Ten-year-old Leyton Barnett from West Haven was not “ready for it,” when Taylor Swift called him over to the stage during her rainy Gillette Stadium show in Massachusetts Saturday.
Swift gave Barnett a signed hat during the song “22,” and Barnett handed her a friendship bracelet and gave her a hug. She mouthed, “Thank you Leyton.”
“It was good, it was great, it was amazing,” Barnett said. “Going to the concert in the rain was even more fun and the best day of my life.”
The encounter was not random. Swift has met Barnett and his mother, Stephanie Nastry-Barnett before, and when team found out they were going to the show via social media, they decided to orchestrate the special moment. Bartnett also shared a moment and a hug with the “Anti-Hero” artist back in 2018 during her Reputation tour. But the connection started even before that.
In 2014, Nastry-Barnett, shared her fertility journey on Instagram and Tumblr, sharing that the song “Change,” from Swift’s 2008 album “Fearless,” inspired her to keep going.
“Me and my ex had infertility struggles and her music really helped push me through that, specifically that song,” Nastry-Barnett said. “We have developed our own second, chosen family in her fellow fans throughout this journey and we feel so blessed by it all.”
The posts caught the attention of Taylor Nation and Swift herself. Swift kept up with Nastry-Barnett’s journey and included her in “Swiftmas,” a Christmas celebration during which she would send fans with hand-picked personalized gifts in the mail. But in Nastry-Barnett’s case, it was in person.
“She sent me a letter saying she had a gift for us but wanted to give it to us in person since she lived so close,” Nastry-Barnett said.
Stephanie Nastry-Barnett / Contributed
Swift arrived at her home in North Haven with gifts for the then-one-year-old Barnett: a Power Wheels electric toy vehicle, a rotor control car, a piano inspired by the movie “Big,” a helmet and a necklace for Nastry-Barnett.
“Taylor is truly one of the most genuinely kind human beings there is. She could easily act superior with as famous as she is, and yet she goes out of her way for her fans and people in general,” Nastry-Barnett said.
Stephanie Nastry-Barnett / Contributed
Barnett said Swift’s music means “everything” to him because without it he wouldn’t be here.
“I was definitely born a Swiftie,” he said.
