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Posted: 2023-03-26 22:03:04

As Taylor Swift kicks off her record-breaking US tour, her Australian fans are still waiting to find out if she will make the trip down under. 

Meanwhile, they are shaking off their Eras envy by partying with a Perth-based DJ who gained viral fame thanks to his Taylor Swift mashups during the pandemic. 

Roger Harris, or DJ Rog as he is known online, is a psychologist by trade and a self-confessed Taylor Swift super-fan.

He said his love for Swift started in 2008 when he watched the film clip for her first big hit, Love Story.

"She just kept releasing banger after banger and I was like, she's really good," Harris said.

"I got into DJing in first year uni by accident because I just thought it was a music club so I could just talk about my love of Taylor Swift.

"They said, 'Nah we DJ electronic music'. I said, 'Oh I'm here now so let's learn how to spin'."

Travelling the world post-lockdown

Now he travels around the world playing to thousands of Swifties.

"[During COVID] I was posting lots of mashups because, you know, I was at home in lockdown," he said.

"We were the first city to have clubs go back, and so I did a Taylor Swift club night pretty much as soon as the lockdown lifted."

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DJ Rog with the crowd at Leavers in 2021.(Supplied: Hunter Whyte)

Videos of Harris's first club night went viral on social media and led to a Canadian company reaching out to take the event international.

"So I do psychology for the majority of the year but I've now found a gap in the Canadian, American, summer where I'll head over and DJ," he said.

Harris's latest show celebrates the start of Swift's Eras tour which kicked off in America last week.

Claudia Vacca, who was a member of the now-defunct Taylor Swift Society at UWA, tuned into the Eras concert online.

She has seen DJ Rog before and loves getting together with other Swifties to celebrate her anti-hero.

DJ Rog performing at a Taylor Swift night in Perth
DJ Rog performing in front of a crowd of Swifties in Perth.(Supplied: Hunter Whyte)

"I get to meet so many like-minded people, we share common interests and we get to spend all night singing and dancing to our favourite tunes," Ms Vacca said.

"To go from carefree dancing in your bedroom by yourself to singing the most gut-wrenching lyrics with so many people can be quite therapeutic.

"You can really sense the serotonin in the room."

Swiftie fandom phenomenon

RMIT University PhD candidate Kate Pattison, who is researching music fandoms and creativity, said Swift had a unique bond with her fans.

She said the community Swift had created helped people flourish and share their art with a supportive fanbase.

"The thing that kind of sets her apart is because she does directly engage with the fans, which a lot of the other big pop groups just don't do to the same degree," Ms Pattison said.

"You've got a like-minded group of people who all share this love for the same person — Taylor, her music and her songs.

"It provides a really supportive and engaged audience where you can share your work and share your ideas."

Taylor Swift sits on an armchair holding her head in her hands, a promotional image for her album Midnights
Taylor Swift says Midnights tells "the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life".(Supplied: taylorswift.com)

Some fans like Ms Vacca love Swift so much they are considering travelling overseas just to see her live.

"She's come so many times to Perth, but it always coincided with my mum's birthday or a dance event [so I didn't go]," she said.

"But oh my goodness, I cannot even begin to emphasise how much I regret that now.

"It's definitely safe to say I'm very keen for the Eras tour even if she doesn't release any Australian date soon, [I'm] even considering heading over internationally."

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