Australian Musician Shares the ‘Incredible’ Reaction They Received for Taylor Swift Cover

G Flip and Taylor Swift

While G Flip wasn't initially certain that the reaction to their cover of Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” would be positive, the Australian multi-instrumentalist was pleasantly surprised by how many people—including the hitmaker herself—responded.

“The Worst Person Alive” singer’s cover first surfaced earlier this year. At the time, G Flip was thrilled when Swift hit the “like” button on an Instagram video showing a live performance of their cover.

Though G Flip later said in a video shared on social media that they had wanted to “put my own spin” on the song while retaining “little hints of the original,” they “really thought that it was going to get a lot of hate” due to how beloved the original continues to be more than four years after its release on Swift’s 2019 album Lover. G Flip thanked Swift for her “really cool” reaction to the cover, saying, “I'm trying not to cry."

Related: Musician G Flip Has a Direct Message for Taylor Swift After Viral Video

Following that “like” on Instagram, the “Be Your Man” singer told The Daily Mail Australia that Swift’s publicist had informed them that the megastar “was really impressed with my cover.”

“That alone was incredible,” G Flip told the publication. Despite their mother’s online petition to secure an opening slot on Swift’s Eras Tour dates in Australia, “I didn't need to perform at the shows to feel validated,” G Flip said.

The Australian musician added that thinking of how Swift had “enjoyed” their work was “mind-blowing.”

“It validates the effort and passion I poured into it,” they said.

G Flip is one of many musicians who has covered the “Anti-Hero” singer’s songs over the course of her pop music career. But not all receive the stamp of approval from Swift herself.

Though G Flip didn’t open for Swift in Australia, they said they were invited to attend one of the Eras Tour shows in Melbourne. Swift performed three shows in Melbourne before her tour moved to Sydney for four nights at Accor Stadium. Her first night at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, Feb. 16, marked a major career milestone for Swift as she performed before an estimated 96,000 fans.

"This is the biggest show that we have done on this tour—or any tour I have ever done,” Swift told her audience that night. "So, yeah, that's the version you get of me tonight; the version that's completely starstruck by the fact that so many of you wanted to hang out with us on a Friday night in Melbourne."

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