thirteen ZINE
Swifties are Lovers Fans show their support by taking photos with the album
ISSUE 26 SEPTEMBER 2019
Release Week All the fun of Taylor during Lover’s release!
Swiftie Artists
Check out the amazing work of talented fans!
Lover
Out Now!
Lover Adventures
Follow my Taylor filled NYC story!
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it’s you
world that’s my whole
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CONTENTS Social Media ............................................ 4-5 Good Morning America................................. 6 Lover’s Lounge..........................................7-8 Lover Video..............................................9-10 Lover Release........................................10-15 VMAs.....................................................16-17 BBC Radio 1................................................ 18 City of Lover................................................ 19 Merch.......................................................... 20 We Are Swifties......................................21-35 The Last Page............................................. 36
magazine... editor I can read you like a
FROM THE
Hello, it’s now September. Lover has been out for a few weeks. What. Is. Life. Since the release of Lover, that is the only album I have been listening to on repeat. No lie. Which, I’m sure many of you do the exact same thing. I am always so determined to learn the lyrics to all of Taylor’s new music as fast as I can. If that means playing a song on repeat forever and ever. It is a must! Anyway, it’s been fun reading what everyone has been saying about Lover online. There has been so many positive reactions from everyone. I also love reading what everyone’s favorites are, even if they constantly change...because let’s be honest, you can never WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
pick just one Taylor song as a favorite. Each one speaks to you in it’s own way, making you feel a certain way too. Taylor has the magical talent to write lyrics as if that song was written just for you. Absolutely SO relatable. I was lucky enough and fortunate enough to attend release week in NYC for Lover. It was such a fun and memorable experience! I would absolutely do this again in the future. It was great to meet other fans and be able to attend various Taylor related events. My full story is posted in the We Are Swifties section to share with all of you! I’d also like to say, thank you to all the wonderful, amazing and beautiful Swifties who sent
in their photos with the Lover album. Making pages with all your smiling faces is always one of my favorite aspects of putting together this magazine. Getting other fans involved makes me so, so, so happy. With that, once again, thank you. Always.
Stay Beautiful, Tanya
DO YOU HAVE A
Swiftie Story TO SHARE? Tell us your story to be included in next month’s issue of ZINEthirteen! Submit your content on any of ZINEthirteen’s social media or email to zinethirteen@gmail.com!
@tanyaxoh ZINE THIRTEEN ISSUE 26 SEPTEMBER 2019
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Taylor Related Photos between August 13th & September 13th
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Taylor Related Photos between August 13th & September 13th
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GMA Taylor Swift Performs ‘Lover’ Tracks, Talks Re-Recording Albums on ‘GMA’ ROLLING STONE
CLAIRE SHAFFER
08.22.19
Taylor Swift performed two songs from her upcoming album Lover and a throwback track on Good Morning America Thursday morning, to a crowd of eager fans who had camped out the night before to see her. (She even ordered pizzas for them.) The performance included a rousing rendition of “You Need to Calm Down,” sung back eagerly to Swift by her stans, as well as her lead single “ME!,” sans Brendon Urie. She then surprised fans with a performance of “Shake It Off,” the lead single from her fifth album 1989. Swift’s album Lover arrives this Friday, featuring 18 tracks including one with the Dixie Chicks, who have not released new material as a group in 13 years. She previously released the singles “ME!” with Urie (now without the spelling line) and “You Need to Calm Down,” along with “The Archer” and the title track. She’ll be opening the MTV Video Music Awards this Monday, which also happens to be the 10th anniversary of that infamous Kanye interruption. This week Swift announced that she will be re-recording the masters of her earlier work, in order to circumvent a deal by her former label Big Machine and Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, which now own the rights to her earlier recordings.
Before her GMA performance, Swift spoke to Robin Roberts about her decision and stated that starting next year, in line with her contract, she would be able to record the albums all over again. Taylor on re-recording her
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music: “Yeah that’s true and it’s something I’m very excited about. My contract says starting from November 2020 I can start re-recording albums 1-5. I think artists deserve to own their own work. It’s next year, I’m gonna be busy.” “Something that’s
very special to me about this album is it’s the first one that I will own,” Swift said on Lover. “I think it’s important for artists to own their work. I’m gonna be busy, I’m very excited.” WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
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LOVER’S LOUNGE Taylor Swift Debuts ‘Lover’ Video, Sings ‘Archer’ During YouTube Livestream VARIETY
ANNA TINGLEY
08.22.19
Taylor Swift went live on YouTube today to talk about the inspiration behind her new album “Lover,” dropping tonight. Those who tuned into the live event on Swift’s YouTube channel were virtual attendees of the “Lover’s Lounge,” which included an acoustic performance of her already released single “The Archer,” a Q&A sesh and a behind-thescenes look at the making of her seventh studio album. “This album to me felt aesthetically to me very daytime, very sunlit fields,” Swift said when talking about the record’s theme compared to those from her past. “I wrote this from a perspective from a much more open, free, romantic whimsical place, and I’m so happy to share that with you soon.” The “Blank Space” singer also touted the four deluxe editions that will also be released tomorrow, which include 30 pages from her old diaries. Swift read aloud a few entries for the audience, including one from middle school when she auditioned for the school chorus and another when she was 19, complaining about the happy couples she sees on Valentine’s Day. After answering fan questions posted to YouTube, Swift WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
You can watch the Lover’s Lounge Livestream on YouTube!
