Mike Portnoy Drums His Way Through Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’

Dream Theater‘s Mike Portnoy recently ventured into unexpected territory by reimagining the drumming on Taylor Swift’s chart-topping pop anthem “Shake It Off.”

As part of Drumeo’s popular First Time series, the legendary prog-metal drummer approached Swift’s infectiously upbeat track with his technical brilliance, creating a fascinating hybrid of pop and prog.

After hearing a snippet of the song—stripped of its original drum tracks—Portnoy immediately immersed himself in crafting his own interpretation, quipping, “My daughter is going to get a kick out of this … It sounds like something out of Disneyland Japan or something.”

While figuring out how to approach the song, Portnoy commented on its unconventional structure: “It’s like Bob Dylan. It’s all verses, it doesn’t change keys. I don’t even know what to write. I’m just going to jam to it, I guess.” Despite the challenges, he powered through, delivering an impressive interpretation filled with his rhythmic flair.

Despite the playful mismatch of styles, Portnoy maintained his admiration for Swift, adding, “Taylor, I’m really sorry. I still would play with you in a heartbeat, but I wouldn’t do that [drum pattern].”

The unexpected crossover comes as Portnoy gears up for a major moment in his own career. Dream Theater—the iconic prog-metal band he co-founded in 1985 with John Petrucci and John Myung—is preparing to release their highly anticipated album Parasomnia on Feb. 7.

It marks the first record featuring Portnoy since his 2009 departure following Black Clouds & Silver Linings, and subsequent return in late 2023.

“There is so much shared history between us all… so many memories, so much music… to think we’re coming up on 40 years since this journey began!” Portnoy said. “The idea of creating new music together is so exciting and I absolutely cannot wait to hit the road and get to play live for a whole new generation of fans that weren’t ever able to see this lineup before…There’s no place like home!!” 

Taylor Swift, meanwhile, continues to shatter records in her own right. Her Eras Tour concluded in December 2024 as the highest-grossing tour of all time, earning $2.2 billion.

Swift also made waves with The Tortured Poets Department, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, spent a career-best 17 weeks at the top, sold 2.61 million equivalent album units in its first week.

You can watch Portnoy tackle Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” here.