Taylor Swift on ‘New Heights’: Meeting Travis Kelce, Chiefs Fandom, New Music, More

Taylor Swift shined as this week’s special guest on “New Heights,” discussing learning the ins and outs of the NFL, becoming a Kansas City Chiefs fan, reclaiming her master recordings, wrapping up her latest world tour and the release of her highly anticipated upcoming 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” in Wednesday’s new episode.

This was Swift’s first appearance on the mega-popular podcast, which is hosted by her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.

Here are the standout moments from Wednesday’s episode:

Meeting Travis for the first time

“This podcast has done a lot for me,” Swift said with a grin. “I owe a lot to this podcast. This podcast got me a boyfriend ever since Travis decided to use it as his personal dating app about two years ago. … It was such a wild, romantic gesture. … I was like, ‘If this guy isn’t crazy, which is a big if, this is sort of what I’ve been writing songs about wanting to happen to me since I was a teenager.'”

Swift went on to affectionately refer to Travis as “a vibe-booster” and “a human exclamation point.”

Travis famously mentioned on “New Heights” two summers ago that he went to one of Swift’s shows at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City in July 2023 and tried to connect with her at the show but wasn’t able to. Rumors quickly began to swirl that word had gotten back to Swift and that the two had met and ultimately sparked a relationship that summer, but the pair didn’t go public until the fall, when Swift attended her first Chiefs game on September 24, 2023.

Navigating the NFL

“My relationship with sports was — I grew up in Pennsylvania,” Swift said. “I always heard my dad yelling at the [TV] display watching Eagles video games. [Those were] all the time the sports activities sounds that I heard in my home.” Swift grew up in Studying, Pennsylvania, simply 90 minutes exterior Philly, and makes a nod to the Eagles in her tune “Gold Rush.”

“I undoubtedly turned obsessive about sports activities when it got here to him (Travis),” she added. “I am aggressive on his behalf.”

“Andy Reid has not too long ago revealed that he was the one who set you guys up,” Jason mentioned later. “How true is that this revelation by Massive Purple?”

“No matter Andy Reid says, we’re gonna stand by,” Swift mentioned. “If he says it, that is what occurred.” Swift added that Reid is a longtime good friend of her dad’s and that she believes Reid is “essentially the most iconic, legendary coach of all time.”

Jason went on to ask Swift the way it feels to see the uptick in feminine viewership of and attendance at NFL video games. 

“A whole lot of the ladies and ladies, perhaps they watched one recreation to see me cheer on my boyfriend of no matter, but when they stayed — which is what persons are saying primarily based on the numbers — that is as a result of the sport is so nice and it is such an incredible, attention-grabbing factor to find out about,” Swift replied. 

“On paper, we really form of have a really related job,” Swift mentioned to Travis. “Our job is to entertain folks for three-plus hours in NFL stadiums. Once I’m there, it is referred to as a dressing room. When Travis is there, it is referred to as a locker room. For me, it is referred to as a rehearsal. For him, it is referred to as a observe.”

When speaking about attending her first Chiefs recreation in Sept. 2023, Swift revealed that she got here in via basic admission at Arrowhead, hidden in plain sight with Travis’ pals, earlier than her well-known tunnel walks turned the norm.

The Eras Tour

“It feels nice, to be trustworthy,” Swift mentioned cheekily when Jason requested what it feels wish to have her world-famous tour within the rearview. “I do miss it, but it surely was good for what it was.”

The Eras Tour spanned 149 reveals throughout 51 cities and 5 continents from March 2023 to December 2024. Travis informed listeners that Swift did extra for her restoration after every present than he does after a Chiefs recreation.

“I give The Eras Tour credit score as a result of if I might’ve by no means gone to that present and been mesmerized and … left with such a want to need to meet you, I might’ve by no means went on right here and informed everybody how butthurt I used to be (that I did not get to fulfill you then),” Travis added. “I had by no means simply been so engulfed within the curiosity of who you had been.”

“Among the finest issues about that final assertion is that you just did not even know what the phrase engulf meant earlier than you met Taylor,” Jason mentioned to Travis with fun. “You’ve got broadened your horizons a lot!”

Reclaiming her masters

Swift hasn’t publicly mentioned the drama-filled buy of her masters exterior an official assertion launched in Might 2025, however she took the chance to enter element concerning the massively impactful second in her profession. Swift obtained visibly emotional when discussing how she was in a position to purchase her grasp recordings this summer time after years of releasing re-records of 4 of her first six studio albums, revealing that she despatched her mother and brother to sit down down with the non-public fairness agency (the house owners on the time) in an effort to work out a deal. “I am within the enterprise of human emotion,” Swift mentioned. 

