Is the PM pulling a Swiftie? A deep dive into Albo’s Taylor Swift obsession

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The confirmation that Taylor Swift is bringing her Eras tour to Australia next year broke the internet this week (and will probably break Ticketek next week when pre-sale begins), but the strangest offshoot of the entire Swift circus is the re-emergence of Anthony Albanese as an alleged superfan.

For those not up to date, the Prime Minister has long championed himself as a Swiftie, name-dropping the pop star as one of his favourite acts and quoting Shake It Off lyrics during an election campaign.

Is the Prime Minister pulling a swifty? A deep dive into Albanese’s supposed Taylor Swift obsession.

While there’s every chance the 60-year-old member for Grayndler could be a diehard Swift lover, the cynics out there (it’s me, I’m the cynic, it’s me), suspect that the Prime Minister may be the living embodiment of that Steve Buscemi ‘How do you do, fellow kids?’ meme.

Taylor Swift is the most popular artist in the world, a rare star whose appeal spans a bewilderingly wide demographic; people of all persuasions, ages and politics relate to her music.

Albanese turning up to the MCG to see Taylor Swift in 2024.Credit: Screenshot

Positioning himself as a Taylor Swift fan not only makes Albanese look relatable, but it’s also a surefire way to boost his own credibility.

If the PM is at home drinking screw top rose and bumping Midnights, maybe he really is just like the rest of us?

However, there have been some hiccups in Albanese’s carefully constructed fanboy narrative. With all of the above in mind, the time has come for a forensic investigation.

2015: A Taylor Swift fan emerges

It’s been eight years since Albanese first inserted himself into the Taylor Swift universe while spinning the decks at a fundraiser event in Melbourne.

“Hey can you play Sandstorm?”Credit: Robert Shakespeare

Albanese was the shadow transport minister at the time, and while his DJ set included predictable hits from Nick Cave, Pixies and Nirvana, it was his decision to close out the set with Swift’s 2014 mega-hit, Shake It Off, that raised eyebrows.

“I’ve got a 14-year-old son, which is how I know about Taylor Swift,” he later told The Guardian.

2016: DJ Albo drops another Tay Tay track

The following year Albanese jumped back on the bandwagon, appearing at Annandale Public School during the Federal Election to cast his vote. After voting, the Labor MP set up his turntables and spun Shake It Off to an excited crowd.

2022: Shake It Off hits the campaign trail

Fast-forward to 2022, and Albanese is in the running to become the next Prime Minister, leading Labor on a long and bruising campaign.

However, haters were appearing to hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, with the then opposition leader copping flak on day two of the campaign after failing to answer questions about what the Reserve Bank of Australia’s official cash rate was, as well as the national unemployment figure.

Sensing an opportunity to deflect from his slip-up while simultaneously reaffirming his relatability, Albanese name-checked Swift again.

“Yesterday, I made a mistake and guess what? I fessed up to it, and (people) make mistakes from time to time,” Albanese said.

“My approach is, I fessed up, I took responsibility. That is what I will do. As I quoted the Ramones on day one of the campaign, here is a Taylor Swift comment for you. My theory is: “Shake it off”.

2023: Albo gets his Swifts mixed up

Following news that Swift is bringing her record-breaking Eras tour to Australia, Albanese quickly makes it known that he will be in attendance, though fails to mention if he will shell out for a $1,249.99 VIP package.

“I’m proud to have been exposed as a Swiftie when I quoted Shake It Off during the last election campaign,” said Albanese during an interview on Wednesday. “I’m looking forward to seeing her live.”

There should be a parliamentary inquiry into whether or not Albanese is a legit Swiftie.Credit: Rhett Wyman

At this point, it seems clear that Shake It Off is the only Swift song the Prime Minister has ever heard. However, the following day, Albanese tells WSFM’s Jonesy and Amanda that his Taylor education came during her Folklore and Evermore era.

“I really got into Tay Tay through Folklore and Evermore when she released those two albums,” he said. Oh, really? Name three tracks from each.

The Verdict

As much as I enjoy the idea of having a Prime Minister who listens to Snow On The Beach while working on climate change policy, I suspect that Albanese’s claim to fandom is mostly for optics.

Despite referring to Swift regularly since 2015, it seems clear that Shake It Off is the only song the Prime Minister has ever actually heard. Shake It Off also happens to be her biggest hit ever, so being aware of that song does not a Swiftie make.

Until Albanese starts dropping Swift lyrics during Question Time or showing off his Taylor-heavy Spotify wrapped, I remain convinced this is just pop culture politicking.

But I’ll leave the last word to the pop princess: “And the fakers gonna fake fake fake fake fake.”

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