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We remember it all too well: how excited we were, how we couldn’t stop tugging on our friendship bracelets to the point of pain and how, though we were dressed in black with snakeskin patterns and sequins, we were among the most underdressed in a crowd of over 50,000.
We have both been Swifties since grade school, and that unforgettable March day in Singapore was our first time watching a Taylor Swift concert together. That we were lucky enough to experience the The Eras Tour together was more monumental than we could have ever imagined.
It’s easy to list reasons why: Swift’s artistry is astonishing, her stage presence is unparalleled and her personality is magnetic. She has received praise from the biggest names in the music industry, from Billy Joel to Paul McCartney.
But perhaps her greatest power is the way she has been able to unite people across all walks of life to create a global community or as some suggest, a cult, that revels in a shared love of poetry and music.
Whether we’re falling in love for the first time, grieving for a loved one, feeling insecure about ourselves or yes, going through a breakup, Swift is able to articulate our labyrinthine emotions into a beautiful melody, making us feel we’re not alone on that journey.
And by “we”, we mean the millions of people around the world who identify as Swifties.
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New romantics
Now with 11 studio albums to her name, Swift’s community of fans has members from every corner of the world, including Indonesia.
Set up in 2008, the unofficial Taylor Swift Indonesia fan club, better known as Swift Indonesia, has grown massively over the years, moving from Facebook to Twitter and Instagram, and then to today’s social media platform of choice, TikTok.
“We are a ‘hereditary’ community, so it was there before I was,” said Luki Hardinugraha, the fan club’s coordinator.
One of the most exciting parts of being in the fan club might be the fact that it has not gone unnoticed by the singer-songwriter.
With a spark of pride in his eyes, Luki told about one of the group’s founders, Rama, who is deemed “the lucky one”.
In a story that can be described as analogous to folklore in the Swiftie community, Rama went on an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles back in 2015 for her 1989 World Tour, courtesy of the official fan club Taylor Nation. There, he received no less than a royal welcome from Swift’s mother Andrea herself, known to fans as “Mama Swift”.
But beyond anecdotes like this, Taylor Swift Indonesia is more importantly a community.
“I’ve learned a lot. I feel like I have a lot of friends from Swift Indonesia, because it's hard to find friends who really have similar interests and we can see one another. There are a lot of them now, because there are lots of new fans,” Luki said.
When the world came to a halt because of COVID-19, Luki said the club’s growth only accelerated.
As Swift released two pandemic albums, followed closely by one of her rerecordings, the club organized a free listening session and karaoke on Zoom. More than 1,500 people unexpectedly showed up, crashing the platform.
Emphasizing the importance of fans sticking together, Luki said he would try different ways next time. to bring people together “I want to continue to support our ‘mother’. Whatever it takes,” he said.
In fact, the club recently held a walking and listening activity on one of Jakarta’s car free days to celebrate the April release of Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department.
As with other gatherings, Luki sometimes finds himself surprised at the kinds of people the community attracts, from junior high school students to pregnant mothers bringing along their other children.
Among the sea of Swifties that attended a town hall at Fyne Jakarta on April 28 was a dazzling girl, dressed to the nines in a sequin dress reminiscent of the looks seen at stadiums worldwide. Introducing herself as “Rainbow”, she said it was her first time at a Swift Indonesia event.
“The community is very important because with the presence of the organization, we can stay up-to-date on news and all the fans can get together and express themselves within that group,” she said.
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Two for the show
Swift’s power to create emotional connections with millions naturally translates into powerful economic impacts as well.
The Eras Tour reportedly boosted Singapore’s economy by US$370 million, but it wasn’t the only one that benefited. Indonesia’s flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, saw a 30 percent increase in passengers the week of the tour as it transported Indonesian Swifties to the neighboring country.
"Are you seeing what is happening here as Taylor Swift moves through the room?" host Trevor Noah joked during the Grammy Awards in February. "The local economy around those tables improves. Can you see that? Look at that magic right now.”
This economic impact is apparent, even among small entrepreneurs in Indonesia.
Veronica Ayu Setyawardhani, who was inspired by Swift’s talent in creating friendship bracelets, has made slightly over a thousand bracelets for Swifties. These bracelets are part of the fandom economy, helping fans establish their identities.
"To be honest, the profit is quite good. I can cover my living expenses as well as commuting costs, with enough left for some snacks," she said. "My capital is around Rp 1.5 million to buy beads, ribbons and other items. The profit is approximately Rp 5 million to 6 million.”
Swiftonomics has also influenced mother-daughter duo Wiwi Junita and Louise Aurelie. Wiwi has been a Swiftie for almost a decade, while Louise has led the last five years of her life to a soundtrack composed of the singer’s discography.
The pair has created over 900 bracelets that they sell on e-commerce platforms, with each bracelet priced between Rp 20,000 and Rp 40,000, depending on the pattern’s complexity.
"We're just getting started, and we didn't expect such high demand for them," Wiwi said, adding that their profit had nearly doubled thanks to The Eras Tour. "It was a lot for small business owners like us."
Between the beads, cords and the extra income, their business has brought mother and daughter closer together, both as fans and as a family.
“Experimenting with colors, working late nights to catch up with orders, laughing like crazy while looking at the number of bracelets we had to make because it looked impossible, as the concert was getting closer day by day,” Wiwi recalled.
And when that day arrived, we remember feeling like our lives had led to this one moment: As the countdown struck zero, the dancers started appearing and Swift’s angelic voice blared through the speakers, we held hands as our heartbeat quickened and our eyes glistened.
Over the next three hours, we would alternate between singing along, screaming and crying.
As Swift said, “It’s been a long time coming.”
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