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After two years performing alongside global superstar Taylor Swift, Kameron N. Saunders is turning his attention to Hollywood, with a growing list of acting ambitions. SWAGGER caught up with Saunders to discuss his time on The Eras Tour, the expectations and challenges he faced growing up in dance, and the family who encouraged him to keep going.
While the journey has had its challenges, Saunders knew long before performing on some of the world's biggest stages, that this was his calling. "When I was young, I knew very clearly that dance was going to be my be-all, end-all," he tells SWAGGER.
Saunders went on to be classically trained and spent years teaching dance and working as a choreographer before moving onto the big stage and performing with the likes of Lizzo at the BET Awards and later touring with Saucy Santana.
It was a light bulb moment for Saunders, who discovered just how much he enjoyed working with recording artists.
His big break then came when an invitation arrived for a closed audition involving choreographer Mandy Moore. Saunders knew deep down he had to be there, even though the artist's identity remained a mystery. The challenge for him was how to get there.
Unable to afford the flight, he called his brother, NFL player Khalen Saunders, who bought him the ticket.
The artist turned out to be none other than Taylor Swift, and Saunders would go on to perform a staggering 149 shows on what would become the highest-grossing concert tour in history, drawing more than 10 million fans and generating over US$2 billion in ticket sales.
"The Eras Tour was the most pivotal thing of my life as an artist, as an entertainer, as a dancer," Saunders says. "It was magical. And I don't say that lightly."
“I was just happy to be doing the thing that I loved.”
Reflecting on the experience, Saunders says the three-and-a-half-hour performances pushed everyone’s limits. "I learned quite a lot about myself and how I manage my fatigue, how I manage work relationships, how I manage distance from family," he explains.
But the excitement of performing never wore off. "I was so excited to be there that it never felt like I was working. I was just happy to be doing the thing that I loved."
The demands were so great that it wasn’t uncommon for Saunders to sacrifice an afternoon exploring a new city to make sure he was rested for that evening's show. And before each performance, the routine was the same – warm up, listen to music, call his mother and review notes from the previous show.
Winding down after performing in front of crowds that sometimes reached 96,000 people was another thing he had to get his head around. Back at the hotel, he'd shower and put on whatever happened to be on television, sometimes Harry Potter, while waiting for the adrenaline to wear off. Some nights, he wouldn't fall asleep until one or two in the morning. "The rush of performing for thousands and thousands of people per night is massive," he explains.
Reflecting on the whole experience, whether performing, teaching or choreographing, Saunders has learned to observe the people around him before finding his place within a production. "I am a very perceptive person. I love to watch people," he says. "You eventually, over time, find how you fit into a machine that already exists." Still, he's equally firm about maintaining his individuality. "I never shrink. I never apologize for my boldness and my brightness. But I do have a certain reverence for what already exists."
“I never shrink. I never apologize for my boldness and my brightness.”
Getting to the top was not without its ups and downs. During his dance training, Saunders often encountered teachers and industry professionals who told him he'd need to lose weight or change his appearance if he wanted to land gigs.
While their comments sometimes made him more conscious of his body, he never questioned his desire to dance. "I knew that I had to do this thing. It was deep in my bones, and I had to dance." Even if his career never took off, he always knew he would find somewhere to perform, even if it was a small dance company closer to home.
When instructors would question his potential, his rock was always the support he had from his family, particularly his mother, who stood by him. "I come from an extremely present and loving family. Loud, loud love," Saunders shares. "I never felt less than. I never felt like I needed to be anything other than myself."
The takeaway from all this that Saunders shares is that when an opportunity doesn't work out at first, don’t see it as a reflection of your abilities – people often make decisions that don’t always reflect an artist's full potential. "I know my power. I know what I'm capable of," he says.
There’s one message from a parent that resonates with Saunders to this day. Their 12-year-old son had been teased about his size and told that dancing was for girls. After watching Saunders and his family in the Disney+ documentary Taylor Swift: The End of an Era, the boy wanted to sign up for dance classes.
"That type of stuff holds a very particular place in my heart," Saunders says.
Although he had the encouragement and support of his family growing up, Saunders says he rarely saw performers who looked like him pursuing the career he wanted. "I don't take for granted that there are plus-size children who want to dance, queer kids who want to take up space, young Black boys who want to be seen. I don't take for granted that I could possibly be the thing that reinforces their power."
“I don't take for granted that I could possibly be the thing that reinforces their power.”
There have been other supports along the way. Saunders has been seeing the same therapist since 2019, someone he credits with helping him approach difficult situations from a different perspective. "She's very good at helping me to rewire thinking about things from a different vantage point," he explains.
His friends and family have also stepped up with their own advice when he’s feeling a little overwhelmed. "They'll take my phone and then they'll make me sit and eat ice cream and watch my favourite movies," he says.
While dance remains an important part of his life, Saunders is now exploring another passion – acting.
His mother introduced him to acting classes in middle school and at the time Saunders wasn't interested. "I was like, no, this is corny," he recalls. He'd always admired actors, but it wasn't until The Eras Tour that he began seriously considering the possibility of becoming one himself. Fans were already suggesting they'd love to see him on television or in film, and eventually he started listening. "I think I should be heeding this advice," he remembers thinking.
Since early 2025, Saunders has been studying at The Last Acting Studio with Desean K. Terry. His first scripted television appearance came on the CBS sitcom Poppa's House, where he worked alongside Vivica A. Fox and the Wayans family. "They were extremely trusting of my choices as an actor, as an artist, as a comic," Saunders recalls. The experience also gave him a chance to learn from performers he'd long admired.
Comedy was already familiar territory for Saunders – his mother occasionally performs stand-up and his father and brother, he says, are equally hilarious. Drama, however, is something he's particularly interested in exploring.
He admires the way experienced actors portray heartbreak, bitterness and jealousy, and wants to explore those emotions in his own performances. "I want to find that for myself as an entertainer," he explains. "I would love to be in all the things, drama, comedy, sci-fi, horror, you name it. I want to do all of it." Horror gets an enthusiastic response, with Saunders mentioning Scream Queens and American Horror Story among the projects he'd love to be part of.
“I would love to be in all the things, drama, comedy, sci-fi, horror, you name it. I want to do all of it.”
During his September interview with SWAGGER, Saunders revealed that he'd finished filming a guest appearance in a couple of episodes of Netflix's Forever Season 2. He was also auditioning, submitting self-tapes and meeting with producers.
His creative interests know no boundaries. An elaborate birthday photoshoot, with images worthy of a high-fashion editorial, was another highlight of our conversation. Saunders rarely celebrates his birthday on social media, but decided to do something different, dreaming up a concept and scouting locations to bring his vision to life. "I didn’t want to be myself," he remembers feeling when developing the idea. The resulting images were striking, and the response has encouraged him to explore more projects of his own. "I want to do more of it, and I think I will.”
Of course, with a Swiftie conducting the interview, there was one final question that couldn't go unasked: What was Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's “Royal Wedding” like? Saunders flashes a smile. "Perfect. I can say perfect. I will leave that there."
With more acting opportunities on the horizon and plenty of creative ideas he'd like to explore, Saunders is looking forward to whatever comes next. "I'm choosing to follow it. I'm choosing to trust my gut as I always have," he says. "And hopefully the universe places me exactly where I need to be."
Follow Kameron N. Saunders on Instagram (@kamnsaunders) and TikTok (@kamnsaunders).
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