celebrity

A new song and a surprise appearance: All the signs Taylor Swift likes Australia the best.

On Friday evening, Taylor Swift made history when she performed in front of the biggest audience in her career, at the Melbourne Cricket Club for her Eras Tour in Australia. 

A huge 96,000 fans flocked together, decked out in cowboy boots, glittery clothing and friendship bracelets, to watch the 14-time Grammy winner perform. And they did it all over again on Saturday...

And while it's undeniable that Aussies LOVE Swift, it's widely understood that she adores us just as much back.

From specific ticket drops and surprise songs to... a literal admission, here are all the signs that Taylor Swift loves Australia the most.

Watch: Taylor Swift announces her new album. Post continues after video. 


Video via Grammys.

1. Taylor Swift came on stage earlier than expected. 

The MCG was packed with 96,000 of the luckiest Swifties who managed to get tickets to the record-breaking global concert. And to show her thanks, do you know what Swift did? She appeared on stage earlier than anyone expected her to, surprising all her devoted fans.

Talk about not wanting to waste any time, huh?

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Swift's Eras Tour has sold out around the world, and according to the star, the Melbourne show was the biggest one yet.

She said she was "overjoyed", "overwhelmed" and "star-struck" by the sheer number of people who wanted "to hang out with us on a Friday night in Melbourne.

"I have to be honest with you about something. This is the biggest show we have ever performed on The Eras Tour or any tour ever," she told the crowd.

"If I seem a little bit like I'm losing my mind over the 96,000 of you, that's because it's true. I am."

2. More tickets. 

More than 4 million fans tried to buy tickets to the Eras Tour when they first went on sale in June 2023, although less than half of them actually got a seat at either Accor Stadium or the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 

But after all the shows sold out there were even more tickets to be had in the lead-up to Swift's performances in Melbourne and Sydney. Following a lot of disappointment from fans, the singer made a few thousands more tickets available, so those who missed out might have a chance to see her perform (even if it wasn't the best view in the house — they were restricted viewing seats, but they cost only $79.99).

3. A surprise mashup song. 

Swift surprised fans around the globe with a brand new song mashup at her Melbourne concert on Saturday night. The singer performed songs from three different albums during the surprise song section of her Eras Tour show. They included 'Getaway Car' from 2017's Reputation, 'August' from 2020's Folklore, and 'The Other Side of the Door,' from the 2009 Platinum Edition of her 2008 album, Fearless.

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It is, quite literally, almost as exciting as an album drop.

"I want to play one that you really want to hear, I want you to be happy," she told the crowd, who couldn't have been more excited to bear witness to the never-before-heard mix of tracks. What. A. Treat.

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4. A global teaser announcement.

Swift shocked her entire fanbase when she announced her upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department (which will drop on April 19), at the Grammys on February 5.

And during her Melbourne performance, she saved another special bit of info to share first with Aussie crowds. While she didn't deliver us a new song (fair enough, that is entirely too much to ask), Swift DID reveal a new alternate album cover and the title of a bonus track on the album, 'The Bolter', which will be an exclusive on the vinyl edition.

"I'm very excited for April 19... I cannot wait for you to hear all those songs then," Swift said.

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5. A literal admission of love for Australia. 

Alright, we're required to pull out the big guns because if a never-performed-before mashup, a global announcement and an early start to her show weren't enough to prove it, then the only thing that will are Swift's very own words.

Now it's not really news that the singer loves Australia. It's widely accepted by fans globally that this is a *fact* and it stems from an interview in 2014, during which Swift admitted on Nova's On Air With Smallzy, that the country would forever have a special place in her heart.

"I just want to thank [fans in Australia] for being one of my favourites," she said. "They've made Australia one of my favourite places to be because we get to come here and play stadiums.

"And there's such amazing crowds and such amazing fans that I just want to thank them for making this a place that I come, and I feel very at ease here, very at home because I feel like they understand what I'm trying to do."

Mic drop.

Feature Image: Getty.

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