The world’s most famous statue of Jesus Christ, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, welcomed superstar Taylor Swift to the city ahead of her first concert in front of a large audience in Brazil.
A projection on the memorial shows a T-shirt design based on the pop star’s design in her “You Belong With Me” music video.
It was created by Gabriel Dadam, the art director of one of the singer’s fan clubs.
The lighting was funded by the Christ the Redeemer Shrine at the base of the sculpture and was the result of a fan campaign and charity drive.
Swift will perform for the first time this week at three shows in Rio in front of tens of thousands of fans, with three more planned for the following weekend in Sao Paulo.
Brazil welcomed Taylor Swift by lighting the Christ the Redeemer statue ahead of her performances on the Eras Tour
The 30-meter-high Rio de Janeiro landmark was illuminated on Thursday evening to mark the singer’s arrival ahead of her Friday show
In addition to the name and the words “Welcome to Brazil,” the country’s various state names were also projected onto the statue
The iconic statue, known for its outstretched arms, wore a white T-shirt that read “Welcome to Brazil” to greet the singer.
After performances in the United States, Mexico and Argentina, Swift is bringing her Eras tour to Brazil for concerts that have been a long time coming after the artist canceled her previous dates due to the pandemic
A Swiftie poses in front of what is probably Brazil’s most famous landmark
The Archdiocesan Shrine of Christ the Redeemer, which manages the monument, accepted her request and asked the Swifties for donations in return
Father Omar Raposo, the church’s rector, agreed to cover the cost of the projection if fans collected 20,000 units of water and panettone to donate to those in need by 9 p.m.
“We did it, Swifties!” Father Omar said in an Instagram post that included helicopter shots of the illuminated 98-foot statue.
“You were able to show your love to Taylor and others,” he added. “Thank you to everyone who donated! May these be wonderful days!’
The initiative was taken to coincide with the Catholic Church’s celebration of World Day of the Poor, which takes place on November 19.
In addition to the statue, Rio’s Ferris wheel in the city’s waterfront district will be illuminated with lyrics to Swift hits throughout the weekend, Globo TV reports.
When Swift landed in Brazil on Thursday, the country’s military police were deployed to guard the Shake it Off singer’s hotel, Hotel Fasano. A total of 1,000 officers will monitor the area around Swift’s concerts.
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes tweeted: “Swifties’ Cariocas…are you ready?” in reference to one of Swift’s hits.
The campaign was triggered by a picture of the landmark with the Swift T-shirt by 21-year-old publicist Leonardo Ulths De Carvalho.
His original design simply Photoshopped the T-shirt Swift wore in her 2008 video onto the statue.
The garment, which read “Junior Jewels,” became a cult item among fans, especially after the video won her an MTV Award for Best Female Video and her acceptance speech was interrupted by Kanye West.
However, in the revised Christ the Redeemer design, the T-shirt bears the phrase “Welcome to Brazil” with the names of all the states in the country.
Swift was scheduled to land in Brazil on Thursday afternoon to play the first of her six shows in the country as part of the Latin American leg of her Eras tour
The two have caused a stir on social media since going public with their relationship, spurred by recent footage of Swift running up to give the athlete a kiss after finishing her show in Buenos Aires on Saturday
While tickets in the US rose to over $1,600 on some resale sites, Vivid Seats offered tickets to concerts in Brazil for just $91
“It doesn’t seem real,” Ulths De Carvalho told USA Today, “it’s something we’ve wanted for a long time. “It’s finally here and it’s crazy.”
The screening began at 7 p.m., hours after Swift was scheduled to land in Brazil as she continues the Latin American leg of her world tour.
She has three shows this weekend at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro before heading to Sao Paolo.
Latin American fans took advantage of relatively cheap tickets to see the “Shake it Off” singer live.
While tickets in the US rose to over $1,600 on some resale sites, Vivid Seats offered tickets to concerts in Brazil for just $91.
The design for the projection was based on a T-shirt Swift wore in her 2008 music video for You Belong With Me
Father Omar, rector of the Christ the Savior Shrine, confirmed that the church would cover the cost of the lighting, which began Thursday at 7 p.m
Rio di Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes also tweeted about the projection and welcomed Swift to the country
Swift arrives in Brazil fresh from her shows in Argentina, where she was joined by her new boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
The two have caused a stir on social media since going public with their relationship, spurred by recent footage of Swift running up to give the athlete a kiss after finishing her show in Buenos Aires on Saturday .
The clip went even more viral because Swift decided to change the lyrics to her hit song “Karma” to include a reference to her new lover.
The two have finally made their relationship public, two months after rumors sparked when the 13-time Grammy winner cheered on Kelce at his game at Arrowhead Stadium.
She is expected to fly back to the US for Thanksgiving before returning to Brazil for shows in Sao Paolo on November 24, Page Six reports.
From Sao Paolo she will travel to Tokyo and Singapore before beginning the European leg of the Eras Tour.