Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Taylor Swift performs ‘You’re Losing Me’ for the first time during historic Melbourne concert

‘You’re Losing Me’, believed to be about the pop star’s ex-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, was debuted live during her first night in Melbourne, Australia

Jabed Ahmed,Roisin O'Connor
Friday 16 February 2024 08:09 EST
Comments
Taylor Swift announces new album live at Grammys

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Taylor Swift fans were delighted as she debuted the first ever live performance of her song “You’re Losing Me”, while kicking off the Australian leg of her record-breaking Eras tour.

The Grammy-winning pop superstar performed to more than 96,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds stadium, marking her biggest show to date in the city.

During the concert, Swift chose “You’re Losing Me” as one of the surprise songs on her setlist, which is arranged to cover various “eras” from her career to date.

The song appeared as a bonus track from Swift’s “Vault” of unreleased songs on her 10th album, Midnights, which was released last year. It was made available on streaming platforms six months after first being released exclusively in a CD format.

Many fans believe it alludes to the ending of her six-year relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn. Their breakup was first reported in April last year.

The lyrics narrate the breakdown of a relationship as told from Swift’s perspective, as she sings: “Every mornin’, I glared at you with storms in my eyes/ How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'?/I sent you signals and bit my nails down to the quick/My face was gray, but you wouldn't admit that we were sick.”

Swift included ‘You’re Losing Me’ on her 10th album, ‘Midnights’
Swift included ‘You’re Losing Me’ on her 10th album, ‘Midnights’ (Beth Garrabrant)

Swift’s longtime collaborator and producer Jack Antonoff revealed in November last year that the song was written 18 months before Swift and Alwyn’s breakup was first reported.

During the performance, Swift spoke about her forthcoming new album, The Tortured Poets Department, which sheannounced as a surprise in January while collecting the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album (for Midnights).

“Basically I’m very excited for April 19, I cannot wait for you to hear all of these songs. These albums – I think more than any other ... I needed to make it … For me, the things I was going through ... it reminded me why songwriting actually gets me through my life,” she said according to The Guardian.

She also reportedly unveiled “an alternative cover to Tortured Poets no one has seen. There is an exclusive song on this called ‘The Bolter’. This is called The Bolter Edition.”

Swift performs in Melbourne, Australia, Friday 16 February 2024
Swift performs in Melbourne, Australia, Friday 16 February 2024 (EPA)

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is the first tour to cross the billion-dollar mark, according to Pollstar's 2023 year-end charts.

Earlier this month, Swift became the first person in Grammy Awards history to win Album of the Year four times.

The US megastar secured the top gong of the night with her 10th studio album Midnights, having previously won for Fearless in 2009, again six years later for 1989, and most recently for Folklore in 2020.

After picking up the Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights, she announced her new album The Tortured Poets Department will be released on 19 April.

Her historic win followed a night where female artists were celebrated across the board, including in the biggest categories such as Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. Seven out of eight nominees for Album of the Year were female acts.

Swift has two more nights to go in Melbourne, before heading over to Sydney where she will perform four concerts.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in