June Baker channels Taylor Swift’s on-stage persona at Canobie Lake Park.

Growing up in rural Maine, June Baker didn’t get a chance to see many big-name pop stars perform in person. One of her first concerts was a tribute to the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears, but it might as well have been the real thing. 

“That was really special for me,” she says. 

Call it “The Prophecy,” an “Invisible String” or a dose of good “Karma” — but a few decades later, Baker’s now the one making the “Wildest Dreams” of adoring Swifties come to life. Her star turn in this summer’s Tribute to the Music of Taylor at Canobie Lake Park in Salem has gone viral, thanks both to her uncanny resemblance to the superstar songstress and her laser-like precision in channeling Swift’s on-stage persona.

She’s still getting used to navigating the newfound media spotlight, but she’s been especially grateful to bring a little bit of Swift’s multiyear, multicontinent Eras tour to fans who might not otherwise be able to attend.

“It’s an honor to share that with, especially the kids,” she says. “Because (some of them say) like, ‘This is my first concert!’ And I’m like, ‘My first concert was a tribute show, too!’ It’s so cool. It’s been overwhelmingly wonderful.”

This chapter in Baker’s life was much more than a fortnight in the making. After leaving a job in health care a few years ago, she started turning to social media as an outlet for creative expression. Her interests in performance art and fantasy eventually found a home in a character she embodied online, named Princess Juniper. As her following grew, so did a common refrain: “You look a lot like Taylor Swift.” 

She started dabbling in more Swift-inspired content, and was recruited by a producer for Canobie Lake Park, who worked with her to develop the tribute show. It helped that she lives in northern New England, close enough to commute without uprooting her life for the summer.

“I really do see this as like an acting gig, like a performance gig,” says Baker, who does all of her own singing and dancing live for the tribute show, and
even made one of her own costumes.

“And I try as much as possible to make this something that has high integrity and is by a Swiftie, for Swifties, but also for the general audience.”

When she’s not on stage, Baker spends plenty of time following the latest songs and concert videos from Swift. (Her favorite albums are “folklore” and “evermore,” but she’s learned to love some of the bigger radio hits while performing those during her 26-minute Canobie Lake Park set.) 

But it’s not her entire personality.

“My husband and I are both certified in both scuba- and skydiving, love yoga, hiking with our two dogs, sailing and travel in general,” she added. 

She’s still figuring out what the next chapter might have in store after her tribute show wraps up. But for now, she says, she’s just trying to remember this moment.