Trending News|February 26, 2015 09:46 EST
Taylor Swift News: 'Shake it Off' Singer Gives Major Donation to NYC Public Schools
Super star singer and songwriter Taylor Swift has reportedly donated $50,000 to New York Public Schools, as she promised in October 2014.
Swift recently moved to The Big Apple and was awarded to be an official tourism welcome ambassador for the tourism group NYC & Company. Since her engagement with the company, Swift has let "Welcome to New York" be an unofficial tourism anthem for several of the company's promotional videos. A company official told Capital that Swift's involvement with NYC & Company is strictly voluntary, and she hasn't earned anything from the collaboration.
In an interview with The View following the ambassador news, Swift promised to donate all her proceedings from her hit song "Welcome to New York" to the city's public schools.
Tuesday, Capital confirmed Swift's donation through an official from the Department of Education. The official said that the department had received her donation of $50K without any restrictions. Whether or not this donation is just one of many donation installments is still uncertain.
"Welcome to New York," since its debut in mid-October, has been RIAA-certified gold and topped charts in the US, Europe and Australia. According to Spin, $50,000 is enough money to buy 20,000 subway rides.
Since the song and moving to New York, Swift received scrutiny over her new lifestyle. People have criticized the song, saying that it oversimplifies the New York lifestyle and that Swift is still in the tourist phase of moving there.
Despite the negativity, Swift has told many sources over the past months that she is excited to live in New York and feels very comfortable with the atmosphere the city holds.