Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter are dominating pop music. Their most visible supporters may be their famous boyfriends.

Travis Kelce, Barry Keoghan and Louis Partridge aren’t afraid to show their fandom.

Louis Partridge, Travis Kelce and Barry Keoghan have all been spotted at their respective pop star girlfriends’ tours. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Lia Toby/Getty Images, Martin Meissner/AP, Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

It’s remarkable to witness the soaring success of Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Olivia Rodrigo in the music industry. Each of these artists has carved out a unique niche for themselves, captivating audiences worldwide with their talent and creativity.

Taylor Swift, a seasoned veteran in the music industry, continues to dominate with her ever-evolving sound and powerful lyrics. With a dedicated fan base of Swifties, she consistently delivers chart-topping albums and mesmerizing performances that leave audiences in awe.

Sabrina Carpenter has been making waves with her infectious pop melodies and charismatic stage presence. Her rise to fame has been meteoric, and she continues to captivate audiences with her catchy tunes and relatable lyrics, earning her a dedicated fan base of Carpenters.

Olivia Rodrigo, a breakout star in recent years, has taken the music world by storm with her raw and emotive songwriting. Her debut album struck a chord with listeners, resonating with fans who relate to her honest and vulnerable approach to music. Livies, her devoted fan base, eagerly anticipate each new release and flock to her concerts to experience her heartfelt performances firsthand.

As these talented artists continue to reach new heights in their careers, their dedicated fan bases will undoubtedly continue to support them every step of the way, ensuring that their success endures for years to come.

Also among their biggest supporters? Their boyfriends.

It’s wonderful to see Travis Kelce, Barry Keoghan, and Louis Partridge supporting their girlfriends as they pursue their careers in the spotlight. These three individuals, each successful in their own right, are demonstrating their commitment and love by standing by their partners as they navigate the demands of touring and performing.

Travis Kelce, known for his prowess on the football field as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, brings his strength and support to his relationship as his girlfriend pursues her career in the spotlight.

Barry Keoghan, the talented actor from Saltburn, shows his dedication to his partner by being there for her during her tours and performances, proving that love knows no bounds when it comes to supporting one another’s dreams.

Louis Partridge, recognized for his role in Enola Holmes, adds his charm and presence to the mix as he stands by his girlfriend’s side, offering encouragement and companionship as she takes the stage.

Together, these three individuals form a trifecta of supportive boyfriends, proving that love, understanding, and encouragement are essential ingredients for success both on and off the stage.

It’s heartwarming to see Travis Kelce, Barry Keoghan, and Louis Partridge supporting their partners, Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Olivia Rodrigo, respectively, as they tour the world and showcase their talents on stage.

Travis Kelce’s commitment to attending Taylor Swift’s concerts, even before they were romantically involved, speaks volumes about his dedication and admiration for her work. His willingness to travel across the globe to be by her side during her performances demonstrates his unwavering support.

Barry Keoghan’s presence at Sabrina Carpenter’s concerts, particularly during Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” sets in Singapore, highlights his support for his girlfriend’s career endeavors. Being there for her across various tour legs signifies his commitment to their relationship.

Louis Partridge’s attendance at Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts World Tour” shows across the United States showcases his support for her as she embarks on her musical journey. Their public relationship demonstrates their mutual admiration and support for each other’s endeavors.

Overall, the dedication of these three partners underscores the importance of supporting loved ones in their professional pursuits, no matter the distance or time commitment involved.

By repeatedly attending shows, recording footage of their performances, engaging with fellow concertgoers and even wearing tour merch, these boyfriends are showing that they’re fans, just like us.

A modern celebrity practice

Katherine Taylor, a music journalist and author of She’s a Badass: Women in Rock Shaping Feminism, explained that in the past, there was a tendency to ensure that all pop stars, not just female ones, appear romantically “available” to the public.

“The worry was that fans wouldn’t pay as much attention to them if they couldn’t have daydreams of dating them, so having a partner in the picture dashed those hopes. That kind of approach seems to have gone away in recent decades, though,” Taylor told Yahoo Entertainment.

While Kelce, Keoghan and Partridge aren’t the first celebrities to outwardly support their significant others, their respective public displays of admiration for their partners signal a rejection of societal norms and traditional gender stereotypes, particularly in the context of celebrity relationships.

“In the past, a heterosexual relationship where [a] woman is more successful might have been seen as humiliating for the man as it conflicts [with] the traditional conception of masculinity where men are considered dominant over women,” Katariina Kakko, a PhD researcher at Tampere University in Finland with an expertise in interpersonal impacts of fame, told Yahoo Entertainment. “Today, the conceptions of masculinity are less restrictive and welcome different types of masculinities that are not tied to the traditional ‘manly’ stereotypes. This may also reflect today as male celebrities being more comfortable in showing public support to their superstar girlfriends.”

Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have made the documentation and circulation of outward displays of admiration much easier to see.

“Now that everyone has a video camera in their pocket, it’s easier to catch this kind of support on film,” Michele Ramsey, an associate professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Penn State University, told Yahoo Entertainment. “We can’t be sure if it’s new or not because most of what gets caught on film now couldn’t have been distributed like it can today, even 10 years ago.”

Taylor added: “It is a relatively new thing that we can track these couples’ every move with 24/7 media coverage — and younger people grew up with social media, so they’re far more comfortable with revealing details of their lives than older generations, so it seems like it these relationships are more prominent because of that exposure.”

From ‘groupie’ to ‘superstar’

Ramsey believes the shift away from a “sexist, patriarchal culture” is largely due to the increased consumption of music made by female artists.

In the cases of Swift, Carpenter and Rodrigo, all three stars have all hit career milestones in 2024. In February, Swift became the first artist to win the Grammy for Album of the Year four times and Carpenter earned her first No. 1 on Top 40 Radio with the platinum hit “Feather.” Earlier this month, Rodrigo’s debut album Sour hit 8.5 million streams on Spotify.

Pop music fandoms, Kakko added, have also historically been linked to feminine behavior. This may have previously deterred men from publicly identifying themselves as fans of female pop stars.

“As pop music provides tools for identity construction, male fans in general might have been hesitant to publicly show interest in pop stars. I think that the modern perceptions of masculinities are more inclusive for men expressing behavior and characteristics that are traditionally seen as feminine,” she said.

“I cannot think of a time in history where women’s stories have been as central to our culture as they are now. Typically, we have a movie or two or perhaps a sitcom centered on the lives of women, but it’s not the norm. Suddenly, you have artists like Taylor Swift telling stories of vulnerability and bad treatment on the radio, on television, at the movies, onstage and on social media,” said Ramsey, who will be teaching a course called “Taylor Swift, Gender and Communication” at Penn State in the fall. “That’s groundbreaking and shifts ‘women’s roles’ in music from ‘groupie’ to ‘superstar’ on a massive scale we’ve not seen before.”

To assume that all men are now more inclined to publicly support their successful female counterparts would be a generalization. Men like Kelce, Keoghan and Partridge are all famous in their own right and have a considerable amount of money and power which, according to Ramsey, “gives them more freedom to act as they see fit.”

Kelce, for instance, is the fourth-highest-paid tight end in the NFL with a salary of $14.3 million per season.

“I hope all men will aspire to the goal of outwardly, proudly and loudly supporting their female partners and begin to show the emotional intelligence of some of these men, but I do recognize that when men are not famous, powerful or wealthy, it is more difficult to stand up to those traditional assumptions about masculinity,” she said. “It’s not fair to compare the privileges and positions of celebrities to everyday people.”