Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins makes a strong statement regarding Taylor Swift.

Billy Corgan, the singer and guitarist of The Smashing Pumpkins, has a bold outlook on Taylor Swift’s already legendary career.

The rocker came to the pop star’s defense during an interview with The Irish Times published on Monday, June 3, relating to some of the negativity that has surrounded the “Karma” songstress in the past and standing up for who he asserts is “one of the most gifted pop artists of all time.”

It’s easy for Corgan to sympathize with Swift, as they’ve both faced what amount to smear campaigns from both the general public and the media — Swift for a “fully manufactured frame job” orchestrated by Kim Kardashian and Kanye West and Corgan as a “punching bag” for the press in the ’90s before his fanbase turned on him for exploring other genres.

The band was “ahead of the curve” but, thanks to the early days of social media, Corgan still found his “heart broken” over “the lack of social grace on the internet.”

Swift is all too familiar with the poison that can spread across social media, most recently facing some internet backlash for the length of her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, which was released as both a 16-track standard album and a 31-track anthology.

“People complained about the length of my last album, Atum,” Corgan recalled. “I thought, Well, just go make your own playlist. Just listen to the record one time – rag over the six or 10 songs you like and make your own record.”

He then reflected on Sinéad O’Connor’s legacy, which he had discussed earlier in the interview, and questioned if it would “be a bad thing” if someone uncovered an unreleased collection from her and put out a new album as an example. “Taylor Swift is one of the most gifted pop artists of all time. How is it a bad thing that she’s releasing more music?” It’s difficult to “follow,” he said, when “you can go on Spotify and just skip” whatever you don’t want to listen to.