introduced Stella McCartney to the stage, who collaborated with Swift in designing a merch line that’s debuting alongside the new album. Fitting the whimsy and colorful aesthetic of the record, each piece costs less than $100 and was made sustainably. Pieces include marble tie-dye T-shirts, bomber jackets and sweatshirts. Directly following the live
event, YouTube released the official music video for the album’s title track “Lover,” which shows Swift and a beau (played by Christian Owens) as they fall in love in their own snow globe universe. Before wrapping up the stream, Swift explained that the snow globe alludes to a lyric in a song off her “1989” album, “You Are in Love,” in which she sang, “You
two are dancing in a snow globe round and round / And he keeps a picture of you / In his office downtown,” a lyric she said was inspired by watching two best friends fall in love (whom she’d previously identified as thencouple Lena Dunham and Jack Antonoff). “Lover” will be available to purchase and stream tonight at midnight ET/9 p.m. PT.
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LOVER’S LOUNGE Taylor Meeting Fans
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LOVER VIDEO
You can watch the Lover music video on YouTube!
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LOVER RELEASE Lover: Out Now! Track Listing 1. I Forgot That You Existed 2. Cruel Summer 3. Lover 4. The Man 5. The Archer 6. I Think He Knows 7. Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince 8. Paper Rings 9. Cornelia Street 10. Death by a Thousand Cuts 11. London Boy 12. Soon You’ll Get Better feat. Dixie Chicks 13. False God 14. You Need to Calm Down 15. Afterglow 16. Me! feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco 17. It’s Nice to Have a Friend 18. Daylight Target Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks 19. I Forgot That You Existed (piano/vocal writing process) 20. Lover (piano/vocal writing process) ZINE THIRTEEN ISSUE 26 SEPTEMBER 2019
After its first two days out, Taylor Swift’s Lover became 2019’s top-selling album in the U.S., according to initial sales reports to Nielsen Music! WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
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LOVER RELEASE Taylor Swift’s ‘Lover’ Is Already 2019’s Top-Selling Album in the U.S. After First Two Days on Sale BILLBOARD
KEITH CAULFIELD
08.25.19
After its first two days out, Taylor Swift’s Lover has already become 2019’s top-selling album in the U.S., according to initial sales reports to Nielsen Music. Released on Friday (Aug. 23), Lover’s sales approached 500,000 through its second day of release on Saturday. In turn, Lover has now passed the year-to-date sales of what was 2019’s top-seller, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born soundtrack (444,000 sold through the week ending Aug. 22). Star was released in on Oct. 5, 2018, and has sold 1.148 million in total in the U.S. In just 48 hours, Lover has the biggest sales week for any album since Swift’s own reputation sold 1.216 million copies in its first week and debuted at No. 1 on the Dec. 2, 2017-dated Billboard 200 chart. Lover’s first-week sales are aided by the set’s release in four collectible deluxe editions at Target, as well as dozens of merchandise/album bundles sold through Swift’s official website. Industry forecasters expect that Lover will bow at No. 1 on the Sept. 7-dated Billboard 200 with over 700,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 29. (Equivalent album units comprise traditional album sales, track equivalent album [TEA] units and streaming equivalent album [SEA] units.) WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
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LOVER RELEASE Taylor Swift’s ‘Lover’ Moved More Copies Than The Rest Of The Top 10 Combined ... Times Two FORBES
HUGH MCINTYRE
09.04.19
Taylor Swift’s new album Lover opens atop the Billboard 200 with over 850,000 equivalent units this week, giving the pop star the biggest first frame since the last time she released a full-length. She obviously didn’t face any competition when it comes to owning the highest possible spot on the chart, but Swift didn’t just beat every other title that came close to the top, she outpaced them by a mile. According to data provided by Nielsen Music, Lover moved exactly 866,879 equivalent copies in its first frame, including pure purchases and streaming and track sale equivalents. That sum is not just more than the rest of the titles inside the top 10... it’s more than all of them combined. Times two. That’s right, Lover moved more copies in one week than the Nos. 2 through 10 most popular sets in the country times two, and she even had some room to spare. Looking at the exact number of units every album shifted (as opposed to the rounded figures typically reported by Billboard), the Nos. 2 through 10 most popular albums in the U.S. moved exactly 432,485 copies last tracking frame. Doubling that figure brings the sum to 864,970, or just a few thousand below what Swift’s Lover managed upon its arrival. This is not the first time Swift has
managed to dominate the Billboard 200 in such a manner, but it’s still rare and noteworthy whenever a musician rules by such a massive margin. Looking at titles outside the top 10, Lover moved more equivalent units than the albums that land at Nos. 2 through 32 combined. That’s not quite the entire top 40, but it’s certainly enough to show that Americans couldn’t wait to get their hands on Swift’s new project, and even though it didn’t reach one million units as her last several successes have, it’s difficult not to call Lover a huge win.
