Taylor Swift speaks out for first time since Travis Kelce Super Bowl loss in rare public appearance

Taylor Swift described The Eras Tour as the ‘most challenging thing’ she’s ever worked on in her first admission since her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, faced defeat at Super Bowl LIX.

On February 9, the Kansas City Chiefs failed to clinch the historic three-peat, suffering a 22-40 defeat to NFC Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Chiefs tight end Kelce, 35, had four catches for 39 yards during the Super Bowl loss, setting a new NFL record for the most career Super Bowl receptions with 35.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have been an item since the summer of 2023 (Gotham/GC Images)

Swift, 35, witnessed the feat from the Caesars Superdome stands beside rapper Ice Spice, Haim sisters Alana, Este, and Danielle, and stylist Ashley Avignone, where she was subsequently booed by fans.

The ‘Bad Blood’ star has remained tight-lipped on her Louisiana reception and Kelce’s loss.

However, on Monday (March 17) she made a rare virtual appearance at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, thanking fans for their unwavering support.

During the ceremony in Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre, Swift was honoured with nine awards, including Artist of the Year and the coveted Tour of the Century gong.

Speaking about scooping the latter for her 149-date Eras Tour, the music mogul said: "I really can't tell you how much this means to me because I accept this on behalf of all my tourmates, all my fellow performers, my band, everyone who toured with us, our crew.

“This is actually the two-year anniversary of the first show of the Eras Tour so I’ve been doing a lot of processing since I’ve been off the road.

The singer thanked fans for their support while accepting the iHeartRadio award (X/TaylorNation)

“People often say that sometimes the greatest challenges in life end up being something you're so proud of, or end up being the most gratifying feeling in the end, if you can rise to the occasion.

“And this tour was absolutely the most challenging thing I've ever done in my life.”

The 14-time Grammy Award-winning singer went on to say that the ‘only reason’ she was able to complete the Eras Tour was because of her die-hard fans’ support.

She continued, claiming it ‘blows her mind’ that Swifties were willing to travel and partake in the three-hour extravaganza, adding: “I'm never going to stop being grateful for it, and I appreciate this more than you know.”

The Eras Tour took place across five continents between March 2023 and December 2024, and saw 10.1 million fans attending.

The 3.5-hour show featured over 40 songs grouped into ten acts. In May 2024, it was revamped to include a section from the ‘Fearless’ favourite’s latest studio album, The Tortured Poets Department.

At the Eras Tour’s 100th show in Liverpool, Swift remarked on how being on the road for so long had begun to take a toll on her life.

Swift's Eras Tour took place between March 2023 and December 2024 (Kevin Winter/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

“This has definitely been an exhausting, all-encompassing, but most joyful, most rewarding, most wonderful thing that has ever happened in my life,” she said on stage at Anfield Stadium.

“It's taken over everything. I think I once had hobbies, but I don't know what they are anymore, because all I do when I'm not on stage is sit at home and try to think of clever acoustic song mashups, and think about what you might want to hear.”

“Really, when I’m not on stage, I’m just dreaming about being back onstage with you guys,” she added.