Taylor Swift Reveals ‘Folklore’ Album Will Take Place in Ireland During Dublin Show

Taylor Swift Shares Some of the Inspiration Behind Her 2020 Album Folklore.

During her Eras Tour stop in Dublin on Saturday, June 29, Swift, 34, opened up about how she developed the fictional story for her pandemic-inspired fantasy album — and revealed that Ireland played a big part in framing the story.

“Folklore “In general, it just belongs to Ireland,” she told the crowd after finishing her performance of “Cardigan” on her second night at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

“I imagined that the world of the album would resemble that of Ireland. A narrative with lots of different characters,” Swift continued, referring to the stories contained in the album. “You have that in mind, too. It’s very Irish, the storytelling. »

According to the “August” singer, Folklore It was an opportunity for her to try a “different” style of songwriting that she had never explored before, which included more linear stories and characters who “fall in love and are heartbroken” . Swift added that she was able to serve as narrator for once, rather than sharing her own personal feelings and experiences.

“When I was making this album, it was two days after the pandemic started that I started FolkloreI wasn’t in Ireland. So I had to create an album where the fantasy world that I pretended to go to every day while I was writing it… I have to be honest, it felt a little bit like Ireland,” the Grammy winner told the crowd.

“So we are back where we belong!” Swift added, before preparing to begin her track “Betty” – yet another character from her story-based album. “Folklore It’s up to you guys.”

The singer’s first night in Dublin on Friday was also filled with Irish pride: During her performance of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” her dancer Kameron Saunders, 31, spoke a little Irish (a continuation of the tradition of Swift to greet each country hosting the Eras tour in their native language). During part of the song, the dancer shouted the Irish phrase “póg mo thóin” — which translates into English as “kiss my ass”.

Another part of last night’s show saw Swift donning a shimmering orange crop top and an ombré green skirt in a nod to the colors of the Irish flag.

When tickets for the “Cruel Summer” singer’s Irish shows first went on sale in July 2023, around 500,000 fans signed up for the estimated 165,000 tickets available, according to Irish weather.

Swift’s three Dublin shows are her first since two nights at Croke Park for the Reputation Stadium Tour, which marked her Irish stadium debut. At those shows in 2018, the superstar adoringly called the crowd “so loving” and “amazing” and posted a bouquet of flowers she received from Irish band U2, who signed the attached note: “Your Irish fan club.”

But Swift has visited the country at least once between her two major tours. While she was in town in 2021 to support her then-boyfriend Joe Alwyn as he wrapped filming for Conversations with friendsThe singer took pictures with several waiters at local Belfast restaurants.

Fans have speculated that the trip is commemorated in Swift’s 2022 track “Sweet Nothing.” Midnightwhich includes the lyrics “Do you ever miss Wicklow?” (Some filming of Conversations with friends (occurred in Bray, a town in County Wicklow, Ireland.)

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The pop star’s Irish tour dates follow a lively weekend in London last week, with Swift snapping selfies with royals and inviting her boyfriend and Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce on stage to join her backing dancers — not to mention welcoming a slew of celebrities who made a point of attending her global concerts in the English capital.

After her three-night stint in Dublin, Swift is set to bring the Eras Tour to Amsterdam and then several other cities across Europe. She will close out the European leg of the tour with five more shows in London in August.