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Swiftie Thoughts? This could range from stories, artwork, views on Taylor’s music, fashion and more! Submit your content on any of ZINEthirteen’s social media or email to zinethirteen@gmail.com! WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
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LOVER RELEASE Taylor Swift and Stella McCartney Release ‘Lover’ Fashion Collection, Hosting a Pop Up Shop in NYC
Flip to the “We Are Swifties” section to see my personal photos from the pop-up shop! (Story on page 26)
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LOVER RELEASE SiriusXM New York Performance
Taylor performed The Archer, You Need to Calm Down & Daylight
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LOVER RELEASE Cruel Summer Mural in Brooklyn
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VMAS Every Guitar-String Scar On Her Hand: Inside Taylor Swift’s Glittery VMAs Opening MTV
CARSON MLNARIK 09.05.19
In the latter half of the evening at Newark’s Prudential Center on Saturday, August 24, Taylor Swift takes a few steps forward, then a few steps back. She gently slings an acoustic guitar over her shoulder after shrugging into a sparkly purple suit jacket. She’s taking slow, strong strides from center stage along a luminous 70-foot catwalk toward the front edge where her mic stand rests. It’s a timed walk she has to nail before the song begins. Can she make it? The Lover singer is in the middle of rehearsals for her 2019 VMAs performance, which she’ll begin with a vibrant recreation of “You Need to Calm Down” backed by characters from its colorful video and a rainbow mountainscape on a ginormous 36-by-164 foot screen. Then she’ll grab that guitar and jacket for her new single “Lover” amid a pastel flower bed rendered via the stage’s 897 video LED tiles. Swift has to accomplish all this in just a few beats. Oh yeah, and she’s opening the show. In two days. But no pressure. The performance is already the bow on top of a busy release week for her seventh album. She arrived in Newark on Saturday evening after a pit stop in Chelsea, where she took photos with fans who waited hours in line for her Stella McCartney pop-
up shop. Back here onstage, her dancers and drag-queen friends, including A’keria C. Davenport and her doppelgänger Jade Jolie, do a few runs without Swift as the crew solidifies angles and camera paths. Their routines are polished by the time Taylor hits the stage in full costume and unmistakable red lipstick. In true Taylor form, she’s thorough in her oversight of every technical, physical, and creative aspect of the rehearsal. It comes as no surprise that her opening number runs like a well-oiled machine on show night, from its intricate props, augmented reality and pyrotechnic effects, and an allstar appearance from her BFF Todrick Hall. Yet even in the face of grandeur, Swift maintains the lyrical depth, candidness, and attention to detail that’s amassed her large following — her softpink guitar is emblazoned with
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a glittery “Lover” in script. The crowd’s cheers rivaled the sound system. “I can say most of the audience [were] Taylor fans,” Jorge, who was in the fan pit near the stage for the show, told MTV News. “I [recognized] the number 13 on their hands and symbols of the new era like butterflies and very colorful clothes.” Swift knows spectacle. Only 48 hours before, she was watching fireworks shoot off with every opening beat of “Calm Down” for the first time, applauding with her dancers and crew as sparks echoed through the trusses. Still, it was her performance of “Lover” — the track’s live debut, and the first time Swift has brandished a guitar on the VMAs stage — that marked one of the most intimate moments of the evening. “The first notes of the guitar made me shiver and cry,” Jorge
said. “I had many emotions at the time.” Her signature camera look was as meticulously rehearsed as her flourishes during the song’s untethered bridge, and the energy was undeniable, especially among fans in the pit. But Swift presented with infectious intimacy, inspiring as many tender moments from the A-list crowd as she did for viewers at home. “Everything was so stunning, it felt like I was there,” Hayley, a fan who watched with her husband at home, told MTV News. “The crowd was so energetic at the show, so it made the performance even more special.” Swift’s joyous pro-LGBTQ+ romp went on to take home both Video for Good and Video of the Year at the ceremony. She used her speech for the latter to call out the White House for failing to respond to her Equality Act petition at the time of airing. Of course, the Trump administration got back to her the next day. This must be what it looks like to be at the top of your game. Days before, back in an empty Prudential Center, Swift makes a few quick changes, practicing her microphone pass and wardrobe change before launching into a final run. Would she get to the mic by the time the triumphant first chords of “Lover” echo through the arena? Of course she did. WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
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VMAS
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BBC RADIO 1 Taylor Swift Covers Phil Collins, Sings ‘Holy Ground’ & More at BBC Live Lounge BILLBOARD
MITCHELL PETERS 09.02.19
Taylor Swift pulled out some surprises during her recent BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge performance in New York. Swift’s six-song set, which premiered Monday (Sept. 2), included four songs from her new album, Lover (“London Boy,” “Lover,” “The Archer” and “You Need To Calm Down”), the Red track “Holy Ground,” and a cover of Phil Collins’ 2002 song “Can’t Stop Loving You.” “I really love exploring all different types of love, especially on this album. And the type of
love that is addressed in this song is unconditional love,” Swift said of her decision to cover Collins’ song, according to Stereogum.
