Brazil lights up the statue of Christ the Redeemer to welcome Taylor Swift ahead of her Rio Eras Tour concert

Brazil welcomed Taylor Swift with open arms ahead of her Eras tour with a special projection on the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

Rio de Janeiro’s 30-metre-high monument was illuminated on Thursday evening to mark the singer’s arrival ahead of her show on Friday.

The projection shows a T-shirt design based on a shirt worn by the pop star in her ‘You Belong With Me’ music video.

It was created by Gabriel Dadam, the art director of one of the singer’s fan clubs.

The lighting was funded by the Christ the Redeemer Shrine at the base of the sculpture and was the result of a fan campaign and a charity drive.

The 30-meter-high monument in Rio de Janeiro was illuminated on Thursday evening to mark the singer’s arrival ahead of her show on Friday

Father Omar Raposo, the church’s rector, agreed to pay for the projection if fans collected 20,000 units of water and panettone to donate to the needy before 9 p.m.

‘We did it Swifties!’ Father Omar said this in an Instagram post, with helicopter images of the 30-metre-high statue, all lit up.

“You were able to show the love to Taylor and others,” he added. ‘Thank you very much to everyone who donated! May these be wonderful days!’

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes tweeted: “‘Swifties’ cariocas… are you ready?” in a reference to one of Swift’s hits.

The campaign was sparked by an image of the iconic monument wearing the Swift T-shirt, created by publicist Leonardo Ulths De Carvalho, 21.

His original design simply photoshopped the T-shirt Swift wore on the statue in her 2008 video.

The garment, which read “Junior Jewels,” became a cult item among fans, especially after the video earned her an MTV award for Best Female Video and her acceptance speech was interrupted by Kanye West.

However, in the reworked Christ the Redeemer design, the shirt features the phrase ‘Welcome to Brasil’ with the names of all the country’s states.

Swift was scheduled to land in Brazil on Thursday afternoon to play the first of her six shows in the country as part of the Latin American leg of her Eras Tour

The two have caused a social media firestorm since going public with their relationship, spurred by recent images of Swift running up to the athlete to plant a kiss after she wrapped up her Saturday show in Buenos Aires.

While tickets in the US rose to more than $1,600 on some resale sites, Vivid Seats offered tickets to concerts in Brazil for just $91

“It doesn’t seem real,” said Ulths De Carvalho USA today, ‘It’s something we’ve been wanting for a long time. It’s finally happening, and it’s crazy.’

The projection began at 7 p.m., hours after Swift was set to land in Brazil as she continues the Latin American leg of her world tour.

She has three shows this weekend at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro before heading to Sao Paulo.

Latin American fans are taking full advantage of relatively cheap tickets to see the ‘Shake it Off’ singer live.

While tickets in the US rose to more than $1,600 on some resale sites, Vivid Seats offered tickets to concerts in Brazil for just $91.

Swift arrives in Brazil fresh from her shows in Argentina, where she was supported by her new boyfriend Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs.

The two have caused a social media firestorm since going public with their relationship, spurred by recent images of Swift running up to the athlete to plant a kiss after finishing her Saturday show in Buenos Aires.

The design for the projection was based on a T-shirt Swift wore in her 2008 music video for You Belong With Me

Father Omar, rector of the Shrine of Christ the Redeemer, confirmed that the church would pay for the lighting, which began at 7 p.m. Thursday

Rio di Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes also tweeted about the projection and welcomed Swift to the country

The clip became even more viral thanks to Swift’s decision to change the lyrics of her hit “Karma” and include a reference to her new lover.

The two have finally made their relationship public, two months after rumors swirled when the 13-time Grammy winner cheered on Kelce during his match at Arrowhead Stadium.

It’s understood she will fly back to the US for Thanksgiving before returning to Brazil for the Sao Paulo shows on November 24, according to Page Six.

From Sao Paulo she will go to Tokyo and Singapore before starting the European leg of the Eras Tour.