crickets at night.

The story even had an unexpected twist: Swift said she even considered buying a lizard as a pet to put an end to the problem.

In front of the Nashville audience, she described that period as a “dark time”, although it all ended up turning into a funny anecdote almost 20 years later.

The occasion also served to show that the story was definitively left in the past.

It was Paisley who introduced Swift during the ceremony and, after recalling the incident, the singer admitted that the introduction had been so good that she was willing to make peace.

“I think we’re good now”, was Swift’s message after recalling that prank that, according to her account, marked her experience on that tour.

The event also had special significance because, at 36, Swift became the youngest artist to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The singer also recalled that she began writing songs from a very young age and that, even before knowing whether music could become her profession, she already knew she wanted to devote her life to it. The ceremony also coincided with the 20th anniversary of her debut album, released in 2006.

Swift said she felt "incredibly honored to be inducted into this sacred club, especially at this moment in [her] life."

“It’s not lost on me how incredible all of this is,” said the singer of “Cruel Summer.” “I’m going to cherish it forever because Nashville is the place that perfected and polished that part of me and my life that I’m most proud of and most passionate about.”

“So being here with you and being able to experience this moment makes me feel truly grateful. It’s one of those incredible Nashville moments that I’m going to return to on a rainy day”, she concluded her speech.

During her acceptance speech, Swift also had words for her family. Through tears, she thanked her parents, Scott and Andrea Swift, and her brother, Austin Swift, for having “completely uprooted their lives” to move from Pennsylvania to Nashville and support her music career. The singer described the city as “the songwriting capital of the world” and dedicated a direct phrase to them: “You are the reason I am here tonight.”