“People say ‘unconditional love’ all the time, but I don’t think they really know that unconditional love truly is still loving someone even if they
don’t love you anymore. That’s like the saddest thing ever, but would you love someone even if they said, ‘I don’t want to be with you anymore, I don’t love you anymore’? Would you still have that love for them?” Swift’s BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge performance follows news of Lover debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Lover marks her sixth No. 1 album. It has sold 679,000 copies in the week ending Aug. 29, making it the biggest week for any album since Swift’s 2017 release, reputation.
Taylor Swift Reveals the Truth Behind Her ‘London Boy’ Song in New Interview BILLBOARD
GLENN ROWLEY
09.03.19
Taylor Swift sat down for an interview with BBC Radio 1 on Friday, Aug. 30 to promote her No. 1 album Lover and clear up confusion around the lyrics to album cut “London Boy.” Upon its release, fans on both sides of the Atlantic were quick to criticize the Idris Elbasampling track for the far-flung locations mentioned in its lyrics. While swooning over how much she fancies longtime love Joe Alwyn, Swift name-drops London locales including the West End, Highgate, Camden
Market, Brixton, Bond Street, Hackney and Shoreditch -- a nearly-impossible number of places to visit in a single day. “This is supposed to happen over the space of three years,”
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Taylor explained to host Clara Amfo. “Somebody told me, ‘They think that you’re talking about one day,’ and I was like, ‘Oh no, you’d never make it. You wouldn’t make it. You’d make it
in three years!’” On “London Boy,” Swift also sings the line, “Babe, don’t threaten me with a good time,” which some fans speculated was about British reality TV star Gemma Collins, who often uses the term “babes.” Swift clarified: “No, it’s just something my British friends say all the time, and they say it exactly like that, so forgive the impression.” The star also performed the track live for the first time during her six-song set for the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
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CITY OF LOVER SETLIST 9. The Man 1. ME! 10. All Too Well 2. Blank Space 11. Red 3. I Knew You Were Trouble 12. Daylight 4. The Archer 13. Style 5. Love Story 14. You Need to Calm Down 6. Delicate 15. Lover 7. Death by a Thousand Cuts 16. Shake It Off 8. Cornelia Street
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LOVER MERCH 55
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Do You Have Merch from the Lover Era? Be sure to send your photos in a DM to ZINEthirteen on social media or send them to zinethirteen@gmail.com! You could be featured in the next issue! ZINE THIRTEEN ISSUE 26 SEPTEMBER 2019
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WE ARE SWIFTIES We Never Go Out Of Style: Taylor’s Latest Fashion Source: taylorswiftstyle.com
Saint Laurent ‘Metallic Star Sheer Button Down Shirt’ Saint Laurent ‘Embellished Leather Shorts’ $2,590.00 $2,490.00
Saint Laurent ‘Lou Lou Ankle Boots’ $1,095.00 $438.00
Reformation ‘Dolci Dress in Vienna’ $248.00
Fleur du Mal ‘Embroidered Butterfly Pintuck Blouse’ $525.00
The East Order ‘Gaia Shorts’ $139.00 $91.00
Want More Taylor Fashion? taylorswiftstyle.com WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
@tswiftstyle
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WE ARE SWIFTIES Lovers of Lover
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WE ARE SWIFTIES Lotte the Lover
Lotte (@teatimetay13) recreated Taylor’s heart dress from the ME! music video in order to wear it to The City of Lover concert! It turned out absolutely...what’s that word? Like, a step above beautiful? Oh, GORGEOUS!
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WE ARE SWIFTIES I Can Show You Incredible Things... FEATURED TAYLOR SWIFT FAN ART OF THE MONTH
*All usernames listed were found at the time art was collected. If usernames changed between now and then, I apologize. Thanks!
hemi.swiftie.art
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WE ARE SWIFTIES Featured Swiftie Artist of the Month oliviasartstuff
Calling All Artists!
Do you want to be featured as ZINEthirteen’s Artist of the Month? Please submit your request through a DM on social media or email zinethirteen@gmail.com *Must be Taylor related art
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WE ARE SWIFTIES Lover Release Week, Beautiful, Wonderful, Exhausting & Exhilarating ZINETHIRTEEN
TANYA OHNMEISS
09.03.19
I had the fortunate experience of spending time in New York City during Lover release week. To be honest, it was a spur of the moment sort of situation. I was not planning this trip very far in advance. I literally decided a week or two beforehand that this was for sure happening. When the announcement of Taylor’s Good Morning America performance was posted online, I REALLY wanted to be there for it. But, never thought I would get the opportunity. Luckily, I learned about 1iota and that the tickets would be put on this site once the date of the show became closer. Once the tickets were on presale for Capital One cardholders, my sister-in-law, Jess, instantly went on 1iota to put her name on the waitlist for tickets. I was texting her all the information since I do not have a Capital One card. Within the next few moments, she got confirmation that her tickets were in a reserved state, which meant that if accepted, we would then have tickets. WHAT! I was not expecting that to happen so quickly. She instantly called me as soon as she knew we had the tickets. It was absolutely surreal. It became even more official that we were in fact going to take this trip and get to see Taylor perform for GMA. SO COOL! So, we wanted to accomplish this trip as cheap as possible.
