Who Even is Taylor Swift Anyways?

Haven’t been seeing very much of Taylor Swift in your news cycle lately? Well, you are not alone. Swift has been taking her time out of the public eye, and most speculate the reason is none other than her football superstar boyfriend, Travis Kelce. The two recently took a relaxing vacation to the Yellowstone Club in Montana, enjoying the alone time with each other away from fans and paparazzi. With fan speculation that the two will buy a house together and settle down, it seems like this is shaping up to be a pretty serious relationship for Swift.
The news about Kelce and Swift’s current relationship seems like a breath of fresh air to many Swifties. Their relationship radiates pure, wholesome, and reciprocal qualities that many of her other relationships have seemed to lack. This week, we thought we would take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of Swift’s past relationships that have led to some of her most iconic songs of all time.
Swift’s first public boyfriend after her rise to fame at just 18 years old was fellow teen popstar Joe Jonas. The two only dated for about 4 months in 2008, but their relationship gained a lot of traction when it was revealed that Jonas broke up with Swift on a 25-second phone call. Her first break-up song was written about Jonas, entitled “Forever and Always”, and contained straightforward lyrics such as “Was I out of line? / Did I say something way too honest, made you run and hide / Like a scared little boy.”
In the fall of 2009, Swift started publicly dating actor Taylor Lautner. Lautner is deemed one of the “best” exes of Swift, and the two are still close to this day. Swift is rumored to have written about their relationship in Speak Now’s “Back to December”, though Swift has never officially confirmed it.
2010 was an eventful year for Swift, having two public relationships and breakups. First was John Mayer, and even though the two only dated for a couple of months, they were still heavily in the spotlight. His crude response to Swift’s hit song “Dear John” has created a lasting wave of Swiftie criticism that still follows him today. Next, Jake Gyllenhaal and Swift’s short-lived relationship is responsible for her arguably most famous song, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]”. This gut-wrenching and emotional song details their love, lust, and heartbreak, which Swifties can and will always resonate with.
Swift’s longest and seemingly most serious relationship, previous to that of Kelce’s and hers, was with actor Joe Alwyn. The two dated for almost 6 years, always supporting each other in big moments. They kept a relatively low profile, keeping their private moments truly private, which Swifties came to admire about the two together. Swift wrote countless songs about Alwyn, sprinkled through the Lover, Reputation, Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights albums. It was a shock to Swifties when the two split in April of 2023, but the two shared that their relationship had simply “run its course.” Many fans respected their honesty and maturity.
Though Taylor Swift’s high-profile relationships often grab headlines, they will never truly define her legacy. She’s always been the architect of her narrative—turning heartbreak into art and reclaiming her voice with each album. With Travis Kelce, Swifties see a partner who celebrates her for who she is and gives her space to shine, rather than dimming her spotlight, and they are loving every second of it.