:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Taylor-Swift-052726-13261f302de84aaf9045fd223e9bab6a.jpg "Taylor Swift gifts signed guitar and handwritten letter to 8-year-old fan after viral video: 'Sen...")
Madeline and her family went viral last month after she asked her musician neighbor Ethan to play a Taylor Swift song via paper airplane. Taylor Swift gifts signed guitar and handwritten letter to 8yearold fan after viral video: 'Sending you my love' Madeline and her family went viral last month after she asked her musician neighbor Ethan to play a Taylor Swift song via paper airplane. By Emlyn Travis :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/EmlynTravisauthorphotocba6765b433b4f93b9398d18053153b1.jpg) Emlyn Travis Emlyn Travis is a news writer at . She has been working at EW since 2022.
Madeline and her family went viral last month after she asked her musician neighbor Ethan to play a Taylor Swift song via paper airplane.
Taylor Swift gifts signed guitar and handwritten letter to 8-year-old fan after viral video: 'Sending you my love'
Madeline and her family went viral last month after she asked her musician neighbor Ethan to play a Taylor Swift song via paper airplane.
By Emlyn Travis
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Emlyn Travis
Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.
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May 27, 2026 5:08 p.m. ET
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Taylor Swift. Credit:
Kevin Winter/Getty
- Taylor Swift sent an 8-year-old fan and her next-door neighbor signed guitars and handwritten letters.
- The pair went viral last month after Madeline asked her musician neighbor Ethan to play a Taylor Swift song via paper airplane.
- "I’m sending you your own guitar in case you ever want to learn too!” Swift wrote in her note to Madeline.
Taylor Swift knows kindness never goes out of style.
The “Wildest Dreams” singer mailed handwritten letters and signed guitars to an 8-year-old fan and her next-door neighbor after a wholesome interaction between them involving her music went viral on social media last month.
In the TikTok, 8-year-old Madeline can be seen asking her musician neighbor Ethan Hayes, 26, to please play a Taylor Swift song by throwing a paper airplane over their shared fence. After he reads the note, Ethan proceeds to perform Swift’s 2008 hit “Love Story” as Madeline sings along.
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The post immediately took off online, amassing almost half a million likes since it was first posted on April 23 and even ending up on Swift’s radar. Ethan confirmed to PEOPLE that the 14-time Grammy winner’s team personally reached out to him on social media after it was published.
“They're like, ‘Hey, Taylor saw your video. We want to send you something. Don't tell anyone until it gets there,’” he recalled. “I was expecting maybe a signed poster or something. And then she sent us guitars, which is insane.”
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Madeline also received a signed acoustic guitar as well as a handwritten note from Swift, which was published by the outlet.
“Dearest Madeline, I just wanted to let you know that it made me SO happy that you asked your neighbor to play my song for you,” Swift wrote. “You brought the biggest smile to my face. I’m sending you your own guitar in case you ever want to learn too!”
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Speaking with PEOPLE, Madeline’s stepfather Russell explained that the family never expected the adorable moment to go viral.
“There was really no expectation at all going into it,” he said. “It was just a cute moment she just wanted to share with her friends. Next thing you know, we wake up in the morning and there's like 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 [views]. And we're like, ‘Oh wow.’”
Ethan, a full-time musician, added that the clip has also helped promote him as an artist, too. “I've gained thousands of followers, which is always really great," he said. "We haven't seen one single negative comment, which I think is really, really rare, just a really wholesome situation that I'm really grateful to be a part of.”
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Madeline sending the paper airplane.
nattdoeshair/TikTok
When asked by the outlet if she’d like to say anything to Swift, Madeline replied, “Thank you.”
Swift has a history of sending heartwarming notes and gifts to her biggest fans, previously penning a letter to a fan upon completing his PhD and mailing a surprise package full of goodies to a young fan.
Last year, the* Life of a Showgirl *star made headlines after her *The End of an Era *docuseries showcased her distributing bonus checks to her entire team while on her record-breaking Eras Tour. The “Opalite” singer handed out over $159 million in bonuses during the tour, which ran from March 2023 until December 2024.
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Source: Musicians
Published: May 27, 2026 at 06:00PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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