Taylor Swift was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and raised in the suburbs of Bucks County. She began writing songs at age 12, and by age 14 had secured an artist development deal with RCA Records. After winning a national poetry contest, she decided to focus on singing and songwriting. At an industry showcase at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, she caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, who was preparing to launch Big Machine Records. She signed a contract with the label, becoming its youngest ever artist.
With the release of Fearless in 2008, Swift exploded onto the national scene. The album was the year’s best-selling country record and made Swift the youngest person to win an Album of the Year Grammy. Rolling Stone praised the album for its frankness and authenticity, stating that “Taylor’s music mixes an almost impersonal professionalism — her confessions sound like they’re squirmingly true in a hit factory — with a deeply personal sensitivity.”
The Red Tour, which accompanied the album of the same name, became one of the highest-grossing country tours in history and landed Swift two Grammys and the award for Female Vocalist of the Year. In addition to her own work, Swift has co-written songs for artists such as John Mayer and Kellie Pickler, and she contributed tracks to the soundtracks for Valentine’s Day and Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana. She also starred as Bombalurina in the movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats.
In 2011, Taylor surprised her fans by releasing the pop-influenced EP Speak Now, which was produced by Max Martin and Shellback, who would become two of her most frequent collaborators. The following year, she wrote and recorded the lead single for the movie Fifty Shades Darker, and the track was a number-two hit in the US. In late 2016, Swift collaborated with rappers Zayn Malik and Calvin Harris on “This Is What You Came For”, which reached the top five in the United States. The album of the same name debuted at number one in November 2016 and spawned the top-ten hits “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Blank Space”.
With 1989, Swift moved away from her traditional ratio of country to pop music. She worked with producers such as Max Martin and Shellback again, and the resulting album was her most popular to date. It topped the charts in the US, UK, and Australia, and it earned her four Grammy awards including the award for Song of the Year and the most prestigious accolade, Album of the Year.
In the fall of 2020, Swift surprise-announced her ninth studio album, folklore. The album, which was released at midnight, topped the Billboard 200 and became her longest-running number-one album with eight non-consecutive weeks. It featured new collaborations with Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner of The National, and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. The album’s sister record, evermore, was released a few months later and debuted at number one as well. Both albums were certified multi-platinum by the RIAA.
