Taylor Swift left the audience in tears at her latest gig… here’s why
At this stage we've come to expect surprises at Taylor Swift's 1989 gigs, but we definitely didn't see this one coming.
The singer was performing in Glendale, Arizona on Monday night when she sang a song in honour of some very special people in her life. Taylor's single Ronan was released back in 2012 to raise money for children's cancer research, and she has only performed it live on one other occasion.
The song was written in honour of Ronan Thompson, an Arizona boy who died from neuroblastoma in 2011 aged just four years old.
Ronan's diagnosis, treatment and his cancer's tragic outcome were all documented on a blog, Rockstar Ronan, beautifully written by his mother Maya.
Taylor's only previous live performance of Ronan was back in 2012 at a Stand Up For Cancer fundraiser. However as Maya and her other children were in the audience as special guests on Monday night, the singer performed the charity single in their honour… and in honour of others affected by serious illnesses, including her own mother Andrea.
Andrea was diagnosed with cancer in January of this year, after agreeing to undergo a full health screening as her Christmas present to Taylor.
"In my opinion, one of the bravest things that a human being could ever do is to go through something absolutely unbearable and then share their experience with the world. And I think the braver you are, the more brutally honest you are," Taylor told the crowd.
"There's a woman here tonight named Maya Thompson… And I wouldn't know half as much as I know about childhood cancer and childhood cancer research if she hadn't shared her story about her son Ronan… I would read it every night."
Choking back tears, Taylor mentioned her own family's experience with the disease, saying, "And since then, I've had cancer hit really close to me in my family."
Before beginning the song, Taylor warned fans she might not make it through to the end. "I just wanted to take a moment to try and play this song," she said. "I can't promise that I will sing it well or not get really emotional, but I'm gonna try…I think because Maya's here tonight, I think she deserves it."
Maya herself took to Instagram after the emotional gig, posting a picture of herself and her family posing with the singer. "I love you. @taylorswift You have my heart for the rest of my life and beyond," she wrote.
What a beautiful moment.
