You’d think that Empire State of Mind would have earned Jay-Z or Alicia Keys the honour of New York City Tourism Ambassador when it was released a few years ago, but it wasn’t to be.
Taylor Swift’s* Welcome To New York,* however, scored her the coveted title, as announced on Monday by NYC & Company, the official tourism organisation for the City of New York.
The announcement was made the same day as her album 1989 came out, which includes the aforementioned track Welcome To New York. Technically, one must live in New York for ten years before becoming an ‘official’ New Yorker, but Tay’s love for the city (and the song) has earned her ‘official’ status after a much shorter span living in the city.
‘I think what brought me to New York is still a little bit of a mystery to me. Every day I would wake up with this feeling, I need to be in New York. New York kind of pulled me here like a magnet,’ she says in one of a series of promotional videos released to support the announcement.
‘I was intimidated by the fact that it was bright and bold and loud. And now I know that I should run towards things like that. I should run towards things that are absolutely overwhelmingly electric.’
Another video sees Taylor explaining New York vocabulary, including bodega (corner store/deli) and stoop (front steps) and admits even she asks for directions sometimes.
Hear more about why she loves her new hometown and check out all the videos at the NYCgo.com website.
Picture: NYCGo
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.