She may have been born in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania and raised in Nashville, Tennessee but country girl Taylor Swift has been named as New York’s Global Ambassador for tourism.
Although the award-winning singer ditched her cowboy boots along time ago – becoming a style icon in the process – and bought a duplex penthouse in Tribeca, New York City, there’s no denying she hasn’t forgotten her roots, but that didn’t matter to NYC & Company, the city’s official marketing and tourism organisation, who decided to make Taylor Swift the city’s ambassador.
As part of her new appointment as ambassador Taylor has launched a series of promotional videos in which she defines essential New York vocabulary — such as “stoop” and “bodega” — and explains her connection to the city.
“New York kind of pulled me here like a magnet,” she says. “I was intimidated by the fact that it was bright and bold and loud. And now I know that I should run towards things like that.”
The 24-year-old singer and actress admitted that the Big Apple has been integral to her development as an artist and was the inspiration for new album, 1989. She said: “Welcome to New York,” wasn’t written in anticipation of this new gig, it certainly sounds like it could have been.She said of her move to the city: “New York has been an important landscape and location for the story of my life in the last couple of years. I obsessed over moving to New York and I did it. The inspiration i found in the city is hard to describe and hard to compare to any force of inspiration I’ve ever had in my life. I saw it as a place as endless potential and possibilities.”
With New Yorkers notoriously tight in awarding the label “New Yorker” to residents, Taylor Swift’s appointment as the city’s representative, after only moving to the city recently and splitting her time between Beverly Hills and Nashville, might be met with some contention. However, with New York dubbed the city of immigrants, perhaps Taylor’s new role is more poignant, highlighting the city’s welcoming nature.
“New York City is a truly welcoming city, and Welcome To New York [Taylor’s song] perfectly exemplifies the unrivalled hospitality, energy and excitement that can be felt throughout all five boroughs,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company. “We are pleased to work with Taylor Swift to welcome visitors from around the world, as she was welcomed this year, and couldn’t have asked for a better synergy between Taylor and NYC & Company to tell our story about what makes New York City, New York City.”
Image: Getty
