taylor swift has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and won over 40 awards, including 12 Grammys. The singer/songwriter rose to fame at a time when Nashville was still dominated by Stetson-wearing male singers in their 30s, and her songs of love, heartbreak, teen angst, and coming-of-age resonated with fans everywhere. She became the youngest country music star to win Album of the Year twice, and her songs have appeared in more than 100 movies and TV shows. Her global tours have grossed over $1 billion. She is the first female artist to have four of her albums reach number one on the Billboard 200, and has broken several records in the process.
Swift’s songwriting skills became evident at a young age, and she was signed by Big Machine Records as one of its youngest artists. She honed her craft by writing songs during two-hour sessions every Tuesday afternoon after school. In Nashville, she was mentored by Liz Rose, a popular songwriter with whom she forged a strong bond. She quickly climbed the charts, with her debut single “Love Story” reaching number five on the US Hot Country Songs chart in 2006 and her self-titled album debuting at number three in 2008.
By 2011, Swift’s popularity had exploded. She broke the record for the most singles to reach number one on the charts, and her second album, Fearless, was a blockbuster hit that sold more than 2 million copies in its first week of release.
In 2012, she returned with her fourth studio album, RED, which debuted at number one and ushered in a new era for the singer/songwriter. It was her first release with new producers and songwriters like Max Martin, Shellback, and Nathan Chapman, and it introduced elements of new genres such as pop and dubstep. RED also included a cover of the classic Bob Dylan song “Tangled Up in Blue” that earned Taylor her first Grammy award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
The following year she won a record-tying six Grammys and received the Songwriter of the Year award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2019 she released her seventh album, Lover, and made her Broadway debut in Cats, a film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hugely successful musical production. In 2020, she surprised fans with Folklore and its sister album Evermore, ruminative releases that incorporated collaborations with artists like Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff.
After a hiatus from the public eye, Swift staged one of the most successful comebacks in music history with her sixth album, Reputation, and its lead single, “Look What You Made Me Do.” In 2023, she continued to reinvent herself with the release of Midnights and embarked on her multi-year Eras Tour.
