Nestled
amid the roar of 40,000 fans, with their red capes, scarlet costumes, crimson
fairy lights, and cherry-coloured lipstick, 16-year-old Mikaela Brinkworth beamed up at the
stage, singing along to every word.
Their
excitement was all for 24-year-old American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who
toured Australia in early December last year to share songs from her newest album; Red.
“Red
is the colour of the crazy emotions, the ones that teach us to be who we were
meant to be,” Taylor told her fans between songs.
This truthfulness has had a deep impact on young
people, including Mikaela, who had struggled at school until Taylor Swift’s
music inspired her to learn to play the guitar.
“The connection with Taylor has provided a rich platform for us to
engage with her in music and storytelling,” explained Mikaela’s dad Andrew
Brinkworth.
The heartfelt melodies
and inspirational lyrics of Taylor’s music also resonated with 14 students who
travelled almost 3000 km from Alice Springs’ Centralian Contarf Academy and
attended the show.
The boys, aged between
16 and 18, were guests of the
“We were screaming louder than the
girls,” laughed student Michaelis McMasters.
But it was Mikaela, one of the first in line for the concert tickets
when they went on sale, whose night ended with a surprise back stage pass to
meet her musical heroine.
"I dreamt about this moment for years and it finally came true,” Mikaela said. "Taylor Swift hugged me like a big sister!"
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