When Taylor Swift opened up about why she went public with her relationship with Travis Kelce

Pop icon Taylor Swift has never shied away from the spotlight — but in 2023, she made a deliberate choice to let the world in on one of her most personal chapters. Months after she began dating Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, the “Cruel Summer” singer explained exactly why she decided to embrace a public romance rather than keep it under wraps.

A love story in the public eye

Ever since Swift and Kelce were first linked in 2023, the couple has been spotted hand-in-hand at dinners, events, and NFL games, radiating chemistry without any apparent effort to hide their relationship. Fans have grown accustomed to seeing the Grammy-winning artist in the stands cheering on the NFL tight end, and Kelce returning the gesture by showing up for her on tour.

For Taylor Swift, this wasn’t just a happy accident — it was an intentional decision. Speaking to TIME after being named 2023 Person of the Year, the billionaire singer-songwriter addressed why she and Travis Kelce chose openness over secrecy.

Taylor Swift: “We’re just proud of each other”

“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…” Swift told TIME.

She went on to explain that the alternative — hiding every interaction — simply wasn’t worth it.

“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.”

A shift from the past

Taylor Swift’s candor marked a sharp contrast to her previous high-profile romances, many of which were guarded from public scrutiny. In particular, her six-year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn was notoriously private, with the pair rarely photographed together and seldom speaking about each other in interviews.

This change in approach reflects a new phase in Swift’s personal life — one where mutual support and shared visibility matter more than the risk of public attention. By openly attending each other’s events and enjoying moments together without concealment, Swift and Kelce have redefined what a celebrity romance can look like when it’s built on pride rather than privacy.

As Taylor Swift continues her record-breaking Eras Tour and Travis Kelce pursues another NFL season, the pair’s public appearances are likely to remain a fixture — and for the pop star, that’s exactly how she wants it.