When Taylor Swift isn’t busy making history, she’s writing, producing, or directing her own movies or hosting award shows. She’s also a multi-platinum recording artist with a massive streaming catalog, a fervent social media following and the most successful North American tour of all time. She’s also a philanthropist and business woman with a keen sense of style. She was born in 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania to Andrea Finlay, a one-time marketing executive, and Scott Kingsley Swift, a financial adviser. Her maternal grandmother was a professional opera singer and she began singing publicly at age 10. Swift’s career took off after she was signed to Big Machine Records in 2006, with her first album Fearless becoming a blockbuster success.
She’s a master of crafting narratives, both in song and on stage. From a series of teen-romantic comedies to the more nuanced stories of her 20s, she has delivered multiple euphoric experiences. Her music has become a part of our collective pop culture and Swift has proven to be an unabashed force for positive change.
Whether she’s singing about a heartbreaking breakup or reciting the details of a traumatic childhood experience, Swift always conveys the depths of her emotions. Her vocal range is surprisingly wide on this deep cut, with her voice reaching into corners you’d never expect to hear her in (including a high-pitched vibrato that perfectly blends with Joy Williams and John Paul White’s hushed harmonies).
When she’s not crooning about love or adolescent trauma, Swift often writes about grief, especially for those closest to her. This sombre ode to a high school friend who died too young is an early display of the singer’s ability to craft emotionally moving songs. It’s also a reminder of her penchant for finding the lyrical beauty in even the most tragic events.
After a lengthy breakup with Big Machine in 2019, Swift delved into indie folk and alternative rock with her next two albums, Folklore (2019) and Evermore (2021). Inspired by escapism during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, these low-key releases praised for their lyricism and opened up new sonic vistas for Swift. In 2022, she re-recorded her back catalog as the two-album compilation Midnights (alongside production partner Jack Antonoff). It’s Swift at her most acoustic and poignant, with each song revealing new sides of her poetic and emotional storytelling. She’s also proven to be an exceptional live performer and has racked up record attendances with her multi-year Eras Tour.
