A global pop phenomenon and social justice advocate, Taylor Swift is one of the most highly decorated music artists in history. Her 11 studio albums have debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, and she holds the record for the most US top-ten singles in one career. She has won 14 Grammy awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, and has been named Artist of the Year by both American Music and the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year. Her fan base, known as Swifties, spans the globe.
Taylor began her career as a teenage singer in Nashville, co-writing songs with Liz Rose during two-hour writing sessions every Tuesday afternoon at the Bluebird Cafe. She caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, who was preparing to launch his own independent record label, Big Machine Records. Swift signed with the label and quickly became one of its biggest stars.
After achieving a string of multiplatinum singles, including the double platinum “Fearless” and platinum “Love Story”, Swift released her fourth album, RED in 2012. The project introduced new producers and songwriters, like Max Martin and Shellback, who would become major collaborators for her, as well as returning partners such as Nathan Chapman and Liz Rose. RED showcased a variety of musical styles, from heartland rock to dubstep and dance pop, and its accompanying tour was the highest-grossing country-music tour of all time.
In 2022, Swift surprised fans by releasing the folklore and evermore sister albums, which she described as “ruminative, relatively lo-fi” releases that reflect the “prevailing sense of isolation in our culture.” The albums also featured collaborations with Aaron Dessner, Jack Antonoff and Bon Iver, and helped her achieve her first double album feature on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts at the same time.
In November 2018, Swift signed a deal with Universal Music Group’s Republic Records, which granted her ownership of her master recordings—something that her first contract with Big Machine didn’t allow. This allowed her to produce an expanded version of her 2008 release, Fearless, which included nine never-before-released tracks. She followed this up in 2023 with the album, Midnights, which she describes as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.” The release was preceded by the ethereal pop album, Lover.
