It’s been a tough two weeks for Swifties. I’ve been getting intense FOMO watching the first leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour on TikTok, seeing her sing and perform all the hits from her colossal discography and obsessing over every glistening outfit. Then, on April 8, during Swift’s week-long hiatus from the tour, news of her split with longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn hit every media site and shattered fans’ hearts everywhere. It was something that was not on my 2023 bingo card.
Rumors of Swift and Alwyn’s breakup began swirling after Alwyn was seemingly absent from her first Eras Tour shows, but it wasn’t odd for the two to not be seen together — their six-year relationship had been kept extremely private.
Though I’m still mourning their relationship, Swift seems to be in high spirits. Swift was photographed in New York twice within the span of eight days while heading to dinner in April, which is out of the ordinary for her. (Maybe trying to show fans that she’s doing just fine?)
But one fan at her latest concert wanted clarification for themselves that Swift was holding up after the whirlwind of news these past two weeks. During the third night of shows on her Tampa leg on April 15, Swift was performing her song “Delicate” — supposedly a song about Alwyn — from her Reputation set when Swift responded to a fan’s sign.
The fan’s sign said, “You OK?” in a nod to her “You Belong With Me” music video. According to TikTok, the fan that created the sign was Debbie Ryan. Swift seemed to give a big and reassuring smile and a thumbs up to the fan, all captured by concert-goer @imgiggly and posted on TikTok. Signs usually are rare to have and see at Swift’s concerts, so her responding to a fan’s sign speaks volumes.
This hasn’t been the only Easter egg that Swift has given to fans about her breakup. A few weeks ago, Swift made a subtle change to her setlist during one of her Arlington shows that had fans talking. On March 31, almost a week before the breakup news broke, Swift switched out her song “Invisible String” for “The 1” from her album Folklore. This startled fans due to “Invisible String” being interpreted as a song about fate and everlasting love, while “The 1” is dissected as a breakup song, reminiscing on what could have been.
Since Swift isn’t one to confirm or deny rumors about her private life, her subtle actions during concerts and messages through her music are where answers may lie. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I will be streaming the Folklore album for the rest of the day in mourning.