Remember the Swiftie Behind the Bejeweled Dance? Taylor Swift Hands Him Her Hat at Eras Show
Watch his journey from TikTok to Eras concert.
(SPOT.ph) Remember the Filipino-American fan behind the TikTok-viral “Bejeweled” move that even Taylor Swift strutted to onstage? 21-year-old content creator Mikael Arellano is making headlines once again—this time at Swift’s own doing.
According to Arellano, Swift's official management team Taylor Nation got in contact with him last February to ask for permission to use his "Bejeweled" strut as part of the official choreography for the Eras tour. In exchange, they offered him two free tickets for a show of his choice.
Also read: Did You Know a Filipino Was Behind Taylor Swift’s Viral "Bejeweled" Dance?
All of that buzz culminated in his interaction with Swift at the Eras concert in Philadelphia on Saturday, May 13. He wasn’t just lucky enough to be part of the 67,000-person crowd; he was even brought past the barricade so that Swift could hand him a signed hat and blow him a kiss.
Take a look below:
@mikaelarellano I LOVE YOU TAYLOR #taylorswift #swiftie #swifttok #tstheerastour #phillytstheerastour original sound - Mikael Arellano
How did Mikael Arenallo rise to fame with his "Bejeweled" choreography?
Arellano's choreography was one of the most popular TikTok trends to come out of the Swift's latest Midnights album. The "Bejeweled" sound has been used for over 570,000 TikTok videos, most of which are a fan copies of Arellano's dance.
His euphoria reached what he thought was the peak on March 18 when Swift recreated his signature move at her Eras concert in Glendale, Arizona.
In Philadelphia, Arellano was seen in a "22"-inspired outfit, complete with the heart-shaped sunnies to go with his “Not a lot going on at the moment” top.
During her “22” performance, she reached to Arellano and handed him a signed hat, held his hand, blew him a kiss before returning to coalesce with her backup performers. It’s become somewhat of a routine for Swift to hand out her Fedora hat to audiences in the show, having done so in previous Eras shows. “MIKAEL” was also seen trending on Twitter that night as Swifties everywhere celebrated that special moment with him.
He also got to perform his original dance while "Bejeweled" played in the background. It was a full circle for the Arellano, who has been a Swiftie since Fearless came out.
@mikaelarellano it was a magical night #taylorswift #swiftie #swifttok #tstheerastour #phillytstheerastour ♬ original sound - Mikael Arellano
Even before the "Bejeweled" dance went viral, Arellano was already known in the TS community for his short and easily replicable dance covers.
Arellano is set to watch the third and final Eras concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday, May 14. Only time will tell if there's another interaction coming up.
Also read: Meet the Filipino-British Singer Opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour