Taylor Swift’s passionate followers are bursting with joy over her recent announcement: her engagement to long-term boyfriend, Travis Kelce. The acclaimed pop sensation broke the news on Instagram alongside her ‘main man from the Chiefs’, thrilling legions of loyal Swifties who have journeyed with her, emotionally and artistically, as she has transformed her deepest emotions into hit songs and shattered records. Swift’s relationship with Kelce brings to life the dreamy love ballads that were the cornerstone of her earlier music career. Now, she’s saying goodbye to her previous romantic interests in England, like Joe Alwyn and Harry Styles, and is in the arms of the quintessential American heartthrob.
Swift’s romantic personality has always been apparent, dating back to her late teens when she used to write about princes, white steeds, and Romeo serenading her from beneath a balcony. Even as her songwriting matured, remnants of her upbringing influenced by Shakespeare and John Hughes films remained evident. The love stories she portrayed were monumental, and the heartbreaks, even larger. Her 1989 album creation was interspersed with numerous viewings of Hughes’ film Sixteen Candles, while her composition of ‘Wildest Dreams’ seemed to draw inspiration from the tempestuous relationship of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
But most importantly, Swift’s own experiences have been the primary source of inspiration for her songs. Fans eagerly decode her lyrics, often trying to pinpoint the subjects of her newest releases. ‘Dear John’, part of the 2010 Speak Now album, is allegedly about her brief relationship with musician John Mayer. ‘All Too Well’, it’s speculated, was inspired by her time with actor Jake Gyllenhaal, while the directness of ‘Style’ led fans to surmise it was about her romance with former One Direction star Harry Styles.
Joe Alwyn, the British actor who was Swift’s last partner before Kelce, is perceived to be the muse for much of her recent music. Their six-year relationship began in privacy, during Swift’s recovery period after her public dispute with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. In her 2017 album, Reputation, she writes eloquently about someone who managed to stay aloof from the tumult she encountered: ‘Walkin’ with his head down, I’m the one he’s walkin’ to.’ On ‘Delicate’, she expressed subtle elation in having a relationship somewhat shielded from the public eye, like a hidden treasure.
In her album Lover, Swift adopted a more vibrant, uplifting pop sound, but retained the depiction of a relationship largely separated from her extensively publicized existence. Concepts of destiny were explored in ‘Invisible String’ from her unexpected 2020 release, Folklore, wherein she also conveyed the sentiment of ‘shining just for you’ in the sparkling ‘Mirrorball’. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, however, as indicated in ‘Exile’ and ‘This is Me Trying’, where she explicitly delves into the trials experienced during the relationship.
The strains became more evident in her album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’. Swift appeared to be engaged in a struggle within herself. She desired a perennial state of ‘Lavender Haze’ but found herself grappling with the final convulsions of a relationship in ‘Maroon’, and the agonizing anticipation of a wedding proposal in ‘So Long, London’. In the end, she returned to America, having weathered not only the termination of her relationship with Alwyn but also generating controversy with a short-lived affair with The 1975 frontman, Matty Healy.
While Swift’s past relationships remain her private affairs, her music has provided enough material to spawn theories. During her tenure with Alwyn, it was thought that Swift insisted on privacy, but in retrospect, one could surmise Alwyn’s reluctance to embrace fame may have been a factor. The contrast between this relationship and her romance with Kelce couldn’t be starker.
For one thing, Kelce was openly admiring of Swift right from the outset. She returned his fondness, even appearing at one of his games to show support. She quoted, ‘If this guy’s not crazy, this is what I’ve been writing songs about wanting to happen to me since I was a teenager.’ Furthermore, Kelce seems better suited to dealing with the frenzy accompanying being in a relationship with the world’s top female celebrity.
Swift’s acceptance of his proposal seems to confirm she’s at a point in her life where she feels not only exhilarated but also truly settled. The pair have been spotted revelling in each other’s company during Kelce’s Super Bowl victory, on romantic walks in New York, and she even incorporated him into her Eras tour for an entertaining cameo appearance.
When introducing her recent album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl’, Swift noted the more positive tone compared to ‘Tortured Poets’. She simply stated, ‘Life is more upbeat.’ The absence of the intense drama characteristic of her previous relationships may not provide as much emotional fodder for her songs, but ‘So High School’, inspired by Kelce, alludes to the endearing acts that make one feel cherished: ‘Get my car door, isn’t that sweet?/ Then pull me to the back seat/ No one’s ever had me, not like you.’ It’s clear that Kelce went above and beyond to win her heart: ‘You knew what you wanted and, boy, you got her.’ A true fairytale romance.
In the world of dating, which Swift once described as a complex, confusing landscape in her song ‘How You Get the Girl’, Kelce’s candid affection for Swift is a breath of fresh air. His straightforward courtship process did not go unnoticed by Swift or her fans, proving that romance doesn’t need to be overly complicated or clandestine to blossom into something beautiful. This approach may hint towards an evolution in Swift’s reflections about romance in her future work.
The post Taylor Swift’s Fairytale Romance: Princess Finds Her Prince appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
