What does it take to be crowned Toronto鈥檚 Top Swiftie? Start with the kind of encyclopedic knowledge of Taylor Swift‘s back catalogue that makes it possible to string together a 250-word entry composed entirely of snippets of the megastar鈥檚 lyrics. (Gel, quill and fountain pen, of course.) It probably doesn鈥檛 hurt that Katherine Finlayson 鈥 who just won a Star competition looking for Swift鈥檚 biggest fan 鈥 is a 27-year-old law student accustomed to arguing her case.
Why does Taylor Swift mean so much to you?
I’ve been a fan of Taylor鈥檚 since 2008 when I was 11 鈥 I鈥檝e literally grown up with her. It鈥檚 been incredible to see not only the trajectory of her career, but also her personal growth. For instance, I鈥檝e experienced everything from teenage romance and heartbreak to becoming a woman and facing larger systemic issues and barriers in society, along with Taylor. For the fans that have been there since the beginning, we鈥檝e been by each others鈥 sides the whole way.
Also, Taylor is one of the greatest writers of the 21st century. As Swifties, we鈥檙e so tired of hearing the blatantly sexist criticisms of her music, like she only sings about her ex-boyfriends or whines about heartbreak. For one, her breakup songs are introspective and complex. She writes about so many other things, like grief, perseverance, joy, resilience, fantasy, addiction, illness, and even broader themes like politics and feminism. She鈥檚 a really diverse artist, even in terms of genres.
When you go back to being an 11-year-old listening to Taylor Swift, do you have a memory of when you were like, 鈥榃hoever this is, I love her?鈥
Yes! My idea of fun was browsing through iTunes, and I discovered 鈥淥ur Song,鈥 鈥淧icture To Burn,鈥 and 鈥淭eardrops On My Guitar,鈥 from her debut album. She was singing about some of the boys she liked, but she also sang about her self-worth. I loved that, and I wanted to emulate that. When 鈥淟ove Story鈥 was released as a single, I remember convincing my mom to buy me the album, “Fearless,” for Christmas. My mom is an English teacher, and I got her to buy it because Taylor mentioned Romeo and Juliet.
For so many Swifties, Taylor helps get them through tough times. Has she helped you through anything?
“Folklore” is my favourite album. The way she could just transport us through the stories she was telling felt like an escape from the reality of the pandemic. Some of the songs hit home so hard. I think of one song 鈥淓piphany,鈥 that compares service from those in world wars to nurses and doctors. 鈥淭his Is Me Trying鈥 talks about addiction and mental illness, and obviously that was a huge issue in the pandemic, and it was therapeutic just to sing about it.
What do you think the most underappreciated Taylor song is?
There are so many, but I鈥檒l pick 鈥淗oax.鈥 It鈥檚 [about] a betrayal of trust by someone that you cared so much for. It transcends heartbreak, and you can apply it in so many situations. She鈥檚 so vulnerable and open about how she feels. Besides 鈥淗oax,鈥 I鈥檓 also thinking of 鈥淢y Tears Ricochet,鈥 where she says, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have it in myself to go with grace.鈥 She can actively critique herself, and talk about her faults. That鈥檚 something you didn鈥檛 see much of in the beginning, and that鈥檚 that whole thing about growth.
The Star held a search for the GTA's top Swiftie but can she pass the lyrics test? Our winner plays fill in the Blank Space with Taylor Swift's well-loved lyrics.
If you were limited to only one song from her discography forever and evermore, what would it have it be?
Easy! 鈥淎ll Too Well鈥 (10 Minute Version.) It鈥檚 a masterpiece. With its release, she solidified her title as the modern-day Shakespeare. Just the line, 鈥淒id the twin flame bruise paint you blue? Just between us, did the love affair maim you too?鈥 It鈥檚 so good. I love her play on words. You鈥檝e got 鈥渢win flame,鈥 a metaphor for soulmates, and then the hottest part of the fire is blue, but bruises can also be blue. And then the hottest part of the flame painting her past partner blue refers to sadness, which is a colour that鈥檚 often represented by blue, and that鈥檚 why she had to end the relationship. In the song, she also says 鈥淵ou kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath.鈥 She has a way with words that鈥檚 so powerful. It鈥檚 straight fire the whole way through, and you get it for 10 minutes.
Taylor Swift “has a way with words that’s so powerful,” says Katherine Finlayson.
