Taylor Swift revealed the inspiration behind her 2020 album Folklore during her Eras Tour concert in Dublin on June 29.
The singer-songwriter shared how she crafted the album’s fictional narrative, which was heavily influenced by Ireland, where she drew inspiration for the story’s setting.
“Folklore in general, it just belongs in Ireland,” the performer declared to the assembly upon concluding her performance of Cardigan on her second evening at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
“How I imagined the album world looking [was like] Ireland. Storytelling with lots of different characters,” Swift continued, referring to the stories within the record.
“You guys have that on lock, too. That’s very Irish, the storytelling.”
The August singer claims that Folklore gave her the chance to experiment with a “different” approach to songwriting, one that had more linear narratives and characters who “fall in love and get their hearts broken.”
Swift continued, saying that instead of discussing her own emotions and experiences, she got to play the role of narrator for once.
“When I was making this album, it was two days into the pandemic that I started Folklore, I wasn’t in Ireland. So I had to create an album where the imaginary world that I pretended to go to every single day while I was writing it… I gotta be honest, kinda seemed like Ireland,” the Grammy winner told the crowd.
“So we’re back to where we belong!” the hitmaker added, before getting ready to begin her track Betty — yet another character off of her story-driven album.
“Folklore belongs with you guys.”