Billy Joel has some strong words for those living in New York that are not fans of Taylor Swift, who is the city’s newly-minted tourism ambassador.
The “Uptown Girl,” a native New Yorker, is clearly a fan of the 1989 singer and doesn’t think it’s fair that she’s getting criticism.
"I see the New York press going, 'Taylor Swift is going to be the new New York representative?' You snoots. Let her in. That's what New York is all about. I say, 'Welcome,’” he told USA Today.
Joel went on to call the “Blank Space” singer a “talented songwriter.”
"She catches a lot of junk, maybe because she's so popular with young girls. But I like what she's projecting. I respect what she's doing,” he said.
Joel hardly stands alone in his affinity towards Swift. Her new album sold over 1.2 million copies in its first week of sales, which is the best sales week for a single album since 2002 - Eminem’s The Eminem Show, which sold 1.322 million copies in its second week in June 2002.
image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com