Taylor Swift has revealed when her relationship with Travis Kelce really started.

The 33-year-old singer spoke candidly about the romance during a recent interview with Time after she was named the magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year. Speaking to the publication, she said she connected with Kelce in July, after he confessed on his podcast that he tried and failed to give her a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it during one of her Eras Tour shows.

“This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell,” she explained. “We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other.”

Swift also confirmed that when she famously first attended Kelce’s game at Arrowhead Stadium in September, she was already dating the NFL star.

“By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date,” she said.

The “Blank Space” singer also acknowledged that although her love life continues to make headlines with every Kansas City Chiefs game she attends, she’s focused on being there for her partner. She specified that she isn’t trying to hide her relationship from the public eye.

“When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” she said. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.”

During the interview with Time, the Grammy winner addressed how her appearances at Kelce’s games are heavily publicised. So far, she’s attended five of Kelce’s games, including one on 3 December, and she’s often seated in the Kelce family suite during the events.

“There’s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don’t know where it is, and you have no idea when the camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once,” she said.

She explained that she doesn’t necessarily pay attention to the cameras and fans around her in those stadiums because she is watching her boyfriend play.

(Denver Post via Getty Images)

“I’m just there to support Travis,” she said. “I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”

When discussing how many Swifties have now started watching NFL games since she started dating Kelce, she quipped about how much she likes the sport. “Football is awesome, it turns out,” she joked. “I’ve been missing out my whole life.”

Swift’s effect on the NFL didn’t go unnoticed in October, as one game between the Chiefs and New York Jets – which she attended with some of her famous friends – became the most-watched Sunday NFL show since the Super Bowl LVII in February 2023.

The “All Too Well” singer’s interview with Time marks her first time publicly speaking out about Kelce, who she’s been romantically linked to since this summer, when the football tight end first confessed to attempting to give her his number.

While Swift has attended a few of Kelce’s games since their relationship started, he’s also gone on to support her career. In November, he made his way to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to attend one of her Eras Tour shows. During the concert, Swift gave a shout-out to the Chiefs player when she changed her “Karma” lyrics to reflect their relationship. “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me,” she sang, letting out a laugh as fans in the audience screamed in response.

After the show, the “Style” singer was seen running into Kelce’s arms and kissing him, before he whisked her away backstage.

Elsewhere in the conversation with Time, the “Anti-Hero” singer said that she tries not to let the paparazzi get to her, even though so many of her outings with pals go on to make headlines. “Over the years, I’ve learned I don’t have the time or bandwidth to get pressed about things that don’t matter. Yes, if I go out to dinner, there’s going to be a whole chaotic situation outside the restaurant. But I still want to go to dinner with my friends,” she said.

She emphasised how her perspective about the media has changed over the years, adding: “Life is short. Have adventures. Me locking myself away in my house for a lot of years – I’ll never get that time back. I’m more trusting now than I was six years ago.”

With his love life in the public eye, Kelce has also opened up about his relationship with Swift. In an interview withWSJ Magazine, published on 20 November, he described how much he admires her skills as a musician. “I’ve never been a man of words. Being around her, seeing how smart Taylor is, has been f***ing mind-blowing. I’m learning every day,” he explained.

However, he also acknowledged the heavy public attention around his private life as a result of his relationship, noting he’s “never dated anyone with that kind of aura around them”. But, according to Kelce, he’s not letting the media affect his relationship.

“But at the same time, I’m not running away from any of it,” he said. “The scrutiny she gets, how much she has a magnifying glass on her, every single day, paparazzi outside her house, outside every restaurant she goes to, after every flight she gets off, and she’s just living, enjoying life. When she acts like that I better not be the one acting all strange.”