8 Of The Biggest Takeaways From Taylor Swift On The ‘New Heights’ Podcast

Taylor Swift is already a music superstar of her own caliber, but based on her recent appearance on Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast, it’s clear that she could easily forge her own career as a world-renowned, popular podcaster on the side.

Despite being the special guest on the podcast’s latest episode, Taylor Swift was able to enamor audiences around the world with the rare, revealing conversation that gave fans a deeper look into her personal life, creative process, and even her latest obsessions. From heartfelt confessions to hilarious anecdotes, Swift didn’t hold back, making this one of her most memorable interviews to date (especially as her second podcast appearance ever).

What started as a lighthearted chat between friends turned into a goldmine of insight, humor, and genuine connection, showing a side of Swift that has felt more personal than ever before. Whether she was detailing the quirky, if cinematic, way she first connected with Travis Kelce, or breaking down the years-long journey to reclaim her masters, Swift’s podcast debut was packed with moments that surprised even her most die-hard fans.

If you haven’t caught the episode, Billboard Philippines lists down the 8 biggest takeaways from Taylor Swift’s appearance on New Heights — unpacking all the important insights that the pop icon revealed in one of her most candid interviews to date.

She’s Been Saving Up To Reclaim Her Masters Since She Was A Teenager

Since starting out her career in the music industry, Swift has been saving up to buy her masters. “It’s always been a huge thing for me. Since I was a teenager, I’ve been actively saving up money to buy my music back and to ever own it in the first place because it’s usually the label that owns it,” she tells the New Heights podcast. “I’ve always wanted this to happen.”

She notes how she’s always understood the importance (and power) of an artist owning their own work, stating, “Owning your master records means that you have complete control and power over distribution, licensing, and essentially the way your legacy is shaped. I thought about not owning my music every day. It was an intrusive thought I had every day.”

After years of attempts to regain her early discography, she then sent her mother and brother, Andrea and Austin Swift, to talk to Shamrock Holdings about buying her masters. “A couple of months after the Super Bowl in Kansas City, I get a call from my mom; she’s like, ‘You got your music.’ I very dramatically hit the floor for real. Bawling my eyes out, weeping, like ‘Really!?’ I said to myself, ‘Go tell Travis in a normal way,’ he was playing video games, and he put his headset down. I was like, ‘I got my music back!’ And I was heaving, crying. This changed my life.”

Her Easter Eggs Are Meticulously Planned

Though Swift has been very intentional about integrating ‘easter eggs’ throughout most media she has released, she opens up about just how intentional and meticulously planned each of them are. “I have parameters. There are do’s and don’ts,” she says of its limitations.

Contrary to popular belief, the pop star also mentions how these easter eggs she incorporates in her craft will never tie in with her personal life, as a means of avoiding the sensationalization of such aspects. “I’m never going to plant an easter egg that ties back to my personal life. I don’t do an Easter egg that ties to my personal life. It’s always going to be towards my music… it’s something you don’t know why I’m saying for a specific reason, but then you’ll look back and go ‘oh my god!” she notes.

The Real Origin Story Of How She Met Travis Kelce

Following Travis Kelce’s public proclamation of his admiration for Swift on his podcast, the pop superstar confirms that the episode’s release was the first she ever heard of Kelce’s interest in her. She notes how the football champion never reached out to her management or team beforehand, merely relying on his friendship with the elevator lady of the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City as his means of contacting her during her show for the ‘Eras Tour.’

“This felt more like an ’80s John Hughes movie, and he was just standing outside of my window with a boombox just saying “I wanna date you, I made you a friendship bracelet, Do you wanna date me? So I was like, if this guy isn’t crazy, this is what I’ve been writing songs about wanting to happen to me since I was a teenager,” Swift said. “This podcast got me a boyfriend!” she jokingly adds.

She Knew Little To Nothing About American Football Before Dating Travis Kelce

Despite growing up in the USA, Swift confessed on the podcast that she wasn’t too familiar with the sport of football until she started dating Travis Kelce. Kelce, who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs as a tight end, was described by the pop star as “very patient” in explaining how the sport works (especially during their first date), as he clarified her understanding of what roles the offense and defense play in the game.

Given how involved Swift has now become in the NFL and in supporting Travis Kelce’s team of the Chiefs, she now notes how much she’s become invested in the sport. “I fell in love with it. I became obsessed with it. I became a person who was running through the halls of my house, screaming, ‘We drafted Xavier Worthy!'” — even before Kelce or anyone else had learned the news.

Her Favorite Re-Recording Project Was Red (Taylor’s Version)

Before regaining the masters of her earlier discography, it’s widely known that Swift’s re-recording project was a massive success that changed the trajectory of the global music scene in a multitude of ways. And while each of her re-recorded albums topped the charts, the pop icon notes how Red was the ‘most special’ album to revisit from her earlier discography.

“Re-recording it made me be like, ‘God, I love that album,” she tells the New Heights podcast. “There were songs that I called ‘From The Vault’ songs, and there was one which I think is maybe my favorite song l’ve ever written, called ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version)’ There were originally so many more verses in that song than ended up on the album when I originally put out Red.“

Her Latest Obsession Is Sourdough Bread

In a rare moment where Swift opened up about her life outside of music, she revealed what her latest obsession was — sourdough bread. “Sourdoughs taken over my life in a huge way. I’m really talking about bread 60% of the time now,” she joyfully mentions. Elaborating further on her new hobby, she notes all the flavors and variants she’s been testing out, showcasing just how equally whimsical and experimental she’s dived into within the world of baking. “There’s blueberry lemon, there’s cinnamon swirl, cinnamon raisin, and, this one l’ve been workshopping for the girls because they love everything rainbow, funfetti sourdough.”

The Life of a Showgirl Was Recorded Throughout Her Eras Tour

Aside from revealing her upcoming album, The Life of a Showgirl, on the podcast, Swift opened up further about how the record came to fruition in the middle of her groundbreaking Eras Tour. Specifically, the album was mostly worked upon during her shows across Europe, as she took a few days off to record the album in Sweden, reuniting with collaborators Max Martin and Shellback.

“I would do like three shows in a row. I’d have three days off. l’d fly to Sweden, go back to the tour, and was actually working on this. I was physically exhausted at this point in the tour, but I was so mentally stimulated and so excited to be creating,” she says of her routine. “I told [Max] I want to be as proud of an album as I am of The Eras Tour, and he said, ‘do you know how much pressure that is?’

What To Expect From The Life of a Showgirl and Its (Strictly) 12-Song Track List

Swift also dished out more information and teasers on what Swifties and casual fans can expect from The Life of a Showgirl, specifically with regard to its genre and overall sonic palette. Describing the record as “all about infectious pop melodies without losing the quality storytelling of folklore,” the pop superstar’s vision for her latest album has become a lot clearer for those already excited about its release.

“I wanted to do an album that was so focused on quality, and on the theme — and everything fitting together like a perfect puzzle,” Swift said of the album. “It comes from the most infectious, joyful, wild, and dramatic place I was at in my life. That effervescence comes through… it’s bangers. It’s 12 songs, there’s no more…,” she notes, signaling that there will be no more than the twelve previously announced tracks to come out from this album.

Even Travis went on to tease his thoughts on the album, describing it in his own words: “It’s a lot more upbeat. It’s a lot more fun pop. I… it’s a complete 180 from the songs on Tortured Poets, for sure,” he added.

As we anticipate the release of Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl, watch the full episode of Swift’s appearance on The Kelce Brothers’ New Heights podcast below: