9 Things We Learned From Taylor Swift's Historic 'New Heights' Podcast Appearance

Elle

14 hours ago

After 20 years in the music industry, Taylor Swift has finally made her podcast debut — and naturally, she has broken the internet doing it. With over 8.3 million views to date on YouTube, Swift's appearance on her boyfriend Travis Kelce's New Heights podcast alongside his brother Jason has already become an instant cultural moment, less than twelve hours since its release. Here's everything we discovered during the nearly two-hour conversation that has Swifties and football fans equally obsessed.
'The Life of a Showgirl' will be released on October 3, featuring 12 tracks that Swift promises are all 'bangers.' Unlike 'The Tortured Poets Department,' there won't be any surprise double albums this time — these 12 songs are it. The orange-themed era represents 'energetically how my life has felt' during the Eras tour, with Swift explaining she worked on the album with Max Martin and Shellback while flying between European tour dates.
Swift revealed she's only doing podcasts because 'New Heights got me a boyfriend' after Travis 'made it his personal dating app.' The full origin story is even better than we imagined: Travis thought he could just talk to 'the elevator lady' to get to Swift's dressing room rather than going through proper management channels. 'He really was just like, "I know a guy. I can figure this out,"' Swift laughed, admitting she's never actually seen the original friendship bracelet he made.
Travis was referencing when he attended The Eras Tour in July 2023 at Arrowhead Stadium. At the time, he had previously joked that he 'threw the ball in her court' after seeing Swift perform.
'I give The Eras Tour credit,' Travis told Swift in the episode. 'Because if I had never gone to that show and just been mesmerised and just been captivated — and then left with such a desire to want to meet you, I would've never gone on [New Heights] and told everybody how butthurt I was.'
On their first date, Swift asked Travis 'what it was like when the Chiefs played the Eagles in the Super Bowl and he looked across the field and saw his brother standing five feet away from him on the field.' The problem? The brothers were never on the field at the same time due to their positions — Travis plays offense, Jason played offense. Swift now calls it an 'insane question,' but Travis sweetly explained how football actually works, sparking her genuine love for the sport.
Swift got teary discussing the moment she learned she could buy back her master recordings from Shamrock Capital. She 'very dramatically hit the floor' crying when she heard from her mother, then tried to tell Travis 'in a normal way' but broke down in sobs. Travis's response was perfect: 'I'm just so happy for you, because I've seen how you make music... I know how much it burned you that you didn't have that.'
Swift opened up about serious health issues affecting both parents. Her mother 'got a new knee' and her dad had quintuple bypass surgery after a stress test revealed 'five blockages in his heart.' 'This was the summer of my parental upgrades,' she said, showing the vulnerability that makes her so relatable despite her superstar status.
Swift's favourite football moment involved Travis's mother Donna telling her to go down to the field after the AFC Championship: 'Trust me, he wants you there.' Swift worried Travis would think 'What are you doing here, dude?' but Mummy Kelce knew better. Now Swift genuinely loves the sport, and she and Travis even 'traded physical therapy notes' during the Eras tour.
After 20 years in the industry, 'it's pretty hard to hurt my feelings,' Swift revealed. 'My name can be in the actual headline and it can still be none of my business,' she explained about blocking out negativity. The couple admitted they don't really see most of the online chatter, with Travis learning from Swift 'how to be a pro about it.'
Beyond the stadiums and studios, Swift is embracing a state of cosy domesticity. Her current obsession is making sourdough bread in flavours like blueberry lemon, cinnamon swirl, and Funfetti. She even delivered bread-themed puns referencing her discography: 'Are you bread-y for it?' 'It's a loaf story, baby just say yeast,' and 'Loafing him was bread.'
Swift revealed her favourite Easter egg moment: her 2022 NYU commencement speech that was secretly packed with Midnights album references. 'Fans were like, "the whole speech was an easter egg!"' she laughed. She also explained the orange door at her final Eras tour show was a 'subliminal hint' that she was leaving that era and entering a new one. The queen of the Easter egg has spoken.
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Naomi May is a seasoned culture journalist and editor with over ten years' worth of experience in shaping stories and building digital communities. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard, where she worked across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Digital Editor at ELLE Magazine and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. Naomi is also the host of the ELLE Collective book club.