Taylor Swift mural appears in Surry Hills, lashed by locals

A huge tribute to Taylor Swift has popped up in Sydney ahead of her three shows in the harbour city, but not everyone is a fan.

A huge Taylor Swift mural has popped up in Sydney ahead of the star’s arrival for her three shows, but the artwork has been lashed by locals, who say it looks more like Donald Trump or a MAFS contestant.

The large portrait of Swift is on Crown Street in Surry Hills and portrays her wearing a red wrap dress, with her eyes angled downward.

Locals were not immediate fans of the piece, with unsolicited reviews pouring in online after the @sydney_explained Instagram page shared it online.

“What a terrible mural!” one man commented.

A huge Taylor Swift mural has popped up in Sydney ahead of her arrival for her three shows, but the artwork has received mixed reviews. The large portrait of Swift is on Crown Street in Surry Hills and portrays her wearing a red wrap dress, with her eyes angled downward. Picture: Instagram

“I am trying my best to not hate on all things Tay Tay, but this just takes the proverbial.”

Another person “thought it was Trump” due to the “chin and nose”, while someone else said it looked like a MAFS wife.

“It looks like my cat ate a rainbow lorikeet and then threw up on the wall,” a man wrote.

Many of the comments ranged from calling it “a little bit scary” to having “kinda done her dirty”.

Taylor Swift’s Australian shows have sold out, with crowds gathering outside venues in the hopes of hearing the artist perform from afar. Photo by Graham Denholm/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

However some were far more supportive.

“Did not expect the really negative comments here,” one woman commented.

“A young woman who is incredibly successful and talented and tries to be kind to people.

“What is not to celebrate.”

Another woman congratulated the artist.

“What a beautiful mural to a talented young lady,” she wrote.

Swift arrived in Melbourne last week where she played three sell-out shows, performing for nearly 290,000 people - as well as tens of thousands more who waited outside the MCG to hear her play.

As fans who did not secure tickets gathered en masse outside the concert to listen, they called the practice ‘Taylor-gating’ - a play on ‘tailgating’, in a bid to make the best of the situation.

About 620,000 tickets have been sold in total in Australia for the Eras Tour, estimated to boost Melbourne’s economy by more than $1bn.

Fans have also flown into Sydney and Melbourne from all over Australia - resulting in a 30 per cent increase in passangers from flights into the two cities over the concert period compared to the same time in 2023.

More than 60 extra flights - 11,000 seats - were added by Qantas to their schedule and their bookings increased by 1,500 per cent when tickets went on sale.

Originally published as Taylor Swift mural appears in Surry Hills, lashed by locals