Forever & Always: A ‘Swiftie’ reminisces The Best Day of her life as she attends Singapore leg of pop legend Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour

Anticipation crackled like electricity through the National Stadium in Singapore. “It’s been a long time coming,” echoed the speakers. I looked on at an audience of over 60,000 spectators cheering on, some shaking with excitement while their phones trembled in their hands. The stands were lit with glowing wristbands, and fans, including me, looked on in anticipation at the several dancers lined up on stage, dressed in peacock finery.

Forever & Always: A ‘Swiftie’ reminisces The Best Day of her life as she attends Singapore leg of pop legend Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour

My skin broke out in goosebumps as a voice, both familiar and iconic, boomed through the arena: “My name is Taylor, and I was born in 1989!” I had seen countless videos of this exact moment of The Eras Tour online, and yet, the grainy footage couldn’t capture the excitement that could be felt live. My eyes searched through the length of the stage, till the moment when the entire arena collectively gasped and erupted into deafening cheers as Taylor Swift, the pop legend herself, popped out into the spotlight.

For 16 years, Taylor Swift has been the soundtrack of my life. In the dial-up days, I’d patiently endured buffering music videos, her youthful energy resonating with my own teenage angst. Love Story became the anthem of countless crushes in middle school, while Fearless, shared with my late grandmother, transcended all age barriers. Each album was a milestone: deciphering cryptic clues in Speak Now as a middle-schooler, celebrating my 22nd birthday with Red’s 22, and finding solace in All Too Well after a heartbreaking breakup

Seeing her perform live had been a dream come true, and this sentiment seemed to be shared by many. Attending The Eras Tour wasn’t merely a matter of traversing distances or investing hours in procuring the sought-after tickets, which were made available last July amid marathon online queues and a meticulously crafted lottery system. It was the culmination of years of shared experiences, of soundtracks to heartbreaks and triumphs.
This wasn’t just a concert; it was a victory lap for a collective journey, a celebration woven from the fabric of Taylor Swift’s discography, all broken down into different ‘Eras’ spanning 10 albums

Swift has been constantly making headlines with the tour, her re-recordings, and even her personal life over the past two years. She broke records after her album Midnights took over the entire top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her tour already became the highest-grossing of all time, crossing $1 billion in December last year. She was Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, and even found mention in a US Federal Reserve report, accredited for boosting the economy wherever she went. The Singapore government gave her a grant to ensure that the country became the only one in Southeast Asia where she would perform, and soon after she left, revised their GDP estimates upwards due to her impact on tourism.

But the string of records made and broken seemed like nothing compared to the enthusiasm of over 330,000 Swifties who assembled in the small island nation to celebrate her music

The fever spread far beyond the country’s borders. At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, I saw young Indian Swifties in TS-themed outfits boarding flights, ready to join the fun. My social media was buzzing with influencers crafting perfect The Eras Tour costumes and makeup tutorials.

Landing in Changi, the Taylor Swift spirit and a sense of community were impossible to miss. A vibrant energy, a celebration of contemporary girlhood, permeated the air. Even baggage belts displayed tour posters. Local taxi operators such as Grab proclaimed, “Grab your ride Swiftly,” and cafes offered concert ticket discounts. I met Swifties from The Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, India, and other Asian countries and we were mingling, sharing photos and forging friendships.

The city’s arteries seemed to pulse with energy. Everywhere I went I saw hoards of people in The Eras Tour merch. The metro rail and transit systems were full of Swifties too, and I saw several on their way to the concert, dressed in beautiful, sparkly, Era-specific custom outfits. Hawker Centres were blaring Taylor Swift albums, with some, such as the popular Lau Pa Sat, featuring Swift-themed live performances from bands. The iconic Marina Bay Sands exhibited Taylor Swift album recreations.

The fervour extended beyond ticket holders. Every night, throngs of fans engaged in ‘Taylor-gating’ outside the stadium, singing along despite not having tickets. I joined their ranks on the night before my show, belting out her songs under the starlit sky. Perhaps the most memorable tradition of it all was the exchange of friendship bracelets, which almost became a right of passage for every Swiftie attending the Tour, solidifying the sense of community.
Inside the stadium, the atmosphere was electric. Thousands sang along, reliving each album era in a collective experience.

Witnessing Swift flawlessly navigate three hours of singing, dancing, and elaborate stage sets—a literal house and forest materialised on stage at different points—was awe-inspiring. Despite the sweltering Singaporean humidity, I found myself propelled by the collective energy, singing and dancing at the top of my lungs.

This was a surreal experience. The concert was a cathartic journey, reliving the emotional resonance of Swift’s songwriting across various eras. She seamlessly bridged the gap left by the pandemic-cancelled Lover tour, encompassing the intervening years in a glorious spectacle.

As the audience danced and sang to a repertoire spanning 2006 to the present day, one truth became undeniable—Taylor Swift’s music transcended eras, proving its enduring power and timeless quality. Her songs weren’t just anthems; they were eulogies to the experiences that bind us all