Taylor Swift may be the biggest name in music today, but her incredible voice runs in the family. Few fans know that her late grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, was a talented opera singer who toured internationally, starred on television, and even inspired one of Taylor’s most poignant songs.
Born in 1928, Marjorie’s career took off in 1950 when she won a talent contest at age 22. That victory led to a 15-month tour across the ABC radio network, sparking opportunities with major symphonies.
After moving to Puerto Rico, she became a TV personality, hosting El Show Pan-Americano on APA-TV six nights a week for 17 months. Her voice carried her across Central and South America and even onto an album reportedly recorded in Mexico.
Love, family, and a life abroad
In 1952, Marjorie married Robert Finlay, president of Raymond Construction Company, in Palm Beach, Florida. Their marriage took them around the world, from Cuba to Puerto Rico to Singapore, raising daughters Alison and Andrea along the way. Andrea, of course, would later become the mother of Taylor Swift.
🎥 I Earlier at #SingaporeTSTheErasTour, Taylor Swift talked about her grandma and Singapore! ❤️ #TaylorSwiftErasTourSG
— Taylor Swift News (@DailyTSwiftNews) March 2, 2024
During her March 2024 Eras Tour stop in Singapore, Taylor reflected on her family’s time there. “My mom actually spent a lot of her childhood with her mom and dad and sister growing up in Singapore,” Taylor told the crowd after performing Marjorie.
The song that broke Taylor’s heart
Featured on her ninth album, Evermore, Taylor’s song “Marjorie” is a raw tribute to her grandmother. It weaves together advice Marjorie gave her with the regret of losing her too soon. “I should’ve asked you questions, I should’ve asked you how to be,” Taylor sings in the ballad.
“The experience of writing that song was really surreal because I was kind of a wreck at times writing it,” Taylor admitted in an interview with Zane Lowe. “It was really hard to actually even sing it.”
