The History of the Secret Sessions
Have you ever wished to be invited to your favorite celebrity's home to eat homemade cookies and listen to an album before anyone else? Swifties got to do exactly that on multiple occasions during the 1989, reputation, and Lover eras.
Courtesy of Taylor Swift || reputation Secret Sessions
These special events are called Secret Sessions, and fans are handpicked by Taylor to receive a once-in-a-lifetime chance to listen to her new album before the general public. Fans also have opportunities to take pictures, meet Taylor, and yes, use Taylor Swift’s bathroom; we’ll get to that.
The first Secret Sessions were held in Los Angeles, New York City, Nashville, Rhode Island, and London during the 1989 era. The fans were given an underwraps location to go to, where they were then taken by bus to one of Taylor’s (or a family members) houses.
Courtesy of Taylor Swift || 1989 Secret Sessions
Fans were able to listen to the entirety of 1989 a month before the official release date. Fans were then able to take a Polaroid picture with Taylor to take home, but some fans opted for a few props in their pictures, like one of Taylor’s famous cats or one of her Grammy awards.
Courtesy of Taylor Swift || reputation Secret Session
The reputation secret sessions were similar. Taylor hand-picked 500 fans from different parts of the world to secretly play them, reputation a month before the worldwide release.
Sessions took place in London, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Rhode Island. But for some Secret Sessions, not only was Taylor there, but her friends and family were in attendance. Jack Antonoff (friend and co-writer), Ruby Rose (friend and actress), and Abigail Anderson (High School Friend) were spotted in videos posted by Taylor Swift from the Secret Sessions.
Courtesy of Taylor Swift || 1989 Secret Sessions
Taylor also held Secret Sessions for her album Lover, but due to song names and song audio getting leaked, things were kept pretty under wraps. It is also rumored that some of the Lover Secret Session dates had to be moved/merged due to fans leaking the dates and meeting locations.
The Lover Secret Sessions were held in private homes in London, Nashville, and Los Angeles in August 2019. It is reported that fans who attended the Nashville Session stayed at Taylor’s house until 5 a.m.
Courtesy of Taylor Swift || Lover Secret Sessions
How are fans chosen for Taylor's Secret Sessions? Taylor used to be highly active on Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Tumblr. Taylor stalked (or more commonly known as “Tay-lurking”) fans for months upon months.
Fans who stood out to Taylor online were creative, like those who made her laugh with their posts and created videos.
Fans were then contacted by Taylor Nation, Taylor’s team, via direct message, e-mail, or phone, and given confidential information.
Does Taylor still do Secret Sessions? No, Taylor no longer holds Secret Sessions. While this was a beautiful tradition that blurred the relationship between singers and their fans, there were also many negatives that arose.
Fans who were invited to Secret Sessions were stealing items from Taylor’s house, including soap, hand towels, and board game score sheets. Some invited fans were also being bullied online by other fans who were not handpicked for these events.
Lots of fans who had never had “fan accounts” before Secret Sessions were now creating their own accounts only in hopes of meeting Swift and being invited to sessions or events like this.
After Lover was released, the pandemic had begun, and, out of an abundance of caution for herself, her family, her team, and her fans, Taylor stopped doing Secret Sessions and Meet-and-Greets.
Courtesy of Taylor Swift || Lover Secret Sessions
What fun facts did fans spill about the Secret Sessions?
Fans who were invited to her Lover Secret Sessions shared with fans later after the event took place that Taylor had Le Labo Santal 26 ($90) candles in her home. The fragrance is famous for its warm, leathery, and sophisticated aroma.
Fans also shared on their social media that Taylor had Jo Malone’s Pomegranate Noir hand soap ($32-$52) in every bathroom. Taylor, during one of the Secret Sessions, overheard a fan tell another that there was no soap in one of the bathrooms. Taylor knew someone must have taken the soap, so after that incident, Taylor bought mini soaps “so that if someone wanted to steal soap again, they could.”