Nick Lachance 海角社区官网StarDo you have tickets to the Eras tour in Toronto?
No, and that鈥檚 been really difficult for me. I鈥檓 a little heartbroken. I did get codes for Detroit, but the Ticketmaster site crashed so I lost out on that. Then, a friend of mine got a code for one of the 海角社区官网dates, but we ended up being placed 30,000th in the queue. Nothing was left when we got there, except for a $6,000 ticket. I鈥檓 a full-time, first-generation law student paying for school by myself. I can鈥檛 afford a three or four thousand dollar resale ticket. I鈥檓 definitely going to feel a lot of FOMO, but I am excited for the city in general. Economically, culturally it鈥檚 going to be huge. People are visiting from all over the world, and 海角社区官网has a lot to offer. Maybe I鈥檒l Tay-gate? Of course, I always have that little piece of me that wishes something magical will happen 鈥
We are Swiftie, hear us roar
We asked a few other fervent fans to tell us about their Taylor love.
Rishita Ranjan’s Taylor Swift wall.
Supplied“Taylor Swift has changed my life 鈥 I owe her so much and she doesn’t even know I exist. She’s taken my innermost feelings I don鈥檛 understand and put them into words. I think the most important thing she did, though, is give so many of us a community, a place to be wholly ourselves, to laugh and cry with strangers. She’s the reason I call a girl who lives 9,299 kilometres away from me whom I鈥檝e never met my best friend.” 鈥斅Rishita Ranjan
Karissa Faria.
Supplied“‘Mine’ got me through the divorce of my parents. ‘Mean’ got me through the middle school bullying. ‘Shake it Off’ brought me joy. ‘This Is Why We Can鈥檛 Have Nice Things’ got me through friend breakups. ‘You Need To Calm Down’ helped me celebrate who I was with pride. ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’ helped me survive lockdown.” 鈥斅Karissa Faria
Andrea Almeida Pasko.
Supplied“I got my first album (‘Fearless’ Platinum Edition) when I was 10 and was too sick to go trick-or- treating on Halloween. I listened to that album on repeat in my costume for weeks afterward. Flashback to approximately 300 new albums later, I travelled all the way to Europe twice to see the Eras Tour because I couldn鈥檛 get 海角社区官网tickets. I stood in line for 12 hours in 35-degree weather to get close to the stage in Lisbon. I’m such a big Taylor Swift fan that my ex-boyfriend of three years texted me that at least he could relate better to her music after we broke up.” 鈥 Andrea Almeida-Pasko
Charlotte Moy.
supplied“My 9-year-old daughter, Charlotte, is Taylor Swift鈥檚 biggest fan. An avid reader, Charlotte devours books about Taylor, learning everything she can about her idol. Her passion shows in her creativity too, each tiny detail down to the Taylor Swift nail art on her nails in the photo is a reflection of her admiration, a way of carrying Taylor鈥檚 music with her wherever she goes.” 鈥 Stephanie Moy
Thomas Didone (front) with friends.
Supplied“I’ve loved Taylor Swift since her ‘Fearless’ era over 15 years ago. I’ve attended almost all of her tours; I actually took a trip from 海角社区官网to Paris in May to see the opening of the Eras tour in Europe. It was the best experience of my life. When the Eras Tour film was in theatres, I attended 11 times! I waited for hours outside (the TIFF Lightbox), when Taylor attended, hoping to get to see her, and I did! I also may have taken her cardboard cut-out home, lol!” 鈥 Thomas Didone
Nathan Mackey in Taylor Swift drag.
Supplied“As a kid, growing up queer was always a hard time 鈥 the bullying and teasing was rough. But when I got home from school, Taylor was always there for me. I’ve seen Taylor live on every tour since ‘1989.’ One time, she noticed me on Twitter and, to celebrate, I took the ‘Reputation’ vinyl to senior prom.聽I have a Taylor Swift tattoo dedicated to her song ‘Cardigan.’ I even went in drag as Taylor Swift for Halloween.” 鈥 Nathan Mackey
Sadie Reilly’s friendship bracelets.
Supplied“Taylor, to me, is a different type of artist. She is so inspiring. Her music has given me so much motivation through a very difficult breakup and for hyping me up for hockey games and many more events. Even just driving around blasting her music is so much fun. Taylor Swift has also brought together me and my best friend, Olivia. She’s also a really big fan and Taylor鈥檚 music has made us tighter.” 鈥 Sadie Reilly
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation