Taylor Swift‘s The Eras Tour kicked off in Brazil on November 18, and the South American country honored her with an impressive art projection! Just a few days before the 33-year-old was set to take the stage in Rio de Janeiro, the city welcomed her by projecting a T-shirt onto the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. “Welcome to Brasil Rio de Janeiro,” the white t-shirt projection read on the statue.
📷| Closer look at Taylor’s projection on Christ the Redeemer in Rio 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/W2YmlqXKkd
— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) November 17, 2023
Needless to say, the “Blank Space” artist was beyond flattered by the gesture. She initially thought the images were “photoshopped” and couldn’t “believe” the awesome visual.
“You somehow got someone to put a Junior Jewels T-shirt that said, ‘Welcome to Brazil,’ on the Redeemer statue,” she gushed to her fans while on stage during night one of her show, per fan videos on social media. “Part of why this was able to happen is because so many of you donated food and water for the crew. I’m so proud of you.”
The now viral t-shirt projected onto the iconic landmark seemingly referenced a T-shirt that Taylor rocked in the “You Belong With Me” music video. Her shirt originally read “Junior Jewels” and featured a hand-drawn smiley face along with a plethora of names. The projection seemed to channel the T-shirt and also featured the names of states in Brazil. There were a few nods to Taylor as well, including a scarf from her “All Too Well” music video and a bow and arrow for her song “The Archer.”
Eduardo Paes, 54, who is the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, took to X (Twitter) to confirm the projection was for Taylor on November 16. “We will properly honor Taylor Swift and her arrival to carioca territory tonight,” he said in the clip, per NBC News. “Welcome, Taylor Swift.” He also reportedly compared Taylor’s stardom to that of the late Michael Jackson and Madonna. The “Anti-Hero” hitmaker is set to perform at Nilton Santos stadium this weekend, followed by three more shows in São Paulo through the weekend of November 24.
After photos of the embellished statue landed on social media, Swifties took to the comments to react. “BRASIL LOVES TAYLOR! She deserves this,” one admirer penned, while another added, “Wow this is so iconic!” A third fan gushed over the states on the t-shirt. “Love how all of our 26 states (and federal district) are represented, O BRASIL TE AMA TAYLOR,” they tweeted. This is not the first time art has been projected onto the statue, as the city often displays messages in support of local and global causes on the landmark.
Taylor kicked off the South American leg of her famous tour on November 9 when she performed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. That weekend, Taylor’s new beau, Travis Kelce, 34, supported her by attending one of her shows alongside the pop star’s dad, Scott Swift, 71. During the concert, Taylor sent fans into a frenzy when she leaped into the NFL star’s arms and shared a passionate kiss with him. The couple are reportedly taking their romance to the next level and have plans to introduce their parents to each other when the Kansas City Chiefs play against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 20.
