Zohran Mamdani is the mayor of the largest city in the United States, he has shaken the Democratic Party establishment, and he has become the face of a national progressive movement.
In private, he is also a Swiftie — or he was, for at least a year.
Like so many other millennials, Mayor Mamdani, 34, went through a Taylor Swift phase. In 2021, a dozen of the singer-songwriter’s tunes were in his playlist of “Top 100” songs.
The mayor’s office revealed his little-known fandom and his playlist to The New York Times after I inquired about his mention of one of her songs at a news conference last month, when he told reporters he would not be attending Ms. Swift’s wedding celebration on Friday at Madison Square Garden.
“I wish them a lovely wedding,” he said at the conference, referring to Ms. Swift and her fiancé Travis Kelce. “I’ll listen to ‘Only the Young’ at home on my own.”
“Only the Young” is a 2020 deep cut with political overtones featured in a documentary from the same year, “Miss Americana.” You have to have more than a passing knowledge of Ms. Swift to know that song. I have been listening to her music for 15 years and had not heard it.
I had questions.
Could the mayor, known primarily for his love of hip-hop and quoting rapper Jadakiss in his inaugural speech, really be deep into Ms. Swift’s music?
Of course, Ms. Swift’s catalog is broad, and it seems, can resonate with everyone.
“Only the Young” caught Mr. Mamdani’s attention in 2020 during the pandemic as he ran for office for the first time for a state assembly seat in Queens. The next year, he met his wife, the artist Rama Duwaji, on the dating app Hinge.
By then, Mr. Mamdani found himself listening to 11 other songs regularly, according to the mayor’s office.
Here’s the rest of his playlist:
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“Love Story,” her classic hit about a modern Romeo and Juliet (with a happier ending)
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“my tears ricochet,” a haunting song about lost love that includes the lyrics “I swear I loved you ‘til my dying day.”
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“I Forgot That You Existed,” a fun pop track about moving on from a feud with an enemy
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“Dress,” one of her more lustful songs that describes “pining and desperately waiting”
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“Cruel Summer,” a chart-topper basking in the highs and lows of summer love
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“Delicate,” a vulnerable song that asks “is it cool that I said all that?”
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“I Know Places,” a flirtatious song about love in the shadows
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“I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” a song with the musician Zayn about how love can make you feel crazy
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“I Think He Knows,” a catchy tune about a suitor with what she calls a “boyish look”
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“London Boy,” a song about falling in love with a British man who shows her the sights
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“august,” a song yearning for a lover who she says was “never mine”
The spectacle surrounding Ms. Swift’s wedding has revealed that New York’s political scene is full of fans of her music. Bill de Blasio, the former mayor, said that he too had a favorite song: “the 1,” a wistful song that ponders how “it would’ve been fun if you would’ve been the one.”
Mr. de Blasio said the song was “very emotionally powerful and honest” and made him “think of the way past lovers linger in our memories for years or even decades.”
The police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, traveled to another city to attend Ms. Swift’s blockbuster Eras Tour, according to a police spokeswoman, Delaney Kempner, who also happens to be a Swiftie.
Ms. Kempner, who has been involved in the city’s security and logistical preparations for the wedding event, said her favorite song is “Dancing With Our Hands Tied,” a song about giving love a chance even with “deep fears that the world would divide us.”
“All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” is a favorite song of Dora Pekec, a spokeswoman for Mr. Mamdani who has been fielding requests about the wedding events. The extended tune, rumored to be about the actor Jake Gyllenhaal, is about a love that was a “masterpiece ’til you tore it all up.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul, a moderate Democrat who has been an ally to Mr. Mamdani, has previously expressed an affinity for Ms. Swift, calling the musician a “philosopher” and playing one of her songs at the governor’s 2024 “State of the State” address.
A spokeswoman for Ms. Hochul, Jen Goodman, whose favorite album is “folklore,” sent the following analysis from the governor.
“‘Welcome to New York’ is obvious, but also when I first was running statewide in New York, it made me feel anyone can make it in New York City,” Ms. Hochul said.
The governor added that she “first fell in love with Taylor long ago” with the song “You Belong With Me,” which laments how a girl sitting in the bleachers at a football game might feel invisible next to the cheer captain.
“Entirely relatable to a former bleacher sitter in sneakers,” she said.
The post Yes, Mamdani Is a Taylor Swift Fan. These Are His Top 12 Songs. appeared first on New York Times.
