Taylor Swift Shares Her Love for Dateline: A Break from Creative Thinking
Taylor Swift on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’.
Credit:
Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
In a recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Taylor Swift discussed her longstanding admiration for the NBC investigative series Dateline. The musician, who is 36 years old, emphasized that her interest in the program continues to thrive.
During the December 10 interview, Swift shared how she relaxes during her downtime. "My kind of profession is coming up with ideas for stuff. So, if I can turn off the ideas for a second? Very exciting," she remarked. "I’ll put on — I’ll put on my Dateline, do you know what I mean?"
Swift’s enthusiasm for Dateline has even influenced her songwriting process. She revealed that her song "Florida!!!" from her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, draws inspiration from the series. "I’m always watching like… Dateline, people have these crimes that they commit, where do they immediately skip town and go to? They go to Florida," she said while introducing her album on iHeartRadio.
The song explores themes of reinvention and escape, a reflection of feelings many experience after a heartbreak. "When you go through a heartbreak, there’s a part of you that thinks: I want a new name, I want a new life," she observed. "So that was the jumping-off point behind where would you go to reinvent yourself and blend in? ‘Florida!!!’"
Taylor Swift performs onstage during the "Reputation" Stadium Tour at Soldier Field on June 1, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.
John Shearer/TAS18/Getty
In addition to her passion for the show, Swift has invited Dateline correspondents to attend her concerts. Dennis Murphy, a longtime correspondent for the series, praised Swift in a 2018 interview, stating that she is "the most wonderful human being." He recounted being welcomed to her Reputation tour, where she recognized him, claiming, "I know who you are."
Murphy also shared a story from backstage at the sold-out performance, revealing that Swift often expresses her interest in the series, even recalling an instance where she watched three episodes consecutively. Her father, Scott Swift, noted her childhood fascination with forensics, further adding depth to her connection with Dateline.
