Taylor Swift collaborated with rapper Ice Spice for the remix of her fan-favourite song, Karma, last week, which gained mixed reactions from fans.

While ardent Swifties were excited about the new music, many perceived it to be a form of PR move to defend her rumoured boyfriend Matt Healy, who was surrounded by controversy in relation to the rapper, 23.

The 1975 frontman received backlash after he laughed along the hosts during his Adam Friedland’s podcast interview as they mocked Ice Spice’s ethnicity. The hosts called her racist slurs like, “Inuit Spice Girl,” “This chubby Chinese lady,” and did mocking accents, while Healy did not defend, only laughed, causing an uproar among fans.

When the Anti-Hero singer announced the collaboration, many assumed it to be ‘damage control’ for her beau, but speaking to Spotify, the Grammy-winning artist shared that was not the case.

“Collaborating with Ice Spice on Karma was one of the most natural things,” she told the music streaming giant. “She reached out through her team, just kind of saying ‘Hey, you know, Ice has been a big fan of Taylor since she was a little kid. [We] would love to collaborate if that was ever something that came about.’

Swift added that she had been “listening” to the Bronx-based rapper “nonstop” as she was “getting ready for [her] tour.” She added, “I was just listening to Ice Spice constantly. So, I immediately got her number and said, ‘Hey, would you want to do your version of Karma?”

At which Ice Spice “jumped in head first.” Swift shared that “getting to know” the rapper has been “so special” as she is “blown away by her.”

“She is, in my opinion, she is the one to watch,” Swift praised. “Just watching her work ethic and how thoughtfully she approaches her career. She’s like my new favourite artist and I’m so honoured that she’s on the song.”