It just occurred to us that we’re this close to Taylor Swift’s The RED Tour Live in Kuala Lumpur! With her first ever concert in Malaysia looming just around the corner (it’s on 11th June, peeps!), are you armed with everything that you need to know about the multiple award-winning singer-songwriter? And by that, we don’t mean her whirlwind of a love life.
Here, we’ll fill you in on some things you probably didn’t know about Taylor Swift:. We’ll give you thirteen, since it’s her lucky number and all:
1. Taylor Swift was born in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. A computer repairman taught her how to play three chords on the guitar when she was 12 years old, and this inspired her to write her first song “Lucky You”:
2. Her family relocated to Nashville when she was 14 years old so that she could pursue a career in country music.
3. She lived on a Christmas tree farm in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and when the season came, she worked with the rest of the family. She wasn’t old enough to help secure trees to car roofs, so she was in charge of the bugs – specifically knocking the praying mantis pods out of the trees. Yup. Girl ain’t afraid of bugs, yo.
4. When she was 12 years old, she wrote a 350-page novel over one summer which has never been published. She has also said that she’d like to write her own biography because, “Years from now it would be cool to write a book about all the crazy stuff and the insane things I’ve gotten to do. My life moves so fast, I have to write it all down, otherwise I can’t remember where I was yesterday.”
5. Not only can she write and sing, she can also play guitar, banjo, piano, ukulele, and electric guitar. And because there’s nothing that she isn’t already good at (read: musical instruments), she’s also a talented painter.
6. Taylor Swift has a younger brother named, Austin Swift. He goes to Vanderbilt University and freelances for Getty Images as a photographer in his spare time. In fact, his photographer portfolio includes snapping photos of his big sis for a 2009 People magazine shoot.
7. Unless she’s had Lasik eye surgery, she must wear contact lenses, because as of just a few years ago, she was nearly blind. She said that she has a pair of huge glasses that she wears that are the ugliest pair of glasses you’ll ever see in your life.
8. When it comes to her current real estate, well, she bought a four-bedroom mansion in Belle Meade, Tennessee for her parents. But she lives between a three-bedroom duplex penthouse in Midtown Nashville, Tennessee and a three-bedroom cottage in Beverly Hills, California. She also owns an eight-bedroom summer home in coastal Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
9. She owns a Dassault Falcon 900 private jet and an airport hangar at Nashville International Airport which costs around USD40milion. Cray cray.
10. She once confessed that she’s obsessed with iPhone cases, and she loves all the vintage, handmade ones on Etsy. And even when it comes to fashion, she favours the more retro styles.
11. Her maternal grandmother, Majorie Finlay, was an accomplished opera singer, and it seems that the genes/talents were just passed on. She said, “I can remember her singing, the thrill of it. She was one of my first inspirations.” Well, that explains everything.
12. Taylor Swift was the first “Saturday Night Live” host to ever write their own monologue. It came complete with a song called, “My Monologue Song” that included jabs at Joe Jonas and Kanye West, plus a kiss for Taylor Lautner, whom she was dating at the time.
13. It’s well-known fact that a LeAnn Rimes concert convinced Taylor Swift that Nashville was the place she belonged. Artistes like Faith Hill and Shania Twain also played a big influence, as well as the Dixie Chicks. Oh, but she the one person absolutely swears by is none other than Britney Spears.
Like, absolutely devoted.
Taylor Swift’s The RED Tour Live in Kuala Lumpur will be happening at the Putra Indoor Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 11th June (Monday). And we’ll be there! Don’t forget to follow us via Twitter or Instagram to get live updates from the concert.