Taylor Swift is reported to have secretly flown 3,500 miles in a private jet to film a music video in Croydon.
Rumours of the singer heading to London on the down-low have been shared from outlets including The Sun and The Standard recently, and allege that Swift made the journey last weekend.
The reason for the trip, which allegedly saw her travel 3,500 miles from New Jersey, was to film a music video inside a shopping centre in Croydon for her song ‘Elizabeth Taylor’, which features on her latest album ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’.
According to The Standard, the filming was done in the derelict Whitgift Centre in Croydon, and featured appearances from Scottish pop star Lewis Capaldi and actor Domhnall Gleeson. Swift appeared with the pair on an episode of The Graham Norton Show in October.
The Sun also claimed that a source said that the efforts made by her team to “ensure she wasn’t sighted at any point” was “ like a military operation”. Another anonymous source reportedly told the outlet: “Taylor is super excited to be back in London filming for her new music video. Elizabeth Taylor is a British icon and Taylor wants to pay homage by shooting scenes in the capital.
“Taylor has always written about her love for London, and the video will capture different locations around the city.”
There is no confirmation that Swift headed to London at time of writing, and it is yet to be seen if there will be a music video shared for the ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ track.
If it is true that the pop icon headed to the UK for that purpose, it would make sense as the Hollywood legend was born in Hampstead, in North London, back in 1932, and moved to Los Angeles when she was seven.
It would also come following a report in 2022 that showed that the singer had topped a list of private jet polluters. Her legal team would go on to defend her from the claims, saying: “Taylor’s jet is loaned out regularly to other individuals. To attribute most or all of these trips to her is blatantly incorrect.”
NME gave ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’ three stars, and said that it saw her, “for the first time, […] not catalysed into artistic growth by love, but merely comfortably secured by it.”
While it had mixed reaction from fans and critics alike, it did continue to be a huge commercial success – breaking Adele’s long-held streaming-era record for first-week chart sales, and becoming Swift’s 15th US Number One album.
In October, Elizabeth Taylor’s son shared his thoughts on one of Swift’s songs being named after his late mother. “She and my mom do seem like kindred spirits,” he said. “They are both the very embodiment of female empowerment. The way [Swift] has deftly captured the similarities and parallel tracks in their careers and personal lives is delightful.”