Jess & myself in Central Park for Taylor’s GMA performance
We planned to take a bus into the city, which was about a 9 hour ride. Since we had a coupon, this bus trip would only cost $18. We would get there Aug 21st. We also planned to stay with Jess’ cousin, Alisha, who lives in the city. We then would take the bus back home on Aug 23rd. All settled, cool! Until, another factor changed everything... So, knowing we had tickets to GMA was exciting in itself, right? Well, earlier in the month of August, just for the hell of it, I put myself on the waitlist for pit
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tickets for the VMAs. I figured, why not? They would be free, if I get them, cool. If I don’t, no big deal. Well, on Aug 17th, I was finally taken off the waitlist and moved to the reserved list...I accepted my two tickets and then confirmed I had them for pit at the VMAs! I FREAKED OUT! I had always wanted to go to an award show, especially the VMAs. I was beside myself with happiness. I had sent a text to Jess asking if she would like to go to the VMAs as well. She had to be
back home for prior obligations over the weekend of Aug 24-25, so it would mean traveling back and forth from Buffalo to NYC. But, with a bit of thought and realizing this could possibly be a once in a lifetime opportunity, she decided she would do the traveling and come with me to the VMAs! YAY!! So, we took the bus to New York, which honestly, was not as bad as I assumed it would be. I think we lucked out on having such a smooth ride. We got to the city around dinnertime, took the subway to Queens, where Alisha & her boyfriend, Chad live. We spent time hanging out and grabbing something to eat. Time goes by, and we begin getting ready for GMA around midnight or so. Originally we did not plan on heading over the venue to wait in line as early as we did. But, since I saw online that the line was growing and growing from people waiting in line from earlier in the day, we decided it would be a good idea to get there earlier. We ended up hopping on the subway and making our way to Central Park. We found the end of the line and got there between 2-2:30 am. Time to just wait...for a long time. But, it went by fairly quickly with our conversations together as well a with the other people in line. Speaking of the people in line...I ended up meeting a girl named Sydney, who was in line ahead of me, who follows me on WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
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WE ARE SWIFTIES
Photo I had taken of Taylor during her performance (terrible quality but still)
Twitter and I also follow her. WE HAD NO IDEA. She gave me her phone to put my username into Twitter to follow me...but she already followed me. We were like WHAT!? And then when I searched her name on my account, I had already followed her too. Absolutely insane. Turns out she even liked one of my tweets earlier in the day on top of it. It was such a funny and awesome thing to happen. Out of the hundreds of people in line, I ended up behind a girl who was a mutual follower. Crazy! Anyway, we slowly were getting moved up in line around 4:30 am. We had slight holding areas now and then to be allowed in. Once we got ourwristbands, that is when things felt real. We would ACTUALLY be getting in. There was SO many people there and SO many of them might not WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
have been able to get let in. The thing with 1iota is, they give out a larger amount of tickets than the venue holds, just in case people don’t show up. For recording purposes, the audience needs to look full, which makes sense. So, they hope by giving out more than needed, this would solve that problem. But, the thing with that is, sometimes people get turned away. Now, I am not 100% sure if anybody did get turned away that day, but we sure were worried about it due to the amount of people that were there. Luckily, we did not get turned away, got our wristbands and let into the venue! YESSS! There was a VIP section up front that was gated off from the general admission. We had general admission tickets and ended up on the lawn area with a huge group of people.
Unfortunately, this made for a not so great view of the stage. Luckily, I am quite tall and can see over most people. But, even with being on my toes to see, it was difficult. Which, was then difficult for Jess, since she is more of an average height. I wish we could have had better luck with the view, but in general, I was just happy we were there. They had the band and backup singers come out first to do rehearsals. It was cool because they ran through the set without having the full singing of Taylor, which the crowd took over the singing part, knowing each and every word to the instrumentals being played. It was really cool to be a part of it! Then Taylor came out and OH. MY. GAWD. She looked stunning! She had a sheer pink top, with black underneath, paired with super sparkly pink shorts, which were AMAZING. She ran through the songs just as the band did. The crowd once again sang every single word. It was interesting to be part of a live audience because the way they make it look on TV, looks so clean and organized. But, in reality, it felt like chaos at all times and they wanted the crowd’s energy to be UP, UP, UP the whole time, which I do understand, but during the “practice” sessions of cheering and being happy for camera, I went full on, when I should have toned it down during the practice. I had pretty much no voice by time the actual performance went on...ha. But, I still kept my energy up the best I could, running on practically zero sleep.
