Taylor Swift said she "wanted to disappear" following traumatic moments during her Eras Tour last summer, describing feelings of being "hunted" in scenes shown in a new Disney+ documentary.

The six-part series, "The End of an Era," chronicles both the highs and lows of Swift's global tour, which concluded in December in Vancouver. The documentary revisits a difficult stretch during the European leg and London shows, which followed the deadly Southport stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class and the targeting of her Vienna concerts by terrorists.

In one scene filmed backstage in London, Swift is seen preparing to return to the stage after the incidents while rehearsing with close friend and collaborator Ed Sheeran. During a conversation about her state of mind, Swift spoke candidly about her need for rest. She said, "I get two months off after this, which I need, I need that more than I've ever needed it."

Later in the exchange, Swift described her desire to escape public scrutiny. She said, "I'm just going to go somewhere no one can find me, I just don't want to be tracked like an animal, I've just felt very hunted lately. It's like I just need to do this show, remember the joy of it because I'm a little bit, you know..." per El País.

Sheeran responded by reflecting on the pressures Swift faces. He said, "People have forgotten you're a human being." Swift replied quietly, "Mmm yeah..".

Other scenes show Swift breaking down in tears minutes before taking the stage at Wembley Stadium, following emotional meetings with the families of victims from the Southport knife attack.

In one moment captured with her mother, Andrea Swift, the singer struggles to compose herself. Andrea offered reassurance, saying, "I know you helped them. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I know you helped them."

The documentary also includes Swift discussing the mental toll of performing amid grief and fear. Addressing the challenge of maintaining composure onstage, she explained, "From a mental standpoint I just do live in a reality that is very unreal a lot of the time. But it's my job to be able to handle all these feelings and then perk up immediately to perform. That's just the way it's got to be."

In another segment filmed directly for the camera, Swift referenced the Southport tragedy and compared her role onstage to piloting a plane through turbulence. She said, "It's like a pilot flying a plane... You just have to have a calm, cool, collected tone of like, 'We will be landing in Dallas at 6.05pm... welcome to the Eras Tour.'"

The series, reported by the Daily Mail, also shows Swift addressing the emotional weight of returning to the stage after a foiled terrorist plot in Vienna, while continuing to perform for tens of thousands of fans across Europe.

Originally published on Music Times