taylor swift is an American singer-songwriter who rose to fame as one of the most popular pop music artists in the world. She has been honored with numerous awards throughout her career, including 23 Grammy nominations, four wins (including Album of the Year in 2017 for Red), a Golden Globe nod, and two Academy Award nods. She also has a number of film roles under her belt, most notably the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway musical Cats. She has a television show, a Netflix documentary, and her own fashion line.
A Nashville native, Taylor began her professional music career at the age of 12 after being discovered by Scott Borchetta at a showcase in Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe. She became one of Big Machine Records’ first signings, and her debut album, Taylor Swift, debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200 in October 2006. The New York Times described it as “a small masterpiece of pop-minded country, both wide-eyed and cynical, held together by Ms. Swift’s firm, pleading voice.”
Taylor’s second album, Fearless, was released in 2008 and peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200. It was the highest-selling country album of that year, and Swift’s third single, White Horse, made her the youngest female to write and record a #1 country song. The album won her two Grammys, and she went on to win the prestigious Artist of the Year award at the AMAs that year.
In 2014, Taylor rerecorded her third album, Red, as part of a lawsuit settlement that allowed her to retain ownership of the master tapes. The resulting project, Taylor Swift Presents Red (Taylor’s Version), included nine tracks not released on the original release. Musically and lyrically, the songs on this album reflected a person who had been through a lot of heartache.
The following year, she released the singles Look What You Made Me Do and Shake It Off. The latter was a massive hit, topping the US charts and becoming the sixth biggest song of 2015. The year was capped off by Taylor’s starring turn as Bombalurina in the movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats.
In 2019 Taylor released her seventh album, Lover, which she described as a love letter to love itself. She stepped back from the pop-oriented work on 2020’s Folklore and its companion, Evermore, both of which topped the Billboard 200 and spent eight non-consecutive weeks at #1. Taylor adopted a synth-pop sound for the candid Midnights (2022), an album she wrote during 13 sleepless nights. It was a more mature and reflective work than her previous albums, and received praise for its introspection and restraint. It also spawned the single Cardigan, which became a top-10 hit in several countries.
