Back in August, Taylor Swift released her instantly iconic seventh album, Lover.
And, despite teasing details for its accompanying tour in the music video for "Me," Taylor later revealed that rather than travelling the world with an arena or stadium show — as she's done with the last five albums — this time she'll be trying something different.
Sharing the news on Instagram, Taylor revealed that she'll be putting on a series of festivals, billed "Lover Fest", in two US locations and several others across Europe next summer.
However, the decision caused immediate unrest among fans. Some complained that there weren't enough dates to accommodate US fans, while others were frustrated at the lack of details released about what "Lover Fest" will actually entail prior to tickets being released.
But in a new interview with Zane Lowe, Taylor has opened up in detail about her decision to tour on a much smaller scale, hinting that the reason is to do with her mother's ill health.
The conversation began when Zane Lowe asked how Taylor felt about her fans' disappointment that she wouldn't be playing "125 shows over two years".
And Taylor responded: "I know, but change happens not only in my career, but in my life. And I've got some pretty intense things happening with my family right now."
Appearing to hint that she needs to be available should the situation with her mom's health change, Taylor went on: "I can't go on long tours and not have the ability to go home if I need to. I have priorities that aren't just touring now, and [the fans] have been really respectful of that in the past."
And Taylor also said that this time around she'd made the tough decision to prioritise her family over touring commitments.
Taylor's mother, Andrea, was originally diagnosed with cancer in 2015. The family then kept the details of her treatment and progress private, and it was widely assumed that she'd recovered.
However, in an essay written for Elle at the start of the Lover era, Taylor revealed that Andrea had suffered a relapse, and the experience had left her questioning her priorities in life.
Then, when Lover was released, fans were left devastated by "Soon You'll Get Better" — a heartbreaking song about Andrea's health.
And after hearing her latest comments, fans were quick to assume she was referring to Andrea and jumped on social media to share messages of love and support.
We love you Taylor. We understand and respect your decision and we hope that Andrea's health will be better. We Love You @taylorswift13.
Taylor I just want you to know that we are all praying for you and your family. Thank YOU for everything you have done for us! Take as much time as you need with your family. We LOVE YOU, ANDREA, Scott, Austin, Olivia, Meredith, BENJI ❤️❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/E8JORYj5jC
"i've got some pretty intense things happening with my family right now. i can't go on a long tour that i can't go home to my family for. this breaks my heart i hope andrea gets better :( the fact that taylor is still going on tour, she doesn't even need to but she loves us sm
my heart breaks for Taylor and her family, I really hope Andrea is ok🥺
While others said her comments had put the whole tour debacle into perspective and made them grateful that Taylor was even considering going on the road at all.
Please understand what they're going through, don't ask Taylor to give us more than she can. I cannot stress this enough..her family needs her more than anything right now. Andrea needs her & she deserves to be priority. We love you so so much Tay take all the time you need😭💜 https://t.co/xlfNAbbE7H
Andrea has some major health concerns. Taylor Swift’s mother is more important to Taylor Swift than planning a fucking tour. Let her have some air.
i’m so sorry for taylor :( she and her family are going through something deeply painful and intense, we should be extremely thankful that she even decided to put up some shows and even perform in multiple countries.. i hope andrea recovers soon :(
"i've got some pretty intense things happening with my family right now. i can't go on a long tour that i can't go home to my family for. this breaks my heart i hope andrea gets better :( the fact that taylor is still going on tour, she doesn't even need to but she loves us sm
Taylor's interview on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 can be accessed on Apple Music now. You can also watch a snippet of the interview here.