Taylor performed ME!, You Need to Calm Down & Shake It Off. She had stopped between each song for commercial breaks as well as short interview situations. It all seemed to go by so fast after the rehearsals and live performance. Next thing I knew, we were being told the show was over and that we had to clear out of the park. As fast as it seemed, it was still absolutely wonderful to be a part of. Jess and I got back to the apartment and literally just crashed for several hours. It was much needed and felt so good to finally get some sleep. The following morning, I took the subway into Manhattan and walked with Jess to her bus back to Buffalo. I said goodbye and went venturing into the city. I walked around listening to Lover, since it had just been released. It was a fun experience to listen to the new album for the first time while walking around NYC. Especially since there are several references to the city within the lyrics. I was loving every moment of it. After a few hours, I checked into my hotel, got situated, relaxed a bit before heading over to the Stella McCartney x Taylor Pop-Up Shop. I got to the pop up around 6:15 pm. There was quite a long line that wrapped around the building, but would definitely be worth it. They had a general line as well as a line for Capital One cardholders. The Capital One cardholders would have priority as well as the ability to sit on the Lover’s Lounge couch that Taylor also sat on. When I got to the line, it was the continued on pg 28
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weirdest thing. The two girls who I had met from the day before at GMA were in line directly in front of me...AGAIN! What are the odds? Like, I know pretty much nobody in this entire city and yet I have now bumped into Sydney and Emilee once again. We said hello and chatted a bit in line. The only thing was, one of the event security guys came up to say that the line is being closed off and people would have to come back tomorrow since the shop closes at 8pm. That was pretty annoying. But, luckily there was time to do the pop up the next day. Sydney and Emilee invited me along with them to Target to have a photoshoot with the deluxe albums. Since they were super nice and willing to take me into their group, I, of course, agreed to go along for the trip. We had fun chatting about Taylor and the new album. All our Taylor experiences, what concerts we have been to, etc. It was nice to run into other fans who loved Taylor just as much as I did. After our photoshoot, we had dinner at a nearby Applebees, which was nice to relax a bit. The girls invited me to meet up with them the following day to go to the pop up shop as a group, since their friend Colleen had access to a Capital One card. We would then get in the priority line as well as get the photos on the couch. Cool! I thought that was so sweet of them to include me, especially when we had just met. I met up with them the next morning, first thing, on the subway. Now, let me also say that
(from L to R) Emilee, Colleen, myself, & Sydney sitting on the Lover’s Lounge couch
this was my first time navigating New York City alone and also the subway situation. I was honestly so proud of myself for being able to find my way around, when I come from a super small town in the country. Anyway, I met the girls on the subway and headed to the pop up. We then met up with Colleen, who is also super nice and got to meet Taylor in rep room! We made our way to the pop up shop, getting in line and just hanging out for a while. We waited for roughly 40 minutes to an hour to get inside. But, once we finally made it inside... IT WAS GLORIOUS! Lover was playing in album order, on repeat. The room was so dreamy to walk into. With everything in various hues of pink. It was like walking into a
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fluffy, heavenly cloud. We waited a bit longer before being able to take our photos on the Lover’s Lounge couch. The couch was surrounded by all things pink, with big, fluffy, pink pillows. The Lover logo hung above the couch in a fun, scripted light. We took group photos as well as individual photos. They had an employee taking photos for people, which was nice, especially if you came by yourself. After the couch, we were put in another short line, to be taken into the actual shop area. The shop itself also had very dreamy vibes. There clouds, colorful lamp posts, giant, glittery butterfly wings and more. There was plenty of photo opportunities to be had. It was so fun just being in that sort of
atmosphere. Lover was playing on repeat, the room was filled with other fans, beautiful merch and just an overall wonderful place to be. We were never rushed out of store, which was nice. We got to spend as much time as we felt necessary to take our photos and look at things. Once our orders were ready to be picked up at the desk, they had special Stella x Taylor brown paper shopping bags. There ended up being two different bags given out that weekend. One had a rainbow, airbrush logo and the other was a light pink hand-lettering looking logo. An employee then walked us to the exit, gave us special Taylor guitar picks for release week and sent us on our way. I ended up making a purchase WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
