Travis Kelce’s Plea to Kayla Nicole: What Taylor Swift Really Says About Kayla in Opalite

Here we go again: Taylor Swift drops a new album, and Swifties pull out the magnifying glasses. On her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, one track in particular, Opalite, is reading like a love note to Travis Kelce with a side of pointed shade aimed at his past. And yes, there is some very specific evidence fans are hanging this on.

The lyric everyone keeps circling

Opalite is packed with imagery that ties directly to Kelce. There is the whole opal vs onyx metaphor (opal being one of his birthstones), and then there is this verse that set off the group chat:

You were in it for real / She was in her phone. You were just a pose / And don't we try to love love / And give it all we got / You finally left the table / And what a simple thought / You're starving 'til you're not.

Why people think that is a jab at Kayla Nicole, Kelce's ex: right after the album dropped, a clip of Kelce and Nicole resurfaced (via Page Six) showing him looking annoyed while she scrolled her phone at what looks like a dinner. In the video, he says:

Just drink the wine so we can go... Oh, my God. Get off your phone. Get off your phone. You're not even drinking your wine anymore. Can we go?

Nicole laughs and fires back:

If someone would pay me attention, I wouldn't have to go on social media and seek validation from a bunch of strangers.

That timing and those specifics are a little too on the nose to feel like coincidence. Also floating around: a tweet making the rounds on X claimed to show Nicole on the field after the Eagles beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Regardless, the dinner clip is the one that maps neatly onto Swift's verse and has fans convinced.

Why the title matters

The song title itself is not random. Swift told Capital Breakfast she keeps a running list of words and phrases she loves and pulls from it when something sticks. She said:

I had written down the word 'Opalite' because I learned that it's actually a man-made opal, just like diamonds, and so, Travis' birthstone is opal. I've always fixated on that.

So yeah, the title is a nod to him, even before you get into the lyrics.

Kelce's favorite track? He says it out loud

On episode 151 of New Heights, Kelce admitted he has had The Life of a Showgirl on repeat. Swift had teased more pop on this album; Kelce called it 'so poetic.' When his brother Jason asked for a favorite, he did not play coy:

I think 'Opalite' might be my favorite, though. At least right now. Every time it comes on I always keep catching myself [dancing].

A quick rewind on Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole

If you need the refresher on the timeline that makes all this feel extra spicy, here it is in one go:

• 2017: Per Us Weekly, Nicole slid into Kelce's DMs on New Year's Day after he kept liking her posts but didn't message.
• 2019: They did events together, including walking back-to-back red carpets, Paris Fashion Week (Thom Browne Menswear Spring/Summer 2020), and a Lakers game.
• August 2020: They broke up. Cheating rumors popped up; Kelce said the claims were false and told people to take the negativity elsewhere.
• November 2020: They reconciled. They kept things pretty low-key after, but did show up at the 11th Annual NFL Honors in February 2022 and went on a double date with Brittany and Patrick Mahomes.
• May 2022: They split for good. Rumors that Kelce was cheap and made Nicole pay half of everything surfaced; she called that garbage, and he shut it down on The Pivot Podcast.
• New York Fashion Week later on: When a Daily Mail reporter asked Nicole if she wanted to comment on the engagement chatter around Swift and Kelce, she answered, 'Oh, no, no, no.'

The bottom line

Opalite works as a swoony dedication to Kelce and, if you believe the internet, a surgical little side-eye at a past relationship. Whether you buy the subtext or not, the song clearly means a lot to the guy it seems to be written for.

The Life of a Showgirl is out now on all the usual streaming platforms. If you have a read on those Opalite lyrics, drop it in the comments — I want to hear it.