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EXCLUSIVE: The Rise And Rise Of The Hype Boyfriend: Latest by Taylor Swift Adoring Travis Kelce for all the…..Full story Below
When Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce appeared on stage with her at Wembley Stadium on Sunday night, press reports of the ‘frenzy’ that ensued have not been overstated.
In response to the 6ft5 American football player making his Eras Tour debut in top hat and tails, there were giddy screams, rapturous applause and reports of some fans physically swooning and having to sit down. (Reader, I was one of them, and my ears are still ringing nearly 48 hours later).
More articulate fans were quick to tweet their elation on X. ‘I am so happy to be alive at this monumental point in history,’ wrote one. ‘They are like a cheesy hallmark movie and I’m so here for it,’ raved another. The eagle-eyed at Wembley might have spotted Kelce nervously leaving the VIP tent and walking off earlier in the set.
Initially, this looked like a brush off but turned out to be the opposite. Kelce was preparing to join Swift for a brief skit that introduced the track ‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’, kicking his heels, picking Swift up and carrying her, and even pretending to apply make-up to her face.
It was the surprise guest appearance that nobody saw coming, the relationship hard launch of the century and a joyful sight to behold.
But most strikingly of all, it was the physical embodiment of a figure who’s been beaming proudly at the collective consciousness for a while now: the hype boyfriend. This is linked to the well-known figure of the hype man, which can be traced back to hip-hop and rap music, where it refers to a backing vocalist who supports the main performer by engaging with the audience to enhance the overall performance.
That’s exactly what Kelce did during his on-stage appearance, glad to be helping to make his stratospherically famous and ridiculously talented partner look even better. We’ve seen the celebrity hype boyfriend around a lot lately and, suffice to say, the internet can’t get enough of him. One of the most celebrated is Barry Keoghan, who has made headlines for publicly supporting girlfriend Sabrina Carpenter as she shoots to super-stardom.
In the last few months alone, the artist has played Coachella, supported Taylor Swift and announced her own arena tour, as well as achieving her first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the eminently catchy ‘Please Please Please’ (all while her other hit, ‘Espresso’, remains in the top five).
And during this ‘Summer of Sabrina’, where has her boyfriend Barry been? Starring in her music video and consistently attending her performances, where he can be seen smiling, dancing, clapping along and ‘giggling’ (per the Daily Mail) as he watches. If she’s working late ’cause she’s a singer, we’d all like to believe he’s going to understand and offer time, space and support.