The most popular artist in music, taylor swift has become synonymous with the idea of celebrity as she’s been the face of nearly every campaign since she began her career. She is a multi-talented musician whose ability to reinvent her image and her musical style has kept fans interested in her throughout the years. She has released multiple albums, won a host of awards and is a cultural phenomenon.
Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Scott and Andrea Swift. She started taking vocal and acting lessons at age 9, but decided to shift her focus toward country music as she was inspired by the likes of Shania Twain and Faith Hill. At a showcase at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe in 2005, she caught the attention of record executive Scott Borchetta, who was preparing to form his independent label, Big Machine Records. He signed her as one of its first signings and her father purchased a three percent share of the company.
She was the youngest BMI Songwriter of the Year winner in 2007. She released her first two EPs “The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection” and “Beautiful Eyes” that same year. In 2008 she released her debut album, Fearless. It topped the US charts and was certified diamond in the UK, becoming her fastest selling album to date. It spawned four number 1 singles, the most by any artist in history at that time, and won several Grammy awards.
On her next album, RED (2012), she collaborated with producers and songwriters such as Max Martin and Shellback who would become frequent collaborators on her future work and also included Liz Rose, Nathan Chapman, and Aaron Dessner. This album represented a new era for her and incorporated new genres such as heartland rock and dubstep. It was the biggest selling album of the year and won her another Grammy. It remained at number 1 for 11 weeks and sold over 1.2 million copies in its first week. The album spawned five more top 10 singles and was followed by the Red Tour.
In 2019 she starred as Bombalurina in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats, which earned her a Golden Globe and Grammy nomination. She wrote two songs for the Valentine’s Day movie soundtrack, including the hit song “Today Was A Fairytale” and a duet with Post Malone called “Both of Us”. In 2021 she surprised fans with Folklore and its “sister record,” Evermore, which were praised for their introspection and restraint and earned her another Grammy. She also co-wrote songs with artists such as John Mayer and Boys Like Girls and acted in the documentary Miss Americana.
On her most recent release, 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department, she veered away from the soft, comfortable bed-like sonics of her previous albums to present a dark, enigmatic work that doubles as a series of short stories and character studies. From Proustian flashbacks (“cardigan”) to the doomed love of an outcast dynasty (the title track) and the outcast widow of a lost cause (an emotional duet with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon), this is arguably her most personal album to date.
