Did Taylor Swift make a surprise appearance at Lovin’ Life Music Fest in Charlotte?

Dozens of rap, pop and rock artists are hitting the stage this weekend for the inaugural Lovin’ Life Music Fest — but fans were hoping for one artist to make a surprise appearance: Taylor Swift.

The beloved superstar is infamously known for dropping hints and there has been a lot of speculation that she was teasing a special appearance at the new three-day music festival in uptown, CharlotteFive previously reported.

But unfortunately for Swifties, she did not take the stage at Lovin’ Life Friday or Saturday.

To catch you up, here’s how the theory started:

• As explained in a viral TikTok video, fans were hoping that she’d perform her new song “Fortnight” with headliner Post Malone on Friday, which marked two weeks — or a fortnight — since the release of her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”

• Some Swifties thought they found code in the new album and held out hope that she would perform on Saturday with Stevie Nicks, which was 15 days from the album’s release. In the 15th lyric line of the song “Clara Bow,” Swift says, “You look like Stevie Nicks.”

According to a “Taylor Swift Jet’s (Tracking)” account on Bluesky, she flew last weekend to Nashville, about 400 miles west of Charlotte. However, on Saturday morning, the same account reported her plane landing in London. Shortly after, the plane took off from London and landed in Paris.

So while it would’ve been epic for the iconic superstar to make a surprise appearance at the inaugural music festival, maybe fans will have better luck for a Taylor Swift show at Lovin’ Life next year.

In the Spotlight: Ongoing, in-depth coverage from The Charlotte Observer on the issues that matter most to Charlotteans.

This story was originally published May 3, 2024, 3:38 PM.