Country music veteran-turned-activist Naomi Judd has thrown her support behind Taylor Swift after the young singer was heavily criticised for her performance with Stevie Nicks at the Grammy Awards.

Swift's off-key duet with the Fleetwood Mac star has been put down to nerves and sound problems onstage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and Judd - the mother of actress Ashley and country singer Wynonna - has the four-time Grammy winner's back.

In a letter to the editor of The Tennessean, Judd, calls Swift a "dazzling performer" and attributes Swift's less-than-perfect Grammy performance to her just having a bad night.

She writes, "Having sung many times at the Grammys, I can tell you that the stress and anxiety of performing in front of the world's top artists in every genre of music is tortuous for even the most seasoned singer."

And Judd concludes, "If there's an award for being the best role model for her generation, I'd like to be the one to give it to Taylor Swift."