Taylor Swift is a singer, songwriter, musician and actress. She has recorded a wide range of music, including pop, country, folk and rock. Her songs often draw from her personal experiences and are vividly written. During her career, she has received many awards and nominations.
At age nine, Taylor Swift started taking vocal lessons in New York City. She also participated in musical theatre productions. In 2004, she signed a songwriting deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. However, at the age of fourteen, she left her contract. Then, she signed a recording contract with Universal Music Group.
Several awards have come her way, including the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award and the VMAs’ Female Video of the Year award for Fearless. She was also nominated for Best Pop/Rock Female Artist at the 61st Grammy Awards.
Taylor Swift’s first album, eponymous, was released in 2006. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, spawning three top-ten singles. This was a record for a female artist, who became the first to debut at the top of both the albums and the singles charts. She also won the CMA’s Album of the Year award, making her the youngest entertainer of the year to do so.
When she was 13, Taylor moved to Nashville, Tennessee. As she grew older, she grew more interested in country music. Eventually, she took up singing in local talent shows. By the time she was 15, she was an industry showcase artist.
Taylor Swift’s third album, Speak Now, was released in 2010. Its lead single, “Speak Now,” was named as the Country Radio Playlist’s Song of the Year. Afterwards, she was nominated for several more awards, including the American Country Awards and the Grammys.
Upon the release of her fourth studio album, Red, in 2012, Taylor Swift began to explore different genres. She teamed up with Zayn Malik on “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” which reached number two in the US. That same year, she also collaborated with Calvin Harris on the song “This Is What You Came For,” which was nominated for the Golden Globes and the Grammys.
Her most recent album, Lover, was released in August of 2019, and it went straight to the top of the Billboard charts. The album earned multiple awards and nominations, including six AMAs. The first week of the album’s release, the album sold more than 500,000 copies.
With Lover, she became the first woman to hold the position of both album and single of the year. In the same week, all 18 songs on the album charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Throughout the year, Taylor also won four awards at the AMAs. Despite this, she also criticized the decision of her label, Big Machine Records, to sign rapper Kanye West.
After leaving Big Machine Records, Taylor Swift signed a multi-album deal with Universal Music Group in November 2018. She announced the re-release of her fourth studio album, which will be called RED.
