matt

Swiftie spirit. Sophomore Natalie Duffy poses in her “The Eras Tour” outfit before the show. The “surprise songs” of the concert were “The Last Time” and “Mr. Perfectly Fine” (photo courtesy of Natalie Duffy).

No matter if it’s a book, a show, a celebrity or anything in between, there are two categories of enthusiasts. There are casual enjoyers, and then there are super fans. Sophomore Natalie Duffy is the latter. Her obsession? Music industry icon: Taylor Swift. 

“I’m very passionate,” Duffy said. “People definitely think I’m a little crazy. A little extra. But, it’s fun to be extra. They can judge me when I’m singing every word in the movie theater and they’re not.”

This passion does not come without purpose. Duffy loves more about Swift than just her music. 

“Everyone’s going to have certain artists that they like and certain artists that they don’t like, but I think putting her music aside, as a person she’s definitely genuinely kind,” Duffy said. “She’s very down to earth and cares about her fans and about society too. She’s spoken out about politics and different issues surrounding feminism before. And I love that cutting your hair off and moving to New York City and deciding that life is better with your friends kind of thing.” 

Swift’s songs have been with Duffy for the good times, like when she attended “The Eras Tour” night one in Pittsburgh, PA. 

“I got the ticket the day of the pre-sale, and it took a few hours,” Duffy said. “I wore my pink sparkly dress, my rhinestone boots and my friendship bracelets. And the hotel we stayed at had Taylor Swift cutouts that we could take pictures with and they were blasting her music. It was my first Taylor Swift concert, so it was a big deal.”

And they’ve been with her for the not-so-good times. Her lyrics have helped her find comfort by giving her a different perspective on the things in her life. 

“I love [the lyrics] ‘we gather stones, never knowing what they’ll mean, some to throw, some to make a diamond ring’ (‘my tears ricochet’),” Duffy said. “Because when you go into a new experience, you don’t know if it’s going to be a ‘diamond ring’ or a ‘rock’. And I also love ‘living for the hope of it all’ because I feel like people spend a lot of time doing that. Waiting for other people to do things for them (‘august’).” 

Ever since she can remember, Duffy has felt a connection to music. Owning that music is special to her, and she strives to do so by purchasing vinyl’s for her record player. 

“I really want the Long Pond Studio session vinyl,” Duffy said. “I love Long Pond Studio because like, it’s basically just her. It’s Folklore with less production. And it’s so real and raw, you can really hear the piano, it’s literally three people in a room.”

Along with the lyrics and life lessons, Duffy has also experienced friendship with other fans like her. While at “The Eras Tour,” Duffy got the chance to trade friendship bracelets with many other Swifties at the concert, which she explains is just a part of the charm of the fandom. 

“Going to a concert and trading bracelets with random people just to trade bracelets with random people, you really don’t get a lot of that with other artists and concerts and groups,” Duffy said. “Swifties are just girls’ girls. They’re just kind and genuinely happy.”

Duffy thinks that the reason behind this massive following is Swift’s special way of relating to her fans, as well as people who might not like her music. 

“She has her own style, and is her own person, yet so many people relate to her,” Duffy said. “I feel she just has a way of talking and relating to people about random everyday things that you wouldn’t even expect. Like, if I met Taylor we’d definitely end up talking about cats because that’s a common interest.”

And while Duffy can understand why Swift might not be everyone’s favorite artist, she hopes they don’t waste their time focusing on that. 

“Like what Taylor said, ‘I want to be defined by the things that I love, not the things I hate’,” Duffy said.