Taylor Swift is opening up about how her new "Karma" remix with Ice Spice came to be.
In an audio clip tweeted by Spotify, the 12-time Grammy winner, 33, gushed about the young rapper, calling her "my new favorite artist."
“Collaborating with Ice Spice on ‘Karma’ was one of the most natural things,” said Swift. “She reached out through her team, just kind of saying, ‘Hey, Ice has been a big fan of Taylor’s since she was a little kid, would love to collaborate if that was ever something that came about.’”
Little did Ice Spice's team know that Swift was already a big fan.
“I had been listening to her nonstop, like getting ready for my ("Eras") tour, I was just listening to Ice Spice constantly,” continued Swift. “So I immediately got her number and said, ‘Hey, would you wanna do your version of ‘Karma’? Do you relate to this?’ So she jumped in headfirst.”
The remix, which was released at midnight on May 26, combines Swift's ethereal vocals with the assured, soothing rapping of Ice Spice, whose real name is Isis Gaston. The two women's voices unite atop a thick pastiche of danceable beats to create something thrillingly fresh and appealing.
"Just never imagined Taylor Swift and Ice Spice even being in the same room together so them being on this song together is mind blowing," one fan gushed under a new "visualizer" video of the song Swift shared on YouTube.
"I did not expect (Ice Spice) to fit this song so well. I kept wondering how she’d do it. I’m surprised and completely here for it. She fit in perfectly," another fan marveled.
Though thrilled about the collaboration, which marks the first time Swift has released a song featuring a Black female artist, some Swift fans suspect it may have been a publicity move given the singer's rumored romance with Matty Healy, the lead singer of The 1975.
Healy, 34, came under fire earlier this year after engaging in behavior that some deemed racist during a February appearance on the “The Adam Friedland Show.”
During his appearance on the podcast, Healy, who is white, laughed at and joined in on jokes Friedland and his co-host made about Ice Spice's ethnicity — the rapper is Dominican and Nigerian — and also appeared to encourage the co-hosts when they mocked Chinese, Japanese and Hawaiian accents.
In an interview with Elle magazine from January, Ice Spice had named The 1975 among artists she's "obsessed" with.
Apple and Spotify later pulled the podcast. In April, Healy apologized for his behavior during a live performance.
“I’m sorry if I’ve offended you and, like, Ice Spice, I’m sorry. It’s not because I’m annoyed that me joking got misconstrued, it’s cause I don’t want Ice Spice to think I’m a d---. I love you, Ice Spice. I’m so sorry. I don’t want anything to be misconstrued as mean. I don’t mind being, like, a bit of a joker … but I don’t want to be perceived as, like, kind of mean-hearted," Healy can be heard saying onstage in a video shared on TikTok.
Swift, who has not commented on the controversy, has said she's in awe of Ice Spice's talent, telling Spotify she feels "honored" to have collaborated with the rapper.
“Getting to know her has been so special because I am blown away by her,” said Swift. “In my opinion, she’s the one to watch."
She added, "Watching her work ethic and how thoughtfully she approaches her career, she’s like my new favorite artist and I’m so honored that she’s on the song.”
On May 24, the rapper called Swift "the coolest person on earth" when she posted about the pair's remix on Instagram. The same day, she retweeted Swift’s announcement about the song, calling the singer the “sweetest person ever."
NBC News has reached out to respective reps of Swift, Ice Spice and Healy for further comment.