‘I’ve been hearing about Singapore my whole life’: Taylor Swift says mother spent childhood here

Taylor Swift says mother grew up in Singapore as grandmother was an opera singer based here

Most people in Singapore would know that megastar Taylor Swift is having her first of six concerts here tonight (2 Mar).

But some may be interested to learn that she has a special family connection to Singapore — in fact, she has been hearing about the tiny nation her “whole life”.

That’s because, she revealed on stage, her mother spent her childhood in Singapore as her grandmother was an opera singer based here.

Swifties light handphone torches as she sings ‘Marjorie’

One of the many highlights of Swift’s concert — her first in Singapore since 2015 — was when she sang ‘Marjorie’.

The emotional ballad is a hit from her 2020 album, ‘Evermore’.

During the song, Singapore Swifties turned on their phone lights as Swift crooned the sentimental tune.

The song was written as a tribute to her late maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay.

She loved how fans honoured her family

After singing the song, Swift sat down at the piano and pointed out that it meant a lot to her when the crowd turned on their phone torches during ‘Marjorie’.

She added that she loved how fans honoured her family with what they did because the song is about her “mum’s mum”.

Taylor Swift’s mother grew up in Singapore

In fact, Swift’s mother Andrea spent “a lot of her childhood” growing up in Singapore, she said to cheers from the crowd.

When Swift would come here on tour, her mother would take her to her old haunts, including where she lived and studied.

Thus, the American pop star added:

I’ve been hearing about Singapore my whole life.

So to get to come here and play such a big show with “so many beautiful, generous people” means the world to her, she said, adding:

I already love you.

Taylor Swift’s grandmother performed in Singapore

For those who’re wondering what the story behind this is, Swift’s grandmother was an opera singer who performed in Singapore.

According to an article published in The Straits Times (ST) on 21 Nov 1968, Marjorie Finlay was chosen to play the soprano lead in a production of ‘The Bartered Bride’, an opera by Czech composer Bedřich Smetana.

The show was staged at the Victoria Theatre over five nights.

Like her granddaughter, Finlay performed all over the world, including in Venezuela, Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Marjorie lives on in granddaughter’s songs

Swift’s mother’s family was living in Singapore as her engineer father Robert moved them here for work.

They later returned to Texas, and Finlay passed away in 2003 when Swift was just 14, according to Rolling Stone.

She lives on in Swift’s music videos, where old photos of her have popped up, including in the lyric video for ‘Marjorie’.

It’s clear Swift still misses her grandmother — when she released the track list of ‘Evermore’, she said ‘Marjorie’ stars her grandmother, “who still visits me sometimes…if only in my dreams”.

Also read: Swifties brave rain for merch ahead of Taylor Swift’s first show in S’pore

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Featured image adapted from John Michael Damian on Facebook and Taylor Swift on YouTube.