'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Star Lola Tung Gushes About Taylor Swift's 'Magical' Eras Tour (Exclusive)

"She is an unbelievable performer," 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' star tells PEOPLE about Swift, whose music is featured in the upcoming second season

Lola Tung, Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2, Taylor Swift Eras Tour
Photo:

Erika Doss/Prime Video, Christopher Polk/Penske Media via Getty 

Lola Tung is a huge Swiftie. 

Following its season 1 release, Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty quickly became synonymous with Taylor Swift as many of her songs were featured on the show — and the second season definitely follows suit, including featuring “August” from Folklore and "Back to December (Taylor’s Version)" from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in the recent trailers

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE about season 2, the actress gushes about her longtime appreciation for the “Cruel Summer” singer and getting to attend the Eras Tour alongside Summer I Turned Pretty creator Jenny Han.  

“I've been a Taylor Swift fan for a really long time,” explains Tung, 20. “I used to listen to Fearless, Speak Now and Red on my CD player when I was younger. When I would go to sleep, I would listen to them.” 

Despite being a longtime fan, Tung says she never saw Swift live before, so the Eras Tour was a whole experience as the singer performed her entire music catalog.

“She was just magical,” she says of the concert. “She has so much music. Even those albums that I hadn't listened to as much, like Evermore, I was like, ‘Oh my God, what a beautiful album.’ Each one is so special and unique and I had so much fun.”

Jenny Han and Lola Tung attend the New York City premiere of the Prime Video series "The Summer I Turned Pretty"

Craig Barritt/Getty 

“Going with Jenny was amazing because she's also a huge Swiftie,” she adds. Han even captured Tung dancing along to “August” before it was used in the teaser trailer. "Lola vibing to August with no idea we’re using it for our teaser 😂 (meanwhile I’m losing my mind 🤣)," Han captioned the cute TikTok from June.

“Listening to 'August' [live], I didn't think twice about it because I had no clue that it was going to be in the teaser," Tung says. "I thought the version of 'August' that's in the teaser is just so beautiful and cinematic and perfectly fits the vibe of the show and just the relationships.”

Christopher Briney, Lola Tung and Gavin Casalegno attend Teen Vogue & Cast Of "The Summer I Turned Pretty"

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

The song “August” also perfectly foreshadows the new season as it centers around a summer love triangle — much like the one Belly (Tung) finds herself in between brothers, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). In fact, the song has caused a debate among fans as people try to categorize the show’s characters with Swift’s Folklore characters, Betty, August and James. 

“A lot of people online are saying Belly's James, Conrad is Betty and Jeremiah's August,” she adds. “But honestly, every song about that love triangle is stunning. So I'm honored to [have] our show compared to a Taylor Swift song.” 

With so much of Swift’s music featured on the show, including the upcoming season, fans have already started inquiring about a cameo from the singer, something Tung says she’s totally on board with. “I would freak out,” she says. “She is an unbelievable performer.” 

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The Summer I Turned Pretty's second season premieres with a three-episode drop on July 14. New episodes will air weekly on Prime Video, leading up to the finale on Aug. 18.

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