Malala Yousafzai watched Taylor Swift perform last night at Wembley – as Nobel peace prize winning activist slams Taliban’s stance on women and issues in heartfelt rallying call

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzi praised Taylor Swift for giving her a “magical” experience during her “first real concert.”

Malala, 27, attended the Shake It Off singer’s fifth concert at Wembley Stadium last night and said she was “singing along to every song, surrounded by friends” the entire time.

The jubilant atmosphere at the concert is a very different story from the atmosphere Malala experienced in 2012, when she was shot in her left eye by the Taliban at the age of 15 while riding a school bus.

After surviving the horrific assassination attempt, Malala settled in the UK and became an education activist. At the age of 17, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the youngest recipient ever.

Malala, who studied at Oxford, shared on Instagram how Taylor’s three-and-a-half-hour concert brought back memories of her native Swat Valley in northern Pakistan.

Taylor Swift, 34, will play two more Eras Tour nights at the National Stadium on August 19 and 20

Malala said she and her high school friend Moniba visited a “waterfall hidden in a lush green mountain.”

She said, “Moniba and I found the highest rock we could find, climbed up it, and announced to all our classmates and teachers that we were going to sing our new favorite song, Love Story.”

“We sang with all our hearts and enjoyed the joy we felt every second.”

Swift released the song Love Story as the lead single from her second studio album Fearless in 2008.

The lyrics reference Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but Swift turns the classic story on its head by saying that her troubled lovers are ultimately happily engaged.

The song has now been streamed over 800 million times on Spotify – and it seems Malala is a fan.

“That’s where my Swiftie story began,” the Pakistani education activist said. “It feels magical that my first real concert would be watching Taylor Swift sing along to every song, surrounded by friends.”

Malala posted a photo of herself and her husband Asser Malik at the Wembley concert yesterday.

The 27-year-old wore baby pink heart-shaped sunglasses.

Malala added: ‘Three years ago, the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan. Once again, music is no longer played in the streets and girls and women are banned from school, work and public life.

‘In Swat, music made me and my friends feel confident and free.

“And I hope that one day we live in a world where every girl can enjoy music and make her wildest dreams come true.”

Swift will perform a selection of songs from throughout her career during the three-and-a-half hour concert

The American singer is supported by a team of 15 dancers

Swift (left) surprised her fans last night with an appearance from her old buddy Ed Sheeran (right). Malala was in the audience at the time

After the failed assassination attempt, Malala (right) became an education activist and has since worked with people like Emma Watson

Their own love story: Malala (left) with her husband Asser Malik (right). The couple married in 2021

Responding to Malala’s heartfelt plea, a fellow Swiftie wrote on X: ‘It makes me emotional that Taylor’s music has brought comfort and joy to so many people in different circumstances.

‘Malala highlighted the power of music so beautifully in her post, also noting that The Eras Tour was her very first concert!’

Swift, 34, will play two more Eras Tour nights at the national stadium, on August 19 and 20.

She has already performed in London on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week, having already performed three times in June.