Stevie Nicks’ Advice to Katy Perry: Other Pop Stars Aren’t Your Rivals

Last week, it was revealed that during a Fleetwood Mac concert on December 30, lead singer Stevie Nicks dedicated the band's classic song "Landslide" to Katy Perry and her boyfriend John Mayer, who were in the audience.  Why?  Because it turns out that Stevie and Katy are pals and, as Stevie tells ABC News Radio, she's given Katy some valuable advice when it comes to negotiating pop stardom in this day and age.

The connection between Stevie and Katy goes back to 2011, when the rock legend provided the narration for Katy's video "The One that Got Away."  But the two only actually met for the first time this past November, when they were both in London for performances. 

"I met her after her rehearsal at 11:30 [at the hotel]," Stevie tells ABC News Radio. "I thought it was going to be a 20 minute, 'Hey, how are you doing?' thing — and we sat for three hours until, like, three in the morning. And we pretty much talked about everything."

What Stevie found most interesting, though, was when Katy asked her about her solo career, which started in 1981 with the release of the album Bella Donna.  "She said to me, 'So when you did Bella Donawho were your rivals?'" Stevie tells ABC News Radio. "And I was, like, speechless. I was, like, 'I didn't have any rivals.' And she said, 'Really? None?' I said, 'No…the girls in Heart [were] friends. Pat Benatar [was a] friend."

When Stevie asked if Katy herself had rivals, the singer replied, "Well, it's not us. It's the Internet." She then proceeded to tell Stevie about the way that fans of various female pop stars will pit often one against the other in vicious battles that the singers themselves don't approve of or condone.  Katy went through that this past summer with Lady Gaga, for example, when both released singles at the same time.

When Stevie heard this, she offered Katy some sound advice. 

"I said to her, 'Katy, let me tell you something. You don't have any rivals. So forget that. Never say that word again,'" Stevie tells ABC News Radio. "'You don't have rivals. All of those girls? Friends. You'll probably work with all of them at some point. Friends.'"  (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)

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