Charlie Bird and Ryan Clifford are suburban legends after recreating every Taylor Swift album cover as a countdown to her 11th era. From her debut album to “The Tortured Poets Department,” the husbands are using the Salt Lake area as the backdrop to replicate Swift’s art.
“The biggest things in my life are tied to her music in one way or another,” says Bird, who is the diehard Swiftie. “I got to watch her grow up, and in a way, she helped me grow and process emotions of adolescence, moving away from home, moving to New York. In so many ways, she wrote the soundtrack to my life.”
The album art project stems from October. During Halloween, Clifford dressed in a scaly facsimile of the “Reputation” bodysuit Swift wears during the Eras Tour. Bird shaved his head and went as her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
“We went all out,” Bird says. “My followers were like, ‘You married your Taylor.'”
The idea of recreating the covers took off faster than a green light, go. The Instagram challenge has blown up and served as a bonding experience for the two.
Era by era, Bird uses a ring light and iPhone to capture his muse, who styles his locks to match Miss Americana. His natural curls fall like Swift’s on her first album cover.
“I’ve always enjoyed listening to her,” Clifford says, “but I feel like I’ve been introduced into like this exclusive club now. Because of Charlie, there’s all these things I had no idea about.”
Each photo takes about eight hours from ordering supplies and clothes on Amazon to getting ready to capturing the perfect pose to Photoshopping the finished result. The hardest part is getting the perfect shot.
“This process has really helped me appreciate how good of a model Taylor Swift is because I’m like, ‘Ryan, like whatever you’re doing doesn’t look like her at all,'” Bird laughs.
“Can I just mention that her and I don’t have the same body type whatsoever?” Clifford laughs back.
“He is a bulky guy and I’ll say her neck is higher in this shot and he’ll say my neck is not that long,” Bird adds.
The two can’t wait for the new album. The final shot will be a recreation of Swift on a bed for “Tortured Poets.”
“I’m so excited to put him in that outfit,” Bird says. “She’s on the bed, and I just think it’s so funny.”
You can follow their journey on Instagram or YouTube.
Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network’s Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
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