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WE ARE SWIFTIES of two shirts. One was special edition Lover Experience Cornelia Street shirt and the other was the marble tie dye shirt with Taylor on the front as well as the track listings on the back from Lover. As soon as I saw these items, I knew I needed them! So cute! Love them! The next day, I met up again with those same girls, but we also added on a couple more, Jessica and Lauren, in order to go to the Cruel Summer mural in Brooklyn. This mural ended up being on a corner that was a somewhat busy street. We actually had to run back and forth from the sidewalk to the road in order to take photos of the full mural. Scratch that, Lauren did most of the dangerous running back and forth haha. She was
awesome to do that for everyone. We took a whole bunch of photos and even had a girl take a group picture of us, which was nice. From there, I needed to make my way to Newark, where my hotel was for the VMAs. I took the train into Newark, walked to my hotel and just chilled out a bit. Later that evening, Jess and Alisha made their way to the hotel, coming from Buffalo in a rental car. As a short, side note...that night we went to a local bar to have a few drinks. The bartender ended up being a fan of Taylor. He even gave me money for the jukebox to play Taylor songs. Towards the end of the night he let me take over the aux cord and we played literally ALL TAYLOR and had the bar to ourselves. It
Myself and Jess ready for the VMAs
was hilarious honestly. Super nice guy. But, anyway... The next morning we had our breakfast at the hotel and proceeded to get ready for the event. We had to arrive at the meeting point provided to us by 1iota at 3:30pm. I wore a red romper, Jess wore a black dress, as did Alisha. Alisha and her boyfriend Chad had seat tickets, whereas Jess and I had pit tickets. We got to the area where we had to meet, but had to go our separate ways from Alisha & Chad since they had different seats than us. There were SO many people there. It was just a sea full of people in various lines. It honestly was super “Rolling dice” & “Rolling Eyes” in the photo unorganized in my opinion. They WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
did not have enough employees working the event. There was not much direction at all. It was mass chaos at all times. Some people in line were really nice, while others were insanely rude. I understand that it was warm out, we were all standing for hours and just waiting for a long time, but still. We finally got to a check point to get our wristbands, which meant we were for sure getting into the event. THANK GOD. But, we still had more time to wait. From there, we had to put our phones into this fabric case that locked at the top called a Yondr bag. They would be unlocked at the end of the show, since for recording purposes, it looks back continued on pg 30
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if there is a bunch of phones up for television shows. Which, I understand. They also said, if people were caught with their phones, they could be removed from the event all together. Now, some people ripped open their bags and used their phones, but I definitely did not want to chance this. After our phones were locked in these bags, we were able to use the port-a-potties they had, get free water bottles and sit in this warehouse type area. They had a bunch of chairs lined up, that were quickly filling in. Jess and I sat down, I turned to her to say something along the lines of, “I bet they won’t release us in an orderly fashion, since ALL DAY has been a shit show of being so unorganized. I bet people will take off running like crazy.” Sure enough. That is exactly what had happened. The employees of 1iota didn’t even say anything to have us leave the warehouse, but what happened was, a person went running to the entrance, which then triggered somebody in the crowd to yell that we all had to go. People were charging out of there in a crazy haste...chairs were flying, people jumped over rows of chairs. It was chaos. Absolute chaos. So, Jess and I grabbed onto one another and took off running with the rest of everyone. As we were on our way out, I heard one of the 1iota employees on their walkie talkie saying something like, “They all just got up and ran, nobody said to go yet.” People in the crowd were just crazy. I understand that they all want to get in and get a good
Myself and Jess on the floor of the VMAs with the stage behind us
view, but there needed to be better organization. We were outside to only be in another line. As we were getting moved along in the line, a protest was coming by about the cities contaminated water supply. The 1iota employees were shouting to have our crowd wait for the protest to go by, but this was yet another crowd of chaos. So, once again, people went charging by. The 1iota workers were freaking out and yelling at everyone, but nobody was listening. Jess and I ended up grabbing one another, yet again, and running to get in the line on the sidewalk past the protest. It was insane! We did not want to lose each other in the crowd or get trampled. Such madness.
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We waited in a line again for a period of time, until finally being let into the arena. They had different colored wristbands for different people. The VIP pit people were in the upper part of the stage, while the general pit was the entire floor of people around the stage. They were letting the general pit through in waves, so it wasn’t a crazy, trampling crowd...finally. But, we were in a hallway backstage, seeing some of the props that would be used on stage that night. We were on the stage briefly too, which was cool. We got to the point where we could see inside the venue. The guy running the line had stopped us and said he would let us out with the next wave of people.
