THERE ARE Taylor Swift fans, or Swifties, in all corners of the globe, and the Philippines is one of the biggest hotspots. Because of this, the Taylor Swift: A Spotify Playlist Experience has landed in Manila to sold out tickets.
Following a successful premiere in Jakarta a week prior, the immersive exhibit had an initial run from Feb. 21 to 23 at Gateway Mall 2 in Araneta City, Cubao, Quezon City. Due to popular demand, it was extended to Feb. 24 to accommodate another day’s worth of fans.
Throughout its four-day run, Filipino Swifties enjoyed interactive installations dedicated to Ms. Swift’s 11 iconic “music eras,” as the singer likes to call them.
“The Philippines is actually Taylor Swift’s second biggest streaming market worldwide,” said Cheskie Ayson, Spotify’s communications lead for Asia Pacific, at the launch on Feb. 20.
The top cities in the Philippines that stream her music are Quezon City, Manila, Cebu City, Caloocan, and Davao City.
Ms. Ayson added that the energy of Filipinos makes it “a great place to bring immersive experiences.”
After the Manila stop, This Is Taylor Swift. A Spotify Playlist Experience will head to Seoul.
Some of the installations at the exhibit were the “Enchanted Hallway,” with rotating lights in the signature colors of Ms. Swift’s various “eras,” leading to “The Great Collection,” a room where her discography was represented by 11 panels.
The interactive aspect came via the QR codes that allowed fans to open the albums and songs on Spotify, to share with friends on social media.
“This Is Me Writing” is a room where Ms. Swift’s lyrics cascaded from ceiling to floor via light projection, while “Message in a Booth” had telephone booths where visitors could pick up a phone and listen to recorded messages by the singer.
The last portion offered more tangible keepsakes, with a photo booth that friends could crowd into and snap away, and Chocolate Street that offered hot chocolate to top off the experience.
To attend the interactive exhibit, visitors had to pre-register. Tickets were sold out almost immediately upon the announcement that the exhibit was coming to the country. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
