Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter and entrepreneur. She has a unique ability to captivate her audience and make them feel emotionally connected to her music. She has won numerous awards and accolades throughout her career including 14 Grammys, a Primetime Emmy Award and over 40 American Music Awards. Swift is considered one of the most influential women in contemporary culture and her devoted fans are known as Swifties. Her illustrious career is the result of a strategic blend of artistry and business acumen.
Swift was born in Reading, Pennsylvania and grew up on her family’s Christmas tree farm. At age 9, she began taking vocal and acting lessons but was soon drawn to country music, inspired by artists such as Shania Twain and Faith Hill. By age 14, she had moved to Nashville and was signed to Big Machine Records by producer Scott Borchetta. She toured with her band and acoustic guitar, performing at local venues in Tennessee before moving on to arenas full of Swifties and selling out stadiums worldwide.
In 2019 she starred as Bombalurina in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical Cats and won a Golden Globe nomination. A documentary about her life, titled Miss Americana, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020. Also that year, she released her seventh album Lover, which was the highest-selling album of the year in the United States. The follow-up albums Evermore and Folklore, an indie folk release, followed the same pattern of commercial and critical success.
By the end of 2018, Swift had earned a record 23 trophies at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, becoming the most-awarded female pop artist in history. She left the Big Machine Label in 2018 and signed a deal with Republic Records and Universal Music Group. The new contract included a clause that allowed her to maintain ownership of the master tapes for her previous six albums. As a result, she rerecorded many of the songs from her previous releases, in order to keep them her own.
In addition to her musical accomplishments, Swift has proven herself as a social activist and fashion designer. She is an advocate for artists’ rights and has a strong voice for women’s empowerment. She has also worked extensively with philanthropic organizations such as the Red Cross and the Make A Difference Day Foundation. In 2018, she hosted a special performance for 2,000 adopted and foster children before the start of her Reputation Tour.
