Taylor Swift, born on December 13, 1989 in West Reading, Pennsylvania, grew up on a Christmas tree farm and sang karaoke locally at the age of 11. After winning a local talent competition she traveled to New York City for vocal and acting lessons. When she was around 12, a computer repairman taught her guitar chords, and Taylor started writing her first songs. She began to perform her original songs on stage at Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions of musicals including Bye Bye Birdie, Annie and Grease.
Taylor’s emergence as country music’s latest star was meteoric. She captivated audiences with her girly songs aimed at teens and she became a major hit, performing at sold-out shows in arenas across the US and internationally. Her first headlining tour, Fearless, grossed over $63 million. She won multiple awards at prestigious award shows such as the CMAs and ACMs. She was named Female Artist of the Year at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
After the success of Fearless, Taylor began experimenting with genre. She released the synth-pop album RED in 2012. The album’s music incorporated new influences for Taylor, such as dubstep and dance pop, which appealed to fans outside her core country audience. She also collaborated with songwriters and producers like Max Martin and Shellback, who would become her major collaborators in the future. The album became her most successful to date, spending 11 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200.
In 2016, Taylor co-wrote and performed the song “This Is What You Came For” with Calvin Harris, which reached number one in the United States. In 2017, she collaborated with Zayn Malik on the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack, writing and recording “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever”. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her longest-running single to date.
Throughout this time, Taylor continued to release popular albums and make high-profile television appearances. She wrote and starred in the movie Speak (2016), which was nominated for an Oscar. In 2020, she directed the short film All Too Well: The Movie and released a documentary about her life, Miss Americana (2021). Her 2022 album Midnights and single Anti-Hero broke multifarious records, including the record for the longest song to be #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In addition to her countless accomplishments, Taylor is an active philanthropist and advocate for social change. She founded the nonprofit organization Fearless Fund and uses her fame to help those in need. In the past, she has donated over $80 million to various charities and organizations. In 2019, she was inducted into the National Music Hall of Fame. Taylor continues to release new music, film and TV projects and is widely considered one of the most successful entertainers of her generation.
