As the most successful female artist in music history, Taylor Swift has deftly traversed country, pop, and adult alternative genres, and has amassed a catalogue of chart-topping hits. She has also demonstrated a savvy business sense, strategically navigating the music industry with both artistry and acumen.
Born December 13, 1989 in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Swift was raised on a Christmas tree farm with her parents and older brother. She began singing and writing songs at a young age. Her early writing was heavily influenced by female country songwriters like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette, as well as 1990s era songwriters like Melissa Etheridge, Alanis Morissette, and Sarah McLachlan.
At age 11, she won a local talent competition and began performing professionally. The same year, she recorded her first song with producer Nathan Chapman. Despite her interest in singing and acting, Taylor chose to focus on writing and recording music. Her sophomore album, Fearless, was released in 2008 and produced five singles, including “Love Story” which peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 in Australia. The album was a huge success, selling over 2 million copies in the US alone.
In 2012, Taylor released RED, her fourth studio album. It pushed her into new musical territory with collaborations with producers such as Max Martin and Shellback, incorporating elements of dubstep and dance pop into her sound. RED was a commercial and critical hit, and Taylor’s first number 1 album in the UK. Its subsequent tour grossed over $150 million, making it the highest-grossing country music tour of all time.
Taylor’s sixth studio album, reputation, was released in November 2017. It marked a departure from her earlier releases, with an experimental pop sound. It topped the Billboard 200 and became her longest-running #1 album in history, with 8 non-consecutive weeks at the top spot. The album’s lead single, “Look What You Made Me Do”, broke records for the most-streamed song in a 24-hour period and set a record for the most YouTube views in 24 hours for a video clip.
On July 23, 2020, Swift surprised fans by releasing her eighth studio album, folklore, at midnight. The album and its single, “cardigan”, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. It was the third album in a row to do so, and the first time a woman has achieved that feat. It also featured collaborations with artists such as Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner of The National, and Bon Iver.
In 2024, Swift surprised her fans by releasing a re-recording of her second album, Fearless, under the title Fearless (Taylor’s Version). This was her first foray into the world of re-recording an existing body of work. The re-recording included new “from the vault” recordings, as well as Easter eggs and visuals that enriched the listener’s understanding of the songs. This approach would become a hallmark of Taylor’s later re-recordings.
