The Midnights Memories Jakarta karaoke party was due to start at 7 p.m. sharp. Half an hour before the clock struck seven, however, Habitate Jakarta, a fusion bar in South Jakarta’s Karet Kuningan district, was already pulsing with the staunch fans of American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, self-named the “Swifties”.

The Jakarta-based Swifties’ zeal reflected their enthusiasm for their idol’s latest studio album Midnights, just released the previous day.

Packaged as a series of Swift’s nocturnal contemplations, Midnights had already broken the record for the most streamed album by any artist in 24 hours on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. Streaming platform Spotify even crashed for several minutes after releasing the album.

Sure enough, the dedicated Swifties had already memorized the lyrics of the album’s songs. By the time the chorus of the self-deprecating lead single “Anti-Hero” kicked in, all the Swifties in the bar raised their glasses and their voices over the number’s throbbing synth-pop beats to belt out the line: “It’s me, hi/I’m the problem, it’s me.”

Swifties’ comeback

Lala, a 24-year-old digital marketer and Swiftie who attended Midnights Memories Jakarta, was particularly enraptured by not only the get-together with her fellow Swifties, but also her idol’s latest album.

“This album is very different from her last two albums,” Lala gushed, referring to 2020’s indie folk-leaning Folklore and Evermore.

“The impression I got was that this album is fresh and Taylor’s storytelling has broadened. While Folklore was, like, [fictional] tales, Midnights has a different color altogether. It touches your heart differently,” she added.

Lala showed up at the event deliberately donning midnight blue from head to toe to channel the album’s palette. Some of her fellow Swifties also turned out in all-blue outfits, including or pajama overalls, emulating Midnights’ nocturnal spirit.

She said it was easy for her to fall in love with some of the new tracks.

“My favorites are ‘Anti-Hero’ and ‘Maroon’,” Lala said, cheerfully. “I love the former because Taylor is all grown up now. She no longer blames other people for her problems. Like, she’s not always the superheroine. As for the latter, I suspect the song is about her secret lover. She often uses the phrase, ‘splash the wine’. Like, who’s this song about? It gave me immediate chills when I first listened to it!”

Rama Mahardika, the current head of the Taylor Swift Indonesia Official Fanbase, established in 2009 and which organized Midnights Memories Jakarta, has long foreseen that Midnights would set Swifties’ hearts ablaze when it dropped. This was especially so, considering that it had been a while since the last time Jakarta’s Swifties had an all-out, offline gathering.

The Habitate Jakarta karaoke party on Oct. 22 was also supported by Emina Cosmetics, email newsletter service Catch Me Up! and audio content platform NOICE.

“This is our comeback stage, to put it poetically. We have had no offline event since the pandemic began. Our concern has always been our sense of belonging and family. We didn’t do anything offline when Folklore and Evermore came out, either,” said Rama.

The last time the Swifties partied together was in 2019, when Swift released her seventh studio album, the bubblegum pop-infused Lover and the official fan club held five different offline events: A Very Lover Fun Walk, A Very Lover Picnic, A Very Lover Symphony, A Very Lover Carnaval and A Very Lover Cinema.

Following the release of Swift’s latest album and amid the ongoing recovery efforts, the fan club is raring to go big again. Besides Midnights Memories Jakarta, the organization is holding an event with a similar concept on Oct. 29 in Yogyakarta. It has also announced a green initiative dubbed “Midnights Mangrove for Taylor Swift”.

Night to remember

Despite two years without an offline event, urging Jakarta’s Swifties to show up at the karaoke party was effortless. Rama credited the event’s success to the organization’s creativity in coming up with an event that could please die-hard Swifties.

He also shared the reason why the karaoke party was named Midnights Memories.

“There’s a quote from Dr. Seuss: ‘Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory,’” Rama said. “I wanted everyone to have something to remember the Midnights album by. Also, karaoke parties are in hot demand right now. People long to sing along and scream at the top of their lungs.”

Rama’s observation seemed to be on the money. The Swifties were in tatters as they sang along to the cheekily vindictive “Karma” or the mournful “Bigger Than The Whole Sky”, and they lined up outside the bar for Midnights-themed photo ops.

Their enthusiasm, however, went off the charts when the event revisited the singer’s back catalog, with some Swifties clamoring for the mic. Some went so far as to hop on their table and singing their hearts out to ‘80s pop-inspired “Blank Space”, synth-heavy “Getaway Car”, countrified “Mean”, sugary “22” and feel-good “Shake It Off”.

Another fellow Swiftie, a 30-year-old stylist also named Rama, chose 1989 as his favorite Swift album of all time. “That album is so me!” he said, while his top picks from Midnights were “Anti-Hero” and “Karma”.

He added that Swift’s music had helped him navigate difficult times, including two years of the pandemic: “She dropped Folklore during the pandemic, and that album was so homely.”

Rama also noted it was a no-brainer that the bond between the Swifties and their idol had remained strong, ever since the multiple Grammy winner debuted in 2006 with her self-titled country album.

“She’s a smart, independent woman who fights for her fellow musicians. She’s also a very cool songwriter. She writes her songs genuinely from her heart,” he enthused.

Lala described her devotion to Swift’s music as more than just a passing fascination.

“I have loved Taylor since 2010, since her Fearless album,” she said. “I feel like I grew up with her. I feel all of her emotions in her every song. She saved me during those school days when I was heartbroken, bullied and lonely. I have been through a lot with her songs.”

For her, events like Midnights Memories Jakarta were not only fan pleasers but ultimately, also necessary. Even though her idol was not there, the warm sense of togetherness Lala shared with her fellow Swifties was more than enough.

“This kind of gathering unites us all. As it turns out, in loving Taylor Swift, we are not alone,” she said.

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