The Darkness lead singer Justin Hawkins shared a sweet letter given to him by Taylor Swift prior to her viral moment with boyfriend Jason Kelce.
The 49-year-old attended one of the “Cruel Summer” singer’s shows in Zürich, Switzerland, in July as part of her massively successful Eras Tour and received VIP treatment, including a personal handwritten note from Swift. Over the weekend, the pop star, 34, and Kelce, also 34, went viral online for dancing to The Darkness’ hit “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” at the U.S. Open.
The letter Swift wrote read: “Justin, what a thrill to have you at the show! I’m a massive fan of yours and think ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ is one of the greatest songs of all time. I hope you and your family have fun at the show! Thanks so much for coming!!”
In a video shared to TikTok this week, Hawkins described the moment he became “dad of the year.”
Justin Hawkins on June 30, 2023, in London, England, and (inset) Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at the US Open on September 8, 2024, in New York City. The Darkness lead singer recently shared a handwritten note from Swift he received prior to her dancing with Kelce to one of The Darkness’ hit songs.
Matthew Baker/Getty Images; Inset Jamie Squire/Getty Images
“So a few weeks ago, I went to see Taylor Swift at a stadium in Zürich and the hospitality they showed us was just extraordinary,” Hawkins said. “There was a man on a golf buggy guiding us in to the main stadium bit, parked up near the trucks, and they put us in a lovely sort of VIP area. I had Chris Rock on one side, Roger Federer on the other side, and I was just dad of the year.
“And to make matters even more spectacular, Taylor Swift actually sent me a lovely letter which was waiting for me in the VIP section, talking about how much she loves the song ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love.’ I was just dad of the year, maybe dad of the century, because all of that was a big surprise.
“Speaking of big surprises, I woke up this morning and everybody’s forwarded me some footage of ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ being played at the US Open, and Taylor Swift and her partner Travis dancing along to it and really enjoying the music. So it was a really heartwarming moment for me, and my little girl can’t wait to tell her friends at school. So thanks Taylor, thanks Travis, thanks everybody who enjoys tennis. That’s a really lovely start to the day.”
In a separate post shared to Instagram and Twitter, the front man posted an image of an outline of Swift and Kelce with the word “Believe.”
At the time of publication, Hawkins’ video had more than 788,000 views and over 1,400 comments. In the replies, fans praised the singers as well as the 2003 tune.
“She’s not wrong. I Believe in a Thing Called Love is one of the best songs of all time!!!” @breadfan6112 said in a message, which racked up more than 4,200 likes.
“Her singing to I believe in a thing called love has made me smile so much ❤️,” @bellabossdog44 wrote in a comment, which garnered more than 500 likes.
“Not related to the topic but you always seem such a decent chap,” @shoutingmanuk added, while @mackkme shared. “Adding I believe in a thing called love to my Spotify playlist now!!!”
On Tuesday, Rolling Stone UK reported “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” is No. 1 on the US iTunes Rock Chart.
Newsweek reached out to Hawkins via email for additional comment.
Swift and Kelce were caught on camera dancing to the song while attending the men’s singles final between Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner. The Grammy Award winner and Kansas City Chiefs tight end sang the song from their private box at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and Swift even played air guitar.
Their outing came days after Swift attended the Kansas City Chiefs’ season-opener against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5. The Chiefs’ next game will take place on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Meanwhile, the “Fortnight” songstress is on hiatus from the Eras Tour, but will resume her concerts in Canada in November.
