taylor swift has defied expectations to become one of the most successful artists in pop music history. Her ability to successfully navigate genres while mastering the art of business is unmatched by many other musicians. Taylor has a reputation for being a brilliant strategist who isn’t afraid to make bold choices.
At the age of 11 she took a demo tape to Nashville and was rejected by every record label in town, but did not give up on her dream. Her persistence paid off, when she got a chance to showcase her talents at the Bluebird Café and caught the attention of Scott Borchetta who helped her start her own independent label Big Machine Records. After being signed, she started working with songwriters Liz Rose and Nathan Chapman. She recorded her first album, Fearless, in 2006 and it was a huge success. It sold over 2 million copies and was the best selling country album of that year. It also won a Grammy award for Best Country Album.
Taylor’s next album, Red, was released in 2012. It incorporated new genres for her like heartland rock and dubstep influences. It was a huge success and sold over 1.2 million copies in its first week. It also won a Grammy award for Album of the Year and became the best selling country album of the year. It also spawned a top 10 single for her with Shake It Off. Her next concert tour, the Red Tour, grossed over $150 million and was the highest grossing country tour of the year.
After the success of her fourth album, Taylor’s fifth studio album, 1989 was released in 2014. This was a complete departure from her country roots and went on to become the biggest-selling album of the year with over 1 million copies sold in its first week. It also won countless awards and broke numerous records on the charts.
In 2021, Taylor made another musical departure when she collaborated with Zayn Malik for the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack. She also released her seventh album, Lover in the same year and appeared on Broadway in a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats. The following year, she surprised fans by releasing her eighth album, Folklore, which is a stark change from her previous pop-inspired albums. The album was critically acclaimed and was the longest running number 1 on the Billboard 200. It was followed by its sister record, Evermore, in 2020.
Since then, Taylor has continued to write and release a string of hits including many collaborations with other artists. She has even written for film and television. She penned the songs “This Is What You Came For” and “Better Man” for the Fifty Shades trilogy. In addition, she has co-written for other popular artists such as Calvin Harris and Zayn Malik. Taylor’s deft ability to traverse country, pop, and adult alternative genres has contributed greatly to her impressive Billboard Hot 100 legacy. She is the only artist to have seven consecutive songs in the top ten of the chart and also holds the record for the longest No. 1 song in chart history at over two minutes long.
