Favored by millions of music lovers around the world, pop singer Taylor Swift began to invite fans to her famous Eras Tour with her Instagram announcement November 1, 2022. Within this announcement, Swift listed her designated openers for each city she would visit. With over 10 openers throughout her entire tour, including Beabadoobee, Griff, boygenius and Benson Boone, Swift properly prepares fans for the rest of their “Enchanted” night.
“I attended Taylor Swift’s night three tour and my openers were MUNA and Gayle. Both sets were about 30 minutes long, adding up to an hour for the whole opener sets. Before the tour, I had never heard of MUNA, but I had heard of Gayle mainly because of her recently released song, “abcdefu.” Both openers were amazing and very talented. The crowd generally liked both singers, but were more engaged when they played more popular songs,” senior Livie Duby said.
Although she released her first song, “Barely Breathing,” October 2015, Gracie Abrams became world-renowned after releasing her debut EP, “Minor,” in 2020. Before stepping out into the world of fame, fans likely recognized Abrams’ name due to her family. Proclaimed as a nepo baby, Abrams’ parents work in famous industries. Her father, JJ Abrams, known for “Star Wars,” “Star Trek” and “Lost,” works as a successful filmmaker while her mother, Katie McGrath, works as a film producer.
Regardless of her parents’ fame, Gracie Abrams’ talents continue to impress fans as they recognize her inherited skills: Abrams’ fans appreciate the star’s ability to write from the heart. When she first started releasing music, Gracie used her own sound by recording all her instrument playing, which fans noticed enhanced her songwriting ability. Supporters first spotted Abrams and Swift on a night out together in a paparazzi picture; later that month, Swift announced that Abrams would join her in the Eras tour as an opener. In an interview, Abrams elaborated on her first time meeting Swift, saying she felt like “it was meeting an immediate best friend.” Swifites now enjoy the correlation between the two, as the stars continue to collaborate and produce music together.
“I was familiar with Gracie before the Eras Tour but I wasn’t a huge fan. After I saw her open for Taylor I was obsessed and fell deep into her discography due to her presence on the stage and her relatable lyrics. I think a lot of people got to know her through the Eras Tour which is amazing because she deserves all the attention and love for her immense talent,” senior Tessa Saunders said.
Known for her time on Disney Channel’s “Girl Meets World,” Sabrina Carpenter started off as a child actress who occasionally sang songs for Disney specials such as Disney’s Circle of Stars. Carpenter released her debut single, “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying,” in 2014 and followed it with four studio albums, leading her to join Island Records. From there, the star wrote and recorded her song “Skin,” which received a spot on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Carpenter and Swift originally met backstage at Swift’s Reputation Tour. The two were later seen reconnecting at the 2022 VMAs afterparty after Carpenter released her hit album, “emails i can’t send.” Although Carpenter did not join Swift on the U.S. leg of the tour, fans of both stars felt elated to learn that Swift had decided to add Carpenter to the Latin America leg in 2023. While the two may not directly correlate, Carpenter’s success and fame did reach an all-time high after joining Swift on tour. Regardless, fans remain grateful for the work between these two stars and enjoy every collaboration; as Swift continues to occasionally bring out Carpenter to join her in the acoustic set of her show.
With the help of Swift introducing these two pop stars, fans now attend and enjoy Sabrina’s applauded Short N’ Sweet Tour and await Gracie’s next tour. Thanks to the number of openers on Swift’s tour, fans rediscovered all genres of music before the array of eras performed by Taylor. Swifties can now find a “Friend” in these two “prfct” pop girlies.
