Travis Kelce is getting a taste of what Taylor Swift feels like when she tops the charts, and it’s all thanks to the Swifties.
On the latest episode of the Chiefs tight end’s podcast with older brother Jason Kelce, who plays center on the Philadelphia Eagles, the two football stars expressed their gratitude for the fanbase that helped propel their newly released charity single “Fairytale of Philadelphia” to No. 1 on iTunes.
“We owe a big thanks to one group in particular, besides the 92 percenters,” said Jason, referencing New Heights listeners. “And that’s the Swifties, because the Swifties came out.”
“One thousand percent,” agreed Travis.
The Kelces released their holiday single Nov. 15, putting their own spin on The Pogues’ 1987 track “Fairytale of New York.” The brotherly duet comes ahead of the upcoming Philly Specials — comprised of Jason and Eagles teammates Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata — Christmas album, the proceeds of which will be donated to the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and more Philadelphia charities.
When “Fairytale of Philadelphia” hit No. 8 on iTunes, Jason posted a screenshot on Twitter and thanked fans for supporting their joint effort. But Swift’s fans weren’t going to stop there.
“I got like 85 tweets from Swifties across the world saying, ‘Oh, you think eight’s good? We’re taking this to No. 1,” said Jason, laughing. “It’s a powerful group of people.”
“Thanks, Taylor, appreciate you,” added Travis. “And thank you to the Swifties. Thank you.”
Swifties have grown fond of the Kelce brothers ever since Travis started dating the “Anti-Hero” singer earlier this year. After a series of dinner dates, hand holdings and Kansas City game days with Swift in the audience at Arrowhead Stadium, the pop star effectively made their romance official to the public by changing her “Karma” lyrics at an Argentina Eras Tour show, giving Travis a special shoutout: “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs.”
“Fairytale of Philadelphia” isn’t just doing well on iTunes, though. It also earned Jason and Travis their very first spots on the Billboard charts, with the duet debuting at No. 2 on Rock Digital Song Sales and No. 5 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart.
Listen to the latest episode of New Heights above.