Filipino “Swifties”—that is, hardcore fans of monumental pop and country icon Taylor Swift—caused the Philippines to rank number one in worldwide Google Search interest for the superstar.
The Philippines scored a full 100 in worldwide search interest over time for the “Taylor Swift” search term during the week of July 2 to 8, due to the release of her re-recorded album “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” and ticket sales for Singapore leg of her worldwide “The Eras Tour” went live. To get around the lack of a Philippine stop in the tour, Filipino Swifties planned to buy tickets and travel to the Singapore show.
The country beat the concert host Singapore (87), the US (79), and Australia (74). After the third and fourth in the 70s, the interest over time falls steeply with Ireland next at number five and scoring 55.
Within the Philippines, CALABARZON topped the regions with 100, closely followed by Metro Manila with 99. The top five are rounded out by Central Luzon (95), Bicol (92), and Western Visayas (91).
The interest over time statistic refers to the dominance of a specific search term compared to others at a certain time and place. This means that in the Philippines and its top five regions, Taylor Swift as a Search Term truly dominated all other keywords. The stat normalizes the overwhelming amount of search data by properly contextualizing it with times and locations.
This should come as no surprise to many, as the Philippines is a major hotbed of Swift’s fanbase in Southeast Asia—if not the whole world. Her songs have remained atop streaming charts for nearly two years, especially with a steady release schedule, while tribute performances in drag shows have drawn hundreds of people in malls and other venues.
Swift hasn’t been in Manila since 2011, when she performed a one-night show at the Araneta Coliseum. Critically acclaimed for its concept and musical depth that draws from her full discography, “The Eras Tour” is Swift’s sixth concert tour that began in March 23 earlier this year, and will go through five continents before concluding on August 17, 2024 in London.