Many of Taylor Swift’s fans are kids, and many of them are adults that were kids when they first started listening to the country-turned-pop star more than a decade ago.
That means that Swift has 10 albums and six headlining tours worth of interacting with fans who’ve grown up with her, with the most recent of her treks being her international Eras Tour. And while Swifties of all ages have flooded stadiums this year to see the three-hour career-spanning production, some of the cutest faces at what is overall a family-friendly show (minus, perhaps, the “Vigilante Shit” dance routine) have been fans who weren’t even born yet when “Love Story” took the airwaves by storm in 2008.
That includes, but is not limited to, little ones belonging to other stars in the crowd — after all, celebrities and their children are Swifties, too. The “Karma” hitmaker has written personal notes, posed for pictures and given up pieces of her costumes to pint-sized relatives of Selena Gomez, David Harbour, Alicia Keys and more.
Known in the past for hosting fans at her houses to preview new albums, interacting with listeners on Tumblr and picking lucky concertgoers at her previous tours for intimate post-show meet-and-greets, Swift absolutely loves making special moments for her fans. “You’re all so cute,” she told her crowd at a Chicago Eras show. “I feel that way about a lot of you during the show. We make eye contact and you guys are, like, performing, passionately.”
“Have you noticed that too? You look around you, you wanna be best friends with everyone,” she added. “Yeah, that happens to me too.”
See the best of Taylor Swift’s interactions with young Swifties below:
Dear Reader
Date: March 25, 2023
Venue: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
Swift made a 7-year-old fan named Bella’s wildest dreams come true when the young Swiftie sent the pop star a handwritten letter before a show in Las Vegas. The little girl’s mom, Gina Lanzino, recalled thinking how unlikely it was that Swift would even see the letter.
After handing off the note to an usher, Lanzino and her daughter were approached about halfway through the show. “They say, ‘We wanted to give this to you,’ and it was the letter Bella gave to Taylor and [Taylor] signed it,” Lanzino later recounted in a TikTok. “[Bella] did write her section number on the back, but I really didn’t ever in a million years think that this was going to get returned to her. They filmed my daughter getting the letter back because they wanted to pass it back to Taylor.”
Selena Gomez’s Little Sis
Date: April 1, 2023
Venue: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Gomez brought her little sister, Gracie, to see the Only Murders in the Building star’s bestie in action on the Era’s Tour stage. The siblings arrived in outfits inspired by Swift‘s Folklore and Speak Now eras, and Gracie even got to have a special moment with Swift herself during “22,” when the pop star gifted the little girl with that night’s black hat and accepted a homemade friendship bracelet in return.
One musical icon’s kids got to meet their musical icon at Swift’s Eras Tour show in Tampa. Billy Joel brought his daughters Della Rose, 7, and Remy Anne, 5, to see their hero, who even posed for an adorable picture with the family backstage before the concert began. “Rockin’ into our new ‘era’ thank you @Taylorswift we loved the show! #swifties,” wrote the “Piano Man” singer on Instagram.
See their adorable Lover and Evermore-inspired outfits below:
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Penn.
Tay was captured giving a special “hello” to Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ kids, whose names inspired the characters in several of the songs on Folklore. “Hi, James! Hi, Nezzy!” the star appeared to mouth from the stage.
After the show, Swift exited the stage holding hands with James and waving to fans, while Lively held Inez. The Grammy winner has been a longtime close friend of the Lively-Reynolds family, and long ago included a snippet of James’ voice on her Reputation single “Gorgeous.”
The Cutest “22” Guest
Date: June 3, 2023
Venue: Soldier Field in Chicago
One young Swiftie at the pop star’s Chicago concert was so cute, Swift’s better judgment completely went away as she tried to invite the fan onstage. “My brain just broke,” she frantically explained in the middle of singing “22” after pulling the little girl’s arm and promptly turning the motion into a high-five.
“She’s so cute that I wanted to like, I was just like, ‘I’m just gonna bring her on the stage, I’m just gonna hug her and put her on the stage,’” Swift later explained before singing “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” “And then I remembered we don’t have a safe way to get her off the stage.”
David Harbour’s Stepdaughter
Date: June 24, 2023
Venue: U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
Harbour was spotted in the crowd at Swift’s Eras show in Minneapolis, which he later revealed was a daddy-daughter bonding night for him and one of his stepdaughters. (The Stranger Things actor is father by marriage to wife Lily Allen’s kids Ethel and Marnie.) And while Swift didn’t have a minute to spare to meet the actor and the “Smile” singer’s little girl, she did send the pair a sweet handwritten note from backstage.
“We sat there for about 30 minutes of the opener and then a woman came out with a letter,” Harbour recalled during an interview, adding that Swift waved at them mid show, as she’d promised in the note. “It was addressed to me and my stepdaughter, and it was a handwritten letter on a particular stationery. I’ve never seen my stepdaughter speechless.”
Bianka Bryant
Date: Aug. 3, 2023
Venue: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Swift had an emotional moment with the daughter of her late friend basketball legend Kobe Bryant, when 6-year-old Bianka was chosen to receive the “Anti-Hero” singer’s black costume hat during “22.” After placing the cap on Bianka’s head, Swift kissed her on the cheek and wrapped her in a big hug as mom Vanessa Bryant looked on.
Alicia Keys’ Son
Date: Aug. 5, 2023
Venue: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Alicia Keys’ 8-year-old son Genesis — whom she shares with husband Swizz Beatz (the pair are also parents to 12-year-old Egypt) — got the VIP treatment during the mom-son duo’s night out at the Eras Tour. Swift posed for a number of photos with the family after the show, gave Gen a kiss on the cheek and even wrote him a handwritten letter.
“Gen, Hi my friend!!” read Swift’s card. “I was so excited when I heard you were coming tonight!! I hope you have so much fun at the show. I’ll be waving at you. Love, Taylor.”
