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Decked in colourful short sequin skirts, black boots and tank tops with the words “I heart Taylor Swift”, hundreds of teenage girls stroll from the Stadium MRT station to the Singapore Sports Hub like they just stepped out of a Hollywood movie set.
For much of last week, “Tay-mania” took over Singapore, as tens of thousands of Swift fans from all over the globe arrived by plane, bus and boat, to catch the 34-year-old in concert. Swift is performing six shows at the National Stadium from March 2 to 9.
The fan frenzy was on full display, and it encompassed people of all genders, ages and races. One couldn’t help but notice the preponderance of Indians among the crowd – not just the teenage girls, but their accompanying mothers, boyfriends, and for girls under the age of 12, their fathers as well.
It’s no secret that Swift is a formidable force in the music industry, topping charts, winning Grammys, performing at sold-out concerts. But the eye-opening numbers her Eras Tour concert movie notched in India last November showed just how strong her fan base is there as well.
As many as 85,000 tickets were sold in advance for the opening weekend, and the movie earned around Rs5 crore ($810,000) in the first two days alone.
So how and when did Swift become such a phenomenon in India? Why does the Indian Gen Z connect with a musician from the United States, especially when Indian pop culture – via Bollywood – already produces so much on its end?
For Archana Chopra, 35, who has been a Swiftie since 2008, Swift’s music details the “struggle of every young girl out there”.
She said: “Her songs speak to us. It’s like confessional songwriting that relates to so many different people. It’s not just love songs, but about growing up, or standing up to bullying or accepting yourself.”
Ms Archana, who attended the March 4 concert with her two younger sisters, flew in from Mumbai the same day after procuring tickets from scalpers at the 11th hour.
“We don’t know if she’s coming to India. First we heard ‘no’, now it’s a ‘maybe’, but since we’ve travelled (to Singapore) before, we decided not to wait and see and just catch her in action here.”
Ms Roshini Ahuja, 42, who became a fan of Swift through her daughter, said what she liked most about Swift was the image she portrays.
“Her songs are very catchy of course, and she’s always so beautiful and glamorous, but she does everything without being overly sexual in her image or music. Today, especially, you can’t say that about too many pop stars,” said Ms Roshini, an Indian expat here who works in insurance.
“Also, Indians love seeing good storytelling from our artistes. And that’s what Taylor Swift does well. She could write a song from a page of her diary, and it’ll resonate with someone.”
Touted as arguably the biggest star in the world right now, Swift broke records last year when her Eras Tour became the first concert tour to hit US$1 billion ($1.35 billion) in gross revenue.
She also became the first entertainer to be named Time Person Of The Year last December, an accolade not even Elvis Presley of The Beatles can lay claim to.
Swift’s diverse and experimental style of music has also helped her garner more fans than other artistes who stick to one genre, said Kesh Agarwal, 29, who attended the concert with his girlfriend and her mother. The trio flew in from Australia where they reside.
“But whether she’s singing country or pop or folk, it’s always catchy and meaningful in some way. I’m not a big fan per se, but I do appreciate her music.”
If Indian Swifties ever doubted that a Swift concert in India would draw a big crowd, that surely must have been dispelled this past week.
Taylor Swift undeniably rules millions of Indian hearts as well.
“Indians love seeing good storytelling from our artistes. And that is what Taylor Swift does well. She could write a song from a page of her diary, and it’ll resonate with someone.”
