taylor swift is an american singer-songwriter known for her musical versatility, artistic reinventions and cultural influence. She has received many accolades and awards throughout her career, including several Grammys, AMAs and VMAs. She is one of the best-selling artists in music history and is known for her philanthropic work.
Born Taylor Alison Swift on December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania, she grew up on an 11-acre Christmas tree farm with her parents Andrea (Finlay) and Scott Kingsley Swift. Despite her small-town background, Swift developed a reputation as an articulate and charismatic performer with a unique talent for interpreting contemporary themes through a country-pop lens. Her parents encouraged her talent, fostering her love for music and teaching her to play the piano. She also took vocal lessons and participated in local talent shows. She began writing songs at age 12, and was given a chance to showcase her skills at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe. The performance caught the attention of record executive Scott Borchetta, who offered her a recording contract with his independent label Big Machine Records. The deal made her the youngest artist to be signed to a major record label.
Taylor’s first two albums, Fearless (2006) and Fearless (2008), topped the Billboard 200 and were certified platinum in North America. Both earned her the BMI Songwriter of the Year award, as well as awards at the CMAs and ACMs. In addition to her own releases, Taylor wrote and recorded songs for other artists, including Little Big Town’s seventh album The Breaker (2011) and Zayn Malik’s Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack song “Better Man” (2016).
In October 2012, she released RED, which debuted at number 1 in the US and became the highest-grossing country album of all time. The album incorporated new genres for Swift, including heartland rock and dubstep influences. The record spawned the highest-selling single of her career, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” which reached number 1 on both the pop and country charts. In support of the album, Swift embarked on her RED Tour.
The success of RED led to a series of high-profile collaborations, including the remixes EPs Speak Now and Styles Change. She also took on a starring role in the animated Dr. Seuss film The Lorax (2012). Her acting career continued to flourish, earning her a Golden Globe nomination and a Critics’ Choice Movie Award win for Best Actress in a Comedy or Romance for her work in The Spectacular Now (2013).
In an effort to own her catalog, she re-recorded her sophomore album Fearless for the release of a compilation called Fearless (Taylor’s Version) in 2015. She also removed her music from Spotify in a dispute over royalties, and later took on Apple Music, urging consumers to pay for its premium service instead of its ad-supported free one. The company subsequently agreed to change its terms. In January 2020, Taylor released the self-directed documentary Miss Americana on Netflix.