We really lucked out because of this...the section we were led into on the floor was literally right up to the ropes that were between us and the stage. We were RIGHT BY THE STAGE! Jess and I look at each other like...IS THIS REAL LIFE?? I told Jess, “I know I complained a lot in line and said how awful this whole experience has been... but honestly, it was worth it.” Which, not going to lie, I was so aggravated in that line. When things are unorganized like that, it just drives me crazy! But, luckily, we got to have a really great view! People around us kept saying how much I looked like Taylor, which made me feel really happy. This sweet couple next to us kept saying how they would try to get Taylor’s attention when she comes on stage in order for her to see me. They were so nice! The show was about to start and Taylor was the opener. I was so freaking excited to be here, let alone see Taylor open the show. Her performance of You Need to Calm Down was AMAZING. I loved how she had SO many of the people who were in the music video on stage with her! The visuals were spectacular, her voice was perfection. Just everything was amazing! She looked like Wonder Woman in her outfit she had on. I was loving every moment of it. When she ended her first song, she put on a blue blazer and grabbed her “lover” acoustic guitar. I noticed a light from above the stage forming an “X” on the stage. I looked at Jess and went OMFG TAYLOR IS GOING TO BE ON THAT X! SHE WILL BE WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
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Jess and myself with Taylor’s VMA poster
RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!!!! Sure enough, Taylor slowly walked up to that “X” that marked the spot where she would stand. That couple that I had mentioned before, kept shouting for Taylor and pointing at me during her performance of Lover. It was so nice of them to try to get her attention for me. I was completely focused on the fact that Taylor was in front of me. I was singing along, every word and sobbing. It was absolutely beautiful and everything I could have hoped for. Towards the end of her singing, she looked my way. The people next to me were all pointing at me. She made eye contact and smiled. I was SO happy! It was a brief and wonderful moment that had me WWW.ISSUU.COM/ZINETHIRTEEN
filled with pure joy. The couple next to me were like, “OMG SHE SAW YOU SHE LOOKED AT YOU!” It was so sweet! Once Taylor was ending Lover, the couple next to us, once
again, was amazing. They got the camera man to come over to us to be on TV. They were so excited to get us on the camera. It was crazy because the camera was directly in my face and the camera man was waving his hand up and down as if to say, “Jump around and cheer excitedly!” So, that is exactly what I did! Turns out, Jess and I made it on TV!! It was all thanks to that wonderful couple. I unfortunately did not get their names because through the madness of the show, people kept shoving their way up to the front and we ended up being separated from them by the end of the show. I definitely thank them for all that they did. I was able to thank them after Taylor’s set. They were so cute and nice. I couldn’t believe they did that! The whole experience of being at the VMAs was super fun. Being in the pit, we had to stand on our feet the whole time, but at least during the commercial breaks we would do knee bends to make sure we didn’t fall over. I got to see so many of my other favorite performers too! So close! It was fantastic! I was SO
happy to see Taylor win awards for You Need to Calm Down. She even had many of the people who starred in the music video come up on stage with her to accept the award. Later, I had found out Taylor made sure that MTV made out awards with the names of everyone in the video, not just her name, or she would not perform. What a generous and caring queen. Love her so much! Although the entire day and night was tiring, it was well worth it in the end. I got to be so close to Taylor and we made that eye contact, which was everything. She has a way of making you feel like you are the only person in the room and is absolutely wonderful for that. Each day in New York was busy but also exciting. I got to take part in SO many fun Taylor activities while on my trip, which made it absolutely spectacular! I’d do it over and over and over again if I could. ;)
Jess and I in the crowd during Taylor’s performance
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WE ARE SWIFTIES More Photos From My Release Week Journey
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WE ARE SWIFTIES More Photos From My Release Week Journey
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WE ARE SWIFTIES More Photos From My Release Week Journey
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WE ARE SWIFTIES Lover Holy Trinity
I asked on Instagram what everyone’s “Holy Trinity” of Lover was... Here are some of the responses! I Forgot That You Existed Paper Rings The Man aaswiftie13
Cruel Summer I Think He Knows False God actressfromyourbaddreams
Afterglow Death By A Thousand Cuts I Forgot That You Existed caitlinkrystine
Cornelia Street Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince Cruel Summer the_swift_13
It’s Nice to Have a Friend Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince London Boy hubert_emese
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Death By A Thousand Cuts Paper Rings Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince 13chana13
Cruel Summer Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince The Man snapshotsbyjenna
Cruel Summer London Boy Cornelia Street hcmakar
Cruel Summer Paper Rings London Boy a_belgian_swiftie
Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince Cornelia Street Cruel Summer batgirlproject
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THE LAST PAGE If you or someone you know would be interested in submitting content for ZINEthirteen, please let me know! There are multiple ways to submit items. Through social media (@zinethirteen) as well as email, zinethirteen@gmail.com. The more fan content submitted, the better! Content to be Submitted: • Fan Art • Fan Stories (ex. Concert experiences, meeting Taylor, how you became a fan, etc.) • Tour Photos • Merch Collections • Anything Taylor Related! If you have any questions, feel free to contact Tanya through her personal social media, ZINEthirteen’s social media or email. Thanks!
THANK YOU To all who have contributed to ZINEthirteen, follow on social media and overall support this whole idea. You are all beyond wonderful and I am very thankful to have you in my life. Let’s keep this going and bring more and more fans together! :)
Swiftie Still in Search of Taylor Shirts for Quilt! @aaswiftie13 on Instagram is looking for Swifties to donate old Taylor shirts to make a quilt. She needs 30 shirts and is looking to have 5 shirts from each era. If you have any that you no longer want or have extra of, please send her a DM!
AASWIFTIE13
Disclaimer: I am not in any way associated with Taylor Swift or Taylor Nation. Photos and material belong to their rightful owners, some sources are unknown while others are credited. I appoligize for any typos or incorrect usernames. All usernames that are used are the current names when the information is gathered. This online zine is strictly fan made and just for fun. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thanks.
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