Taylor Swift released her blockbuster film “The Eras Tour” on streaming platforms on Wednesday to celebrate her thirty-fourth birthday. The singer has much to celebrate following her astonishingly increasing success in 2023. Here are 13 of the highlights, including the film and record-breaking tour, for the American queen:
1) Record-Breaking Eras Tour
From March to November, Taylor Swift broke records with her three-and-a-half-hour Eras Tour. The massive setlist features over 45 songs spanning her 10 albums. Swift told Time magazine that she started preparing for the tour six months in advance by running on the treadmill while singing her songs. She performed 66 shows in 2023 across 20 North American cities and three South American cities. Pollstar estimates that the tour grossed over a billion dollars and honored her with a Guinness World Record for her remarkable achievement. She thanked the truck drivers in August with $100,000 bonus checks.
2) The Blockbuster Film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour”
At a time when Hollywood productions were stalled, Swift did what film studios and streaming services could not do: she reached an agreement with SAG-AFTRA. She worked with the unions, allowing her to market and showcase “The Eras Tour” film as she saw fit. The film was released on October 13 and grossed over $250 million globally. Audiences flocked to theaters to buy custom cups and popcorn containers, dancing in the aisles and singing at the top of their lungs. Swift even scared off the film “The Devil: The Believer” from showing on its open weekend on October 6.
3) “Speak Now” Re-Release
The young star has been striving to reclaim her music. In the summer of 2023, she re-released her third album “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” with six archival songs (including songs with Fall Out Boy and Hayley Williams). With the enchanting re-release, Swift achieved the most number-one albums by any woman in history. She released a music video for the archival song “I Can See You” featuring Taylor Lautner (who transitioned from ex-boyfriend to friend and performed a backflip at her show in Kansas City, Missouri), Joey King, and Presley Cash (both King and Cash were in the 2011 music video for “Mean”).
4) Earthquake Vibes from Swifties in Seattle
Seattle’s seismology experts discovered that the mixed dancing of fans with loud speakers at Lumen Field caused seismic activity equivalent to a 2.3 magnitude earthquake. Jackie Kaplan-Auerbach, a seismologist and professor of geology at Western Washington University, dubbed it the “Swift Quake.” In 2011, running back Marshawn Lynch scored a touchdown that resulted in the “Beast Quake,” which was comparable to a 2.0 magnitude earthquake.
5) “1989” is Never Out of “Style”
Hello (again) New York! Taylor Swift re-released “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” on October 27, exactly nine years after its original release. When the album was announced in Los Angeles during her show on August 9, Swift’s team collaborated with Google to unveil the archival songs. When users typed “Taylor Swift” into the search engine, a blue puzzle box with 89 puzzles appeared. If users worldwide could solve 33 million puzzles (33 was her age at the time), the five archival songs would be released. Record-breaking never goes out of Swift’s style; “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” was the most streamed album in 2023 on Spotify. It sold 1.29 million copies in the first week of the original release of “1989” and broke that record with the re-recorded version selling 1.65 million copies.
6)
College-Level Swift Education
This is Dr. Taylor Alison Swift. Last year, New York University launched an undergraduate course on Taylor Swift, awarded her an honorary doctorate, and invited her to speak to the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 at Yankee Stadium (the event honored students who were unable to walk due to the pandemic). This opened the door for many universities across the country to do the same and announce new courses on the singer: Arizona State University, Tennessee State University at Austin, Harvard University, University of California – Berkeley, Northeastern University in Boston, University of South Carolina, and more.
7) The American Queen is the Most Popular
She is popular! NBC News discovered that the billionaire had the highest net favorability rating of any public figure. More than three-quarters of registered voters surveyed in November had a positive view of Swift: 40% said they had a “positive opinion” of Swift, 17% said they had a “very positive opinion,” and 22% said they had a “somewhat positive opinion.”
8) A Long List of Awards
Swift added some heavyweight awards to her trophy cabinet this year: Person of the Year from Time magazine, Most Interesting Person from People magazine, Most Streamed Artist Globally on Spotify, and Artist of the Year from Apple Music. She was nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. She is the only woman to have won this category three times for the albums “Fearless,” “1989,” and “Folklore.” She has won ten Billboard Music Awards, tying with Drake for the most all-time Billboard wins. They both have 39 awards. “It feels like a breakthrough moment in my career, happening at 33,” Swift told Time magazine. “And for the first time in my life, I was mentally strong enough to handle what comes with that.”
