Teenage girl wearing friendship bracelets could almost make me a Taylor Swift fan

Since the release of Taylor Swift’s double album The Tortured Poets Department, The Black Dog has since become a place of pilgrimage for fans. Located in Vauxhall, London, just south of the River Thames, the pub has seen a flurry of visitors in recent weeks, all keen to catch a glimpse of the famous establishment.

After dedicating an entire song on her album to the pub, fans are dying to know why The Black Dog had such a profound impact on the singer – and its links to her relationship with ex-boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn. Even two weeks on from its rise to fame – fast becoming the city’s most sought-after landmark – Swifties continue to make the journey to this quiet corner of London.

Sophia Ribeiro, 13, traveled from Ruislip, west London, with her mum Fahran, her friend Niamh and her family to see what it was all about. They weren’t the only ones, with a revolving door of Swifties lining up for photo ops outside the pub’s doors.

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Sophia said: “We thought there would be a lot of Swifties here and I guess we were right.” No fewer than ten people sat on the benches of The Black Dog, discussing their favorite singer with newfound friends.

But for Sophia, more than just Taylor’s words resonate with her. She struggled to pick a favorite song from the singer’s extensive collection, but determined that her favorite album was Folklore.

Sophia said: “She has very good morals, like such a feminist and fights for the right things. She has a song on her recent album called “But Daddy I Love Him” ​​and it’s about people saying what’s best for her. But really, he can do whatever he wants.

“They say they want what’s best for her, but not really, because she has the right to do whatever she wants.”

Fahran revealed that the family is now all Swifties thanks to Sophia’s influence. When asked how she felt hearing her daughter talk about Taylor, she beamed.

Fahran said: “I’m so glad she’s obsessed with Taylor Swift. If there’s one artist you should be obsessing over, this is the one I’m happy with. She’s the healthiest artist out there, right? You really couldn’t ask for a better role model for a young girl.”

The teenager’s arms were laden with Taylor Swift friendship bracelets, all handmade by her, with too many to count. Sophia kindly gave me one, with one of Taylor’s most iconic songs, “Love Story,” written in beads.

Niamh’s mum, who is accompanying the girls to Taylor’s show at Wembley Stadium in August, admitted she was still getting the hang of it ahead of the gig with a few more albums to listen to. She joked: “I’m sorry I’m old, but 1989 is still my favorite album.”

The girls revealed that although they only have concert tickets, they plan to venture to Wembley Stadium to stand outside and cheer on their icon. They thought of everything, from the details of their outfits inspired by the lyrics of “Don’t Blame Me” – “Once I was poison ivy but now I’m your daisy” – to the pajama debrief to discuss the concert.

So why should people love Taylor Swift? “The thing is, it doesn’t do anything wrong,” Sophia explained. “She fights for what is right and fights for feminism. She fights for good things.”

The teenager continued: “Even with the whole Kanye West thing, she didn’t embarrass Kanye West in any way.”

Niamh’s mum agreed, praising Taylor for not “stooping” to his level. Sophia referred to the public feud between Swift and the American rapper, who was previously married to reality star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian.

Kanye interrupted Taylor onstage at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where the 19-year-old singer won Best Female Video for “You Belong With Me.” Rushing to the microphone, Kanye said: “I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!”

The rapper later referenced Swift in 2016’s “Famous.” In an interview with TIME magazine, where she was named the publication’s 2023 Person of the Year, Taylor commented on the bad blood between them. She also described the consequences Kanye West’s lyrics about her in his 2016 song Famous, which include: “I feel like Taylor and I could still have sex, why? I made that bastard famous.”

Fans also thought she made the reference Kim Kardashian in her new song “thanK you aIMee” which apparently features Kim in all caps. But Sophia disagrees with any negative connotation of the reference.

“Yeah, but then he said ‘thank you Aimee’ for the person you’ve made me. So he credits him for building his character.”

My trip to The Black Dog turned into so much more than I expected – Taylor has ushered in a new wave of patrons to his door and hopefully those visits don’t stop anytime soon.

The Black Dog is a wholesome and humble pub with a new ‘Reputation’, one that will follow them for years to come no doubt. Swifties brought a breath of fresh air to my visit, an exciting, healthy and cheerful breath.

Taylor Swift’s European leg Eras Tournament kicks off in Paris, France on Thursday, May 9. She has fifteen dates scheduled for the UK, starting on Friday 7 June at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium, after adding a further five dates at Wembley Stadium in August.