The American singer-songwriter Taylor Alison Swift has been an active member of popular culture since her career took off in 2009. Known for her autobiographical songwriting and artistic reinventions, she has amassed a number of critically acclaimed albums and made countless television appearances. Taylor’s ability to connect with her audience has garnered her a large following, and she regularly sells out stadium-sized tours. She is also an accomplished entrepreneur, owning her record label and having a stake in various other businesses.
Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, to Scott and Andrea Swift, Taylor’s early childhood was spent on a Christmas tree farm with her siblings. At the age of 9, she began taking vocal and acting lessons in New York City. The following year, she moved with her family to Nashville, Tennessee, where she started writing songs. She recorded her first demo at the age of 12, and shortly thereafter, she signed with a Nashville-based independent label, Big Machine Records.
After the release of her third studio album, Speak Now, Taylor won multiple awards and dominated the music scene. She became the youngest artist to win a Grammy, and the album sold over two million copies in the United States alone.
On her fourth studio album, Red, Taylor explored more nuanced relationship issues and found success with the single “Blank Space,” which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album received widespread acclaim from critics, and the Fearless Tour grossed over $63 million.
Following the release of her fifth studio album, 1989, Taylor was involved in a number of high-profile feuds with celebrities and media outlets. While she has remained largely out of the spotlight in recent years, she is still a hugely influential figure in pop culture.
At the 61st Grammy Awards, Taylor received six nominations and won Album of the Year for Reputation. She was the first woman to sweep all categories at a major music awards show, and her performances during the ceremony were widely praised.
In 2022, she released the ruminative folklore and evermore, which were recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2023, she launched her multi-year Eras Tour. In 2023, she adopted a synth-pop sound for her candid Midnights album and described it as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.”
While many artists’ fans rebel when they stray from their original genre, Swift has masterfully succeeded at changing up her sound while remaining true to her identity. This is evident on her slinky, dance-pop track “Look What You Made Me Do.” It’s a song about a girl who has her finger on the pulse of what turns a guy on and knows exactly how to play him. Max Martin and Shellback put their computer programming instincts to the side and let Taylor’s sexy voice do the rest. It’s an irresistible combination of power, sexiness and wit that makes this one of Swift’s greatest hits.
