Taylor Swift is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actress. She is the youngest person to win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. Her albums have sold millions of copies and have become multi-platinum. In 2016, she was one of the most searched artists on the Internet, and her first song “Look What You Made Me Do” broke the record for most views in the first 24 hours.
Born and raised at the Jersey shore, Taylor Swift first took up music and a guitar at age nine, and studied music and acting in New York City. After she turned thirteen, she signed with Sony/ATV publishing house and performed songs in Nashville. However, the country label rejected her. The next year, she moved to Tennessee, where her parents sold their farm and bought a lakefront home. There, she began performing, studying music, and writing.
In October 2006, Taylor Swift released her self-titled debut album. It went on to sell over 39,000 copies during its first week. It also earned generally positive reviews from music critics. Some even called it a small masterpiece of pop-minded country.
By the time the album’s second single, “Love Story,” hit the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, Taylor was already a country superstar. She received a number of awards, including a nomination for the CMA Horizon Award and an Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Female Vocalist.
When her debut album was finished, Taylor decided to go back to her roots. This meant taking inspiration from her favorite country artists. In addition, she had a number of country-pop collaborations. Among them were “Beautiful Ghosts” and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” which were both hits on the US singles charts. They were later featured on the soundtrack of the Fifty Shades Darker movie.
On her fourth studio album, Swift explored nuanced issues of relationships. The songs were a departure from her earlier pop-influenced work. A track called “Fearless” won a MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video. Another was a song she wrote for the soundtrack of the film, The Hunger Games.
As she grew older, Taylor continued to re-record her favorites. She even collaborated with her brother on a song.
Taylor Swift worked with Liz Rose and Nathan Chapman, a songwriter. She also co-wrote songs with Kellie Pickler and Boys Like Girls. At age 11, she joined a local talent show.
Later, Taylor was selected to be an industry showcase artist. She was also a vocalist for the theatrical musical Cats. But her biggest breakthrough came when she won the CMA Award for Best Country Song for “Shake it Off.”
Her fifth studio album, 1989, featured the hits “Blank Space” and “Shake It Off,” and won the CMA award for Best Country Album. It also included three other international hits, including the UK’s “You Belong With Me.”
Taylor Swift’s sixth studio album, reputation, was released in 2018. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. And her seventh, evermore, was released in 2020. These two albums became Taylor’s most successful comebacks, earning the singer a Grammy nomination and multiple awards.