9) City Honors from “Swift City” to Christ the Redeemer Statue
In addition to winning awards, Swift has received numerous creative honors at many of her tour stops. Mayor Jerry Weirs renamed her first stop in Glendale, Arizona to “Swift City.” Las Vegas lit up its arches in all ten eras’ colors. Arlington, Texas named one of its streets “Taylor Swift Way.” Tampa presented the key to the city to Swift and invited her to be honorary mayor for a day. Houston renamed a venue to “NRG Stadium (Taylor’s Version).” Nashville dedicated a bench in Centennial Park to Swift. The park is referenced in her song “Invisible String.”
10) The Greatest Movies of All Time Were Never Made
Swift began exploring the film industry in 2021 with her short film “All Too Well,” which premiered at the Tribeca and Toronto film festivals in 2022. This year, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a prestigious organization for artists and executives. Searchlight Pictures announced that it had signed her to direct a feature film she wrote. There are no details on its release date. The Eras Tour film was also nominated for a Golden Globe in an entirely new category.
11) “Make Friendship Bracelets”
From the abbreviations for her songs like LWYMMD and WANEGBT to the iconic phrases fans love such as “My brain’s alive” or “Taylor Swift for all,” friendship bracelets have made a comeback stronger than the 90s trend. Michaels CEO John Gier stated that sales of bracelets have increased by 40% across the chain since mid-April. He also mentioned in an email that in the cities Swift toured, stores saw a 300% sales increase on the days leading up to the concerts. Little Words Project, a specialty chain that makes friendship bracelets, quickly opened new locations in Mall of America in Minneapolis and Austin, Texas. The company was started to encourage kindness, affirmations, and community creation. Even astronaut Kelly Girardi took over 50 friendship bracelets on her wrists and in her pockets to space, further than any other Swifti, to distribute to her friends and family upon her return.
12)
Fans Show Love in Creative Ways
At the end of the Eras tour movie, Swift sent a message with friendship bracelets to her fans: “Thank you to the most generous, thoughtful, and loving fans on the planet. This is all because of you and for you.” Fans gave her the power to reach the next level, sharing her music and news. Influencers turned it into a full-time hobby to spread information about her tour and appearances at football games and special awards. In Argentina, fans held up banners saying “We’ll stay” during Swift’s song “The Archer.” In Brazil, fans coordinated to light up their phones and display the blue, yellow, and green colors of the Brazilian flag for the singer while she sang “Champagne Problems.” Fans who couldn’t see the tour in the Midwest led a gathering in Naperville, Illinois to see Christmas lights inspired by Swift that went viral on social media. A Taylor Swift-inspired cruise for 2024 sold out within weeks. Etsy and small business owners sold singer-inspired merchandise. Her impact was so significant that Gannett hired a correspondent to cover her news full-time (that’s me, hello).
13) Are You Ready for Some Football? (Taylor’s Version)
“Karma is the guy on the Chiefs that’s returning directly to me,” Swift sang at a concert in Argentina as her boyfriend, tight end Travis Kelce, danced next to her father, Scott Swift. Kelce wanted to gift Swift a friendship bracelet with his number on it, but when he couldn’t, he talked about his experience with his brother Jason on their podcast “New Heights.” Swift showed up to cheer him on at the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chicago Bears game. Their love story was broadcast live, boosting ratings for the National Football League (her first appearance was the most-watched football game of the week on any network with 24.3 million viewers) and helping fashion stores with the pieces she wore (Stella McCartney’s red coats saw a 400% increase in sales).
In the End
It may seem lengthy at times, but in some ways, it’s just the beginning. In 2024, Swift may release her remaining albums “Reputation” and her self-titled debut album. She’ll embark on a tour with 86 international stops in the U.S., and there will be surprises along the way. If there’s one thing we know about Swift, it’s that she has a great reputation and knows how to make headlines on a weekly basis.
Follow Bryan West, Taylor Swift’s correspondent at USA TODAY, on Instagram and TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Taylor Swift’s Birthday: 13 Reasons to Celebrate the Big 34
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