Taylor Swift & Lola Tung Had A Moment At The Eras Tour Everyone Missed
Plus, what The Summer I Turned Pretty characters would wear to see T. Swift, according to the cast.
With the release of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 mere weeks away, it’s almost time to head back to Cousins Beach for more pool days, Fisher brother love triangles, and, of course, Taylor Swift-backed moments. The Midnights singer’s discography provided the perfect soundtrack for Isabel “Belly” Conklin to navigate her relationships with Conrad and Jeremiah in the first season, so it’s fitting that the star who brought her to life, Lola Tung, is also a major fan IRL. Like any diehard Swiftie, Tung couldn’t miss seeing Swift live during one of her Eras Tour stops — and it sounds like the fangirling’s mutual.
While chatting about the new TSITP collaboration with American Eagle (the first one was released in November) and the upcoming season along with co-stars Chris Briney (Conrad Fisher) and Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah Fisher), Tung tells Elite Daily that she and the show’s creator, Jenny Han, had a surreal moment when Swift performed “False God” — which was featured on The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Season 1 soundtrack — as a surprise song during her second Eras Tour show at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium in late May. “Jenny and I were in the pit super close to her, and she sang ‘False God’ while playing the piano,” Tung says. “It plays in the fourth episode when Conrad and Belly are on the dock, so of course we were freaking out.”
As if the subtle nod to the show weren’t enough, the actor says the highlight of the experience was when the “Karma” crooner then gave what they felt was a direct shoutout. “At the end, she looked at us, and she was like, ‘Hi, I love you guys,’ and did a little heart,” Tung remembers. While skeptics might call this a coincidence, there’s good evidence Swift could be Team Belly, thanks to her collabs with the coming-of-age Prime Video show. Most recently, the singer released a special version of “August” for The Summer I Turned Pretty teaser, which Tung says she found out about when the public did.
“They’ve surprised us with the Taylor collabs, which has been so cool. I didn’t know about ‘August,’ and last year, I didn’t know about the teaser with ‘This Love (Taylor’s Version),’” she says. “Taylor Swift posted it on her Instagram, and that’s how I found out. I opened up the app and was like, ‘Wow, my face is on Taylor Swift’s Instagram.’”
Considering how Swift’s music “works so well with the storytelling” of the show, Tung believes that Belly would be a Swiftie, too — and wear a very particular Eras Tour look to see Swift live. “I think Belly would be maybe the Lover or Midnights era, and her wrists would be stacked with a bunch of the little friendship bracelets that everyone’s been bringing to the Eras Tour,” the actor says, laughing. “I wore this flowy white American Eagle skirt when I went to the show, and I think Belly would wear something similar or, like, a jean skirt or shorts with a tank top, some little gems, and cute jewelry.”
Casalegno chimes in, saying he could see Jere wearing some of his ’fits from Season 2 to the Eras Tour, while Briney believes Conrad would “misread the situation” and arrive in a “nice” T-shirt and shorts.
The jury may still be out on whether Belly is Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah, but it’s safe to say she’ll have a whole new soundtrack of Taylor Swift songs to help her figure her love triangle out.