Swift went on to inform the story about when she obtained the decision from her mother that she was going to personal her music and the way she interrupted Travis whereas he was taking part in video video games to share the information, falling to the ground and weeping in his arms. Swift additionally revealed that she was in a position to purchase again her masters due to the success of The Eras Tour and that her favourite album to re-record was her fourth studio album, “Purple.”

 “The Lifetime of a Showgirl”

Swift revealed her new album — her twelfth studio album — on the finish of Wednesday’s episode, revealing that she was engaged on and recording it throughout The Eras Tour. “I am so happy with it,” Swift mentioned, “and it simply comes from like essentially the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I used to be in in my life. So, that effervescence has come via on this file.”

“It’s much more upbeat … enjoyable pop,” Travis mentioned. “An entire 180 from numerous the songs on [The] Tortured Poets [Department.]”

“Oh yeah,” Swift agreed. “Life is extra upbeat.”

Fans had been strongly anticipating this episode’s release ever since “New Heights” dropped its initial promotional graphic on Monday teasing a “very particular” shock visitor. Later that day, Swift was confirmed as the guest with another promo post — a clip that includes her and Travis sitting facet by facet within the podcast studio. Within the very early hours of Tuesday morning, “New Heights” dropped a third promo post that nearly broke the internet — a clip from the episode by which Swift revealed the completion of her twelfth studio album to the Kelce brothers.

Listed below are some enjoyable information about Wednesday’s “New Heights” episode that includes Swift:

• The episode dropped on August 13. Thirteen is widely known as Swift’s lucky number, as she has incorporated it into various aspects of her career for decades. Swift was born on the 13th, turned 13 on Friday the 13th and had her first album go gold in 13 weeks. Her first hit song had a 13-second intro, and she often puts her most significant songs as Track 13 on all her albums. This season serendipitously marks Travis’ 13th in the NFL.
• During the podcast, Jason wore a navy blue T-shirt from The Eras Tour, Swift’s iconic 149-show concert tour that spanned 51 cities, 21 countries and five continents from March 2023 to Dec. 2024. Jason reportedly attended at least six shows during The Eras Tour, while Travis reportedly attended at least 14. One of the most noteworthy shows was Swift’s second show in Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 11, 2023, when she famously changed the lyrics in her finale song “Karma” from “Karma is the guy on the screen” to “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs.” Travis watched from the VIP tent with Swift’s dad, Scott. Another was when Travis made a surprise on-stage appearance during Swift’s third show at Wembley Stadium in London on June 23, 2024.
• The initial “New Heights” promo graphic featured a glittery orange background, which fans were quick — and correct — to connect to upcoming new music. Each of Swift’s 10 albums released before The Eras Tour is tied to a specific color: mint green (“Taylor Swift”), gold (“Fearless”), purple (“Speak Now”), red (“Red”), turquoise (“1989”), black (“Reputation”), pink (“Lover”), gray (“Folklore”), peach (“Evermore”) and navy (“Midnights”). Prior to Wednesday, orange hadn’t yet been used to represent her discography, but it’s officially the featured color for TS12, as the same glittery orange background from the “New Heights” promo is being used as the banner on her official online store and is the color for the vinyl version of her new album. Oh, and if you Google “Taylor Swift” right now, orange confetti drops from your screen.

Swift, with 14 Grammys, 12 number-one singles and the highest-grossing tour of all time underneath her belt, is among the most adorned, highest-certified and best-selling music artists of all time.

Travis is a extremely adorned star in his personal proper. A 3-time Tremendous Bowl champion and 10-time Professional Bowler, Travis holds a handful of NFL information, together with most consecutive and total seasons with 1,000 receiving yards by a decent finish (seven) and most receiving yards by a decent finish in a single season (1,416). Jason can also be a Tremendous Bowl champion and seven-time Professional Bowler, and he is broadly thought-about to be a future first-ballot Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer.

The Kelce brothers launched “New Heights” in Sept. 2022, and the present noticed an enormous rise in recognition in the summertime of 2023 at first of Travis and Swift’s relationship. The podcast has grown to over 2.92 million subscribers as of Aug. 13 and gained over half one million new YouTube subscribers after Swift’s new album announcement on Aug. 12.

The “New Heights” promo video of Swift asserting her album obtained 175 million views on Instagram. Throughout the first minute of the discharge of Wednesday’s episode’s on YouTube, 720,000-plus viewers had been tuned in to look at the dwell premiere. Over one million folks had been tuned in and watching the episode inside 5 minutes of it being dwell.

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