BRITAIN-PEOPLE/TAYLOR SWIFT Madame Tussauds unveils new Taylor Swift wax figure

Record ID: 631552

  • Title: BRITAIN-PEOPLE/TAYLOR SWIFT Madame Tussauds unveils new Taylor Swift wax figure
  • Date: 10th February 2015
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FEBRUARY 10, 2015) (REUTERS) MADAME TUSSAUDS SCULPTOR GEORGINA POWER SPEAKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) MADAME TUSSAUDS SCULPTOR, GEORGINA POWER, SAYING: "I'll have four weeks, four to five weeks to sculpt the head that will start off with me using a metal armature that I will put clay on top of. At the same time with me sculpting the head, I'll also have a colleague who will be sculpting the body at the same time. So together we work together. After that process, it will then go through to our moulding department where we've got a team of highly trained moulding technicians who, for the head, will create a 13 piece plaster mould which sort of dates back to the same time as what Madame Tussauds used to do, which is great."
  • Embargoed: 25th February 2015 12:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA7GG2E6T39DX7JZZL5UR1PC40A
  • Story Text: Pop superstar Taylor Swift has been recreated in wax once again for a special display at Madame Tussauds in London.
    Inspired by the music video for her chart-topping single "Shake It Off", the figure's outfit will change regularly to match the different looks sported by Swift. At the sneak peek on Tuesday (February 10), Swift's likeness wore a cheerleader's uniform and was introduced on stage by a dance troupe who performed a choreographed routine, complete with pom-poms, around the wax model.
    The figure of the multiple Grammy and Brit award-winning singer joins Madame Tussauds' recreations of Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Adele and Lady Gaga.
    The attraction's London PR manager, Nicole Fenner, told Reuters that the new figure was based on measurements from an earlier sitting with Swift.
    "We've worked really closely with all the figures, the people that we make that have figures here at the attraction. And we actually had a sitting with Taylor Swift when she was a lot younger, so we've used all of that information to be able to create an up-to-date look for the superstar," she explained.
    Although Madame Tussauds London boasts a collection of world politicians, British royal family members, Hollywood actors and more, Fenner said she was certain Swift's wax model would pull in big crowds.
    "We have lots and lots of figures here at Madame Tussauds, all as popular as each other. Taylor Swift, I'm pretty confident is going to be extremely popular with our guests coming through the attraction. We have our Benedict Cumberbatch figure who has hundreds of legions of fans who come and visit his figure, as well as One Direction and lots of other pop stars, sports stars, A-list celebrities. So I'm pretty confident that Taylor Swift will be a popular addition to the attraction here."
    Swift's latest record "1989" was named the best-selling album of 2014 and she received the distinction of being only the second woman in history to have two albums hit No.1 for at least 10 weeks.
    Madame Tussauds sculptor Georgina Power said she also wanted to emphasise Swift's "beautiful" features.
    "I think for me, with Taylor, it's just she's got such a look that I think it's ever so tricky 'cause she's a beautiful young girl and to capture that and also to get that sort of cheekiness that she has as well, I think that was the challenge for me. But she's absolutely beautiful and a lovely wax to have sculpted and to have been a part of," she said.
    A life-sized wax model can take up to five months to finish and Power said she spent about five weeks working on Swift's head alone.
    "I'll have four weeks, four to five weeks to sculpt the head that will start off with me using a metal armature that I will put clay on top of. At the same time with me sculpting the head, I'll also have a colleague who will be sculpting the body at the same time. So together we work together."
    "After that process, it will then go through to our moulding department where we've got a team of highly trained moulding technicians who, for the head, will create a 13 piece plaster mould which sort of dates back to the same time as what Madame Tussauds used to do, which is great," she added.
    Tuesday's preview event gave a select group of competition winners the chance to get up close and personal with the brand new Swift statue. 19-year-old Libby said she was thrilled to be there: "I'm such a huge Taylor fan, so being able to see this first is just crazy...On the teasers they posted little pictures of her ribbon and I was like "Oh my God, it's the 'Shake It Off' outfit". I'm so excited 'cause it's one of her best looks."
    Taylor Swift's wax figure can be seen by the public in London from February 14 to 22, before taking up residence at another Madame Tussauds in Orlando, Florida.
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