Taylor Swift has given her appreciation to the country community for respecting her choice to deviate from the genre.

The singer is long-associated with country music but her last album 'Red' saw the singer shift away from the genre and into contemporary pop.

The plan seems to have worked, with Swift shifting millions and millions of units of the record.

Speaking to the Examiner, the '22' star thanked country disciples for accepting her decision to branch into new territories. She said:

"I think one of the things that I'm happiest with, in the last year, is the acceptance level in country music for me experimenting and for me trying to evolve and challenge myself musically."

Swift added: "I think it's never felt better to be on that stadium stage performing knowing that everyone's been so welcoming of change."

However, Swift's knack of winning country-themed awards have dried up in recent years, with her last Country Music Association award coming in 2010, for example. Watch Taylor Swift's 'Everything Has Changed' video below: