From Surprise Songs to Swiftie Riddles

The Swift Side of Me

#002

Welcome back, friends! Ready to turn the page to the next chapter? …Let’s dive in!

Let’s start with a little backstory, shall we? As many of us recall, when Taylor announced the international leg of The Eras Tour—including stops in Asia, Australia, and Europe—Canadian Swifties felt overlooked with exactly zero shows scheduled in Canada. Cue the drama!

Even our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau tweeted about on July 5, 2023:

“It’s me, hi. I know places in Canada would love to have you. So don’t make it another cruel summer. We hope to see you soon.”

As the summer went on, Taylor continued adding more shows to the European and Asian legs of the tour, while Canada remained forgotten…or so it seemed.

Kate Rolls the Dice (While Angels Roll Their Eyes)

Now, a bit of a side note—months earlier, I had loosely planned a backpacking trip to Italy for my 35th birthday. Faced with the lack of Canadian shows, I began considering attending The Eras Tour abroad to avoid missing out on this once-in-a-lifetime experience – we’re talking about the epitome of FOMO! As I would eventually learn, many Swifties were looking to do the same thing.

In my case, Stockholm, Sweden, emerged as the perfect venue: a new destination to explore, a concert on my actual birthday, and a convenient flight to Rome a couple days later. And so, the very swift decision was made…The Eras Tour, here I come! And wouldn’t you know it, just a couple of weeks after I secured my ticket, Taylor announced dates for Toronto and Vancouver. Oh, the irony!

Now, there’s one big difference between me and most other Swifties I know: I didn’t want to see ANY social media content about The Eras Tour before I attended the concert. This was no easy feat, considering how absolutely every person on social media was posting about it. But I was determined that my first concert experience had to be live in Stockholm.

I avoided everything for months–setlists, performances, the concert experience in theatres and most importantly, the surprise song section remained a total mystery to me. The day I arrived in Stockholm, I ran into two sisters from Montreal at my hostel. We quickly realized we were all seeing Taylor that night, and one of them asked, “I wonder what surprise songs we’ll get?” I knew confusion was written all over my face, as one sister went on to explain the surprise acoustic section of the show–where Taylor would perform songs that were not part of the setlist. The excitement of hearing a song you weren’t expecting…the thrill of revealing it to your friends later…it all felt magical!

It was this sense of surprise and discovery that sparked an idea: why not create artwork inspired by Taylor’s surprise songs?

The Start of Something Special

It all started with one idea–I wanted to capture the magic of Taylor’s surprise songs in a way that was just as unexpected as the songs themselves. My goal was to create a piece that visually represented the song’s lyrics, themes, and the emotions it evoked. I wanted to challenge myself and connect with others—especially fellow Swifties, or anyone who shares my love for creative expression.

Initially, I shared the artwork to my followers and included the song title and the city where it was performed in the caption. But I started to stumble upon other Swiftie accounts that were creating their own take on lyric-based riddles and puzzles about Taylor’s music. That’s when the magic really started–I wanted to turn my fan art into a guessing game, crafting each piece into an epic riddle, hiding clues within the artwork. Knowing that most Swifties love their easter eggs, I decided to go for it and started my Surprise Song series in the hopes that other Swifties would find joy and excitement trying to solve these easter egg-inspired Swiftie riddles!

Some of my clues were obvious—like a direct visual reference to a lyric; while others were more nuanced—colors tied to a specific album, symbolic images that referenced Taylor’s personal life or relationships at the time, or even deeper meanings embedded in the artwork. I wanted to make Swifties think, “Wait a minute… what’s the connection here?” and feel that rush of discovery when they figured it out!

Where Things Stand Today

Fast forward to today, I’ve created artwork for nine surprise songs (and counting). I’m still learning the balance between clues that are too easy or too obscure; but honestly, it’s been a blast! Every time I create something new, I can’t wait to see the reactions and engagement from fellow Swifties. It has been a bit of a slow burn situation thus far, but I have already met some amazing Swifties and developed really special connections with each of them! In my gut I believe I’ve discovered an exciting way to connect with fellow Swifties through art and creativity–so I remind myself, good things take time. This blog is my “message in a bottle”, sent off into the unknown, hoping the right individuals will stumble upon it.

This project has become so much more than just a creative outlet. It’s about building community, sparking conversations, and bringing people together. That’s when The Swift Side of Me began to take shape—a blog that allowed me to share my art, challenge Swifties to decode the riddles, and explore how Taylor’s music continues to inspire me in ways I never expected. Just like Taylor has brought all of us together with her music, I hope to do the same through my art and this blog.

’til next time!

XO,