In a crowd of chants and a wave of glittering lights, Taylor Swift’s fans, or Swifties, are a demonstration of how music forges unbreakable bonds between people. More than just fans, these admirers are like family, bonded even closer with lyrics written like personal diary entries. As they gather from every corner of the world, each concert becomes a journey, a shared experience where tears and joy are shared. With each journey, new memories are created with the songs that brought them together.
Swifties are strongly recognized as one of the largest fan groups in the music industry for their strong online presence and for selling out Swift’s massive concerts. Taylor has had such a strong impact on these fans, demonstrated by the active participation in fan-led events and their initiative.
Swifties will go to great lengths to see their favorite artist in action. According to Billboard, one anonymous fan went to the Eras Tour concert in Cincinnati back in 2023 and wore a very interesting outfit. In Taylor’s 2022 music video for Anti-Hero, the lead single off her album Midnights, she is being chased by these “ghosts” when in reality, they are just people with blankets and glasses over them. So, when the world-renowned Eras Tour came to Cincinnati, one fan knew her boss would not let her take off work to see her favorite artist. So a different approach came to her mind. She called into work saying she was sick and decided to go to the concert. In order to not get caught by her boss, she dressed as one of these ghosts as her disguise at the concert. It is tradition to go above and beyond on outfits you wear to this tour, and this Swiftie definitely had an interesting outfit.
There are many other traditions at the Eras Tour other than outfits, one of them being trading friendship bracelets with other concert goers. This tradition comes from a lyric in her 2022 song, “You’re On Your Own, Kid.” The lyric says, “So make the friendship bracelets. Take the moment and taste this.” The fans decided to make the creating and trading of friendship bracelets a tradition at The Eras Tour so each and every Swiftie would have an item from the show that other fans made. The bracelets signify the lyric “take the moment and taste it,” meaning to savor the moment, and the bracelets are a great way to remember the show.
Sophomore Cooper Marler, a Swiftie at Kaneland High School, spoke about his experience of being a fan of Swift. “Taylor Swift’s music has spoken to me like no other artist could,” Marler said. “For whatever I’m going through, there is always a song for it.” The world of Swift’s fans also may bring new relationships with other fans. “Being a fan means that I can connect with other fans like I’ve known them forever,” Marler said. “I can watch a live stream of her concert and meet so many people in the comments through guessing outfits [or] what surprise songs she’s going to play.” Many people believe that Swift’s fans just love her, but there are many instances of her loving her fans back. “It is so nice to see how every fan lights up instantly when they’re noticed by her, whether it’s a like or comment on a post or a reply to a DM,” Marler said. “It’s especially nice to see her connecting with the younger fans, mostly when she gives them her hat from the stage during her song ‘22.’”
Something many Swifties do is guess the “Easter eggs” that Swift drops. Easter eggs are her way of feeling connected to her fans but also always keeping us on our feet. She may drop these clues in music videos, Instagram posts, her clothes in public or even just her nails. These Easter eggs often give clues to a new album release date or title of the album. One example is when many Swifties believed on Aug. 9, 2023, that she would announce “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” because of the date being 8/9. She did end up announcing it on 8/9 at her sixth sold-out show at SoFi Stadium in California. More common, however, are the Swifties’ guesses of these Easter eggs being wrong. Many fans believed that she would be announcing “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” since November of last year. One of these occurrences would be many fans believing she would announce the release date at the 2024 VMAs because of her recent trend of announcing new albums at award shows. This was proven to be wrong. When Swifties are wrong about the guesses, they call it “clowning”.
Many people that go see Swift live in action may not have started as fans of Taylor. An article written by Hannah Summerhill at Vogue describes her experience of being a new fan of Swift. “My sister had an extra ticket to this summer’s final U.S. Eras show in Los Angeles,” according to Summerhill . “I decided that if I had the privilege to witness pop history, I didn’t want to attend as a casual fan.” Summerhill also recalls her experience of meeting another new fan of Swift. “I asked the security guard checking my ticket if she was a fan. The guard responded with, ‘I wasn’t, but I am after these six shows.’”
Swifties are more than just people who enjoy her music, but instead are a community bonded closer by shared values and experiences. Whether it’s their passionate participation in the concerts or their impactful presence on social media platforms, Swifties have created a cultural phenomenon that goes way beyond the music industry. As Taylor Swift evolves as an artist, her fans stand as a testament to the power of music in the modern world. Their enthusiasm not only fuels her mainstream success but also represents the bond between an artist and their fanbase. As we look far into the future, one thing stands clear: the story of Taylor Swift and the Swifties is far from over.
