Taylor Swift Urges Fans Not to Defend Her When Performing ‘Dear John’ 

Before the release of her ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ album, Taylor Swift is pleading with her Swifties to practice ‘kindness and gentleness’ online.

Swift introduced ‘Dear John,’ during the surprise songs portion of her Eras Tour set at Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium. It’s a 2010 ballad about a toxic relationship with an older man, which is widely believed to be the singer’s ex-boyfriend John Mayer.

“I get to stand on this stage every single night of this tour and watch some of the most beautiful things happen,” Swift explained to the cheering audience. “I watch you guys make friends with each other. I watch you bond. I watch you give each other friendship bracelets.”

She added, “I see so many beautiful interactions happen, and I hear so many stories about friends that were made at these shows. I watch it happen, and it’s the most unbelievable thing to watch.”

The ‘Anti-Hero’ singer subsequently urged her followers to use “that kindness and that gentleness” online when ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ releases on 7th July.

“I’m 33 years old. I don’t care about anything that happened to me when I was 19,” Swift said. “I’m not putting this album out so that you can go and should feel the need to defend me on the internet against someone you think I might have written a song about 14 billion years ago.”

‘Dear John’ shows up on Swift’s third album, ‘Speak Now’. The song’s position on the Billboard Hot 100 list peaked at number 54. When Swift was 19 and Mayer was 32, they dated for a brief period of time in 2009. Swift performed ‘Dear John’ in Minneapolis for the first time since a 2012 performance in New Zealand. 

– Riya Sohini