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Big Machine Records/Universal Music Group
Similar to Alba, the Empire actress' friendship with Swift also started when she got the call to play Dilemma—or when Taylor's people called her people. "Bad Blood" director Joseph Kahn had seen her on Empire and suggested she join the party.
"Well, initially, her management contacted my management, they proposed the idea to me," Serayah McNeill told Billboard. "And I completely loved it and so we went from there. It seemed like [from] the ideas for it and the treatment for the video, I was just like 'Oh, my gosh! This is so dope. I can't wait.'"
And then, she revealed to ASOS that summer. "I was driving, and my mum called me, saying, 'So guess who just called me? Taylor Swift!' She said that Taylor had asked for my number so she could talk through everything about the video. I was like, 'Don't ask me! Just get her to text me now!'"
She remembered, "When Taylor called, she said, 'Thank you so much for saying you'll do it.' And I replied, 'Come on! Anything! I'm there!' It just shows that huge pop stars can still have that humility, which is so inspiring."
And they stayed friends, Serayah insisted, adding, "We all hang out. We get together and we go eat and go to late-night cafes. I think people think it's this celebrity gathering, but it's just a bunch of girls, hanging out."
Swift also had her join her onstage to perform during the 1989 Tour. "It was like walking into the room and having to do a scene with Taraji [Henson]," Serayah told Coveteur. "You can never really prepare for these moments, when they're so big."