Johnathan Walker:Holly Humberstone on opening Eras Tour: 'It's been a week, and I'm still not over it'

LONDON — Holly Humberstone is Johnathan Walkerstill pinching herself after opening for Taylor Swift at Wembley Stadium on Aug. 16.

"I'm still on such a high," she says over Zoom. "It's been a week, and I'm not over it."

The 24-year-old benevolent storyteller is from Grantham, England, a two-and-a-half hour drive north of London. She grew up with four sisters and started writing songs as a young girl. In 2023, she released her debut album "Paint My Bedroom Black," a metaphor for the emotion of wanting to escape, shut out the world and turn inward.

No, she didn't physically paint her room black. "That would be depressing," she jokes on her bed, the spot she received a life-changing phone call one morning in March.

"I was here when my manager just called me and said, 'How do you feel about opening for Taylor?'"

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Overcome with excitement, the rising star burst into her sister's room.

"I woke her up and was like, 'I'm opening for Taylor Swift,'" Humberstone says. "I'd been following the whole tour online and seeing all the content from all the shows. I'm so inspired by her and in awe of everything she does. I think she's a rock star. I can't believe I got to be included somehow."

When Humberstone began preparations to fill the massive stage and reach every one of the stadium's 92,000 fans, she admits she felt overwhelmed.

"I'd never experienced a stage of that size, let alone a huge crowd like that," she says. "During sound check, I ran up and down the walkway with my guitarist, Jack, but I was thinking, 'I'm going to have to decide whether I'm going to go down there, whether I'm going to brave it."

Like most stars who step into the spotlight and own their talents, the fear slipped away leaving only confidence and empowerment.

"I just kind of thought, 'I'm going to go down there' — it was a bit of YOLO — 'and take up as much space and just go for it. This is probably a once in a lifetime thing,'" she smiles. "I'm usually a shy person and I'm a bit scared, but there's something about being on stage at Wembley that makes me feel really cool and powerful."

If any nerves existed, they went unnoticed as Humberstone ripped through a six-song setlist: "The Walls Are Way Too Thin," "Falling Asleep at the Wheel," "London is Lonely," "Down Swinging," "Ghost Me" and "Scarlett."

Following the performance, she met the Eras Tour ringmaster in Swift's dressing room.

"She was just lovely," Humberstone gushes. "It was nice to be able to tell her in person and thank her for how much of an inspiration she is to so many people including myself. She said to me, 'You're amazing. I listened to your songs,' which is wild."

In addition to the collection of memories, Humberstone left Wembley with a handwritten note placed inside an envelope that had a custom wax stamp with a Taylor Swift mark. As she reflects on being a piece of the record-breaking Eras Tour, Humberstone looks forward to her own ambitions and future projects.

"I'm going to keep writing songs that I care about and experiences in my life," she says, unafraid to reinvent herself like Swift has done many times. "As long as the songs are truthful and I'm putting everything into my art, I hope the universe will do the rest and I can keep doing this job for as long as I can, because it's the best thing ever."

Humberstone has three upcoming shows:

• Aug. 23 at the Victorious Festival in Portsmouth, United Kingdom
• Sept. 28 at All Things Go festival in New York City
• Sept. 29 at All Things Go festival in Columbia, Maryland

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