Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Engagement Photos TAYLOR SWIFT/TRAVIS KELCE ON INSTAGRAM.
TAYLOR SWIFT/TRAVIS KELCE ON INSTAGRAM
Taylor Swift’s dazzling orange-themed 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, is finally here. The pop masterpiece includes sweet references to the singer’s fiancé, Travis Kelce, especially in the third track, titled “Opalite.”
Their love story began when the Kansas City Chiefs star publicly admitted on his New Heights podcast in 2023 that he wanted to meet Swift after attending The Eras Tour. The pair finally met, and after two years of dating, Kelce proposed in August. “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” the couple announced on Instagram, sharing dreamy proposal photos taken in a rose-filled garden.
Swift first wrote about her football beau in 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department and continues to write about their relationship throughout The Life of a Showgirl. Just a few weeks ago, Kelce revealed that “Opalite” is his favorite track on the album — and after listening closely to the lyrics, it’s easy to see why.
“I think ‘Opalite’ might be my favorite, though, at least right now,” Kelce told his brother Jason Kelce. “Every time it comes on, I always catch myself.”
What Is Opalite And What Does It Mean?
According to Opal Galaxy, opalite is a man-made version of the natural stone opal. It is similar to the gemstone and “exhibits a milky, opalescent sheen, which is the source of its name and likeness to opal.” The stone is also believed to hold soothing and calming properties and is associated with improved communication and emotional stability — qualities that could mirror Swift’s healthy relationship with Kelce.
Who Is Taylor Swift’s Song ‘Opalite’ About?
Although Swift hasn’t explicitly said that “Opalite,” the third track on The Life of a Showgirl, is about her fiancé, all signs point to him. The song reflects her search for everlasting love after being hurt in past relationships. (She dated actor Joe Alwyn for six years before briefly being linked to The 1975 frontman Matty Healy at the start of the Eras Tour in early 2023.)
“I had a bad habit / Of missing lovers past / My brother used to call it / Eating out of the trash / It’s never gonna last,” the singer begins in the first verse. “I thought my house was haunted / I used to live with ghosts / And all the perfect couples said, ‘When you know you know / And when you don’t you don’t.’”
In the chorus, she references her mother, Andrea Swift, who gave her advice when her previous relationships ended.
“But my mama told me, ‘It’s alright / You were dancing through the lightning strike / Sleepless in the onyx night / But now the sky is opalite,’” Swift sings. “Oh, my Lord / Never met no one like you before / You had to make your own sunshine / But now the sky is opalite.”
Another major hint that “Opalite” is about Kelce? The Kansas City Chiefs player’s birthday is Oct. 5, which makes his birthstone opal. Swifties also noticed that the Grammy winner wore opal earrings while cheering him on at the AFC Championship Game in January 2024.
In the second verse, Swift hints that Kelce has also had his own ups and downs in love. Before dating her, he was in an on-and-off relationship with Kayla Nicole from 2017 to 2022.
“You couldn’t understand it / Why you felt alone / You were in it for real / She was in her phone / You were just a pose,” Swift sings. “And don’t we try to love love / And give it all we got / You finally left the table / And what a simple thought / You’re starving ’til you’re not.”
What Has Taylor Swift Said About ‘Opalite’?
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JANUARY 28: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates with Taylor Swift after a 17-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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During a radio interview with Hits Radio U.K., shared on Oct. 3, Swift discussed the inspiration behind “Opalite” and explained how her experiences with relationships that didn’t work out ultimately proved beneficial in the end.
“When we go through something that doesn’t work out, we oftentimes look at it as this like major setback,” she explained. “Like we’ve taken a step back, but I’ve found that so many of those instances in my life can catapult your forward in growth, in wisdom, in perspective.”
Swift continued, “And so Opalite is a song about forgiving yourself for having gone through something that didn’t pan out the way you wanted it to. Because it says, you know, of all the perfect couples would look at you and say, “when you know, you know, and when you don’t, you don’t”. It’s giving yourself permission to not have it all figured out or not marry the first person you ever dated, stuff like that. I’m just happy that song exists and that chorus, I’m just stoked about how like absolutely infectious and borderline narcotic it is.”
Here’s an excerpt from her interview where she discusses the song.
The Life of a Showgirl is out now. You can listen to the album on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.
Check out the visualizer for “Opalite” below.