Taylor Swift grew up in West Reading, Pennsylvania. She started singing karaoke locally at age 10 and at the age of 11 she sang the National Anthem at a Philadelphia 76ers game. She began learning guitar and writing songs around that time. Her interest in country music isolated her from her middle school peers.
In 2005, at a showcase at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, she caught the attention of Scott Borchetta who was preparing to form his own independent label Big Machine Records. His decision to sign her was a risky move, but it paid off. With the release of her first album, Fearless, Swift became a sensation, selling more than one million copies in its first week alone. She was nominated for multiple awards at prestigious music shows and won several.
Swift’s fifth studio album, 1989, marked a dramatic change in genre for the artist. It topped the Billboard 200 for 11 weeks and was her most successful album to date. The album spawned five singles and earned her six Grammy awards.
With the release of her sixth studio album, Red, in 2012, Swift continued to expand her musical horizons by working with new producers and songwriters, including Max Martin and Shellback, who would become two of her biggest collaborators. She also incorporated new styles such as heartland rock and dubstep. The album topped the Billboard 200 for ten weeks and sold over a million copies in its first week alone. The accompanying Red Tour grossed over $150 million and was the highest grossing tour for a country musician to date.
Swift continued to experiment with her sound with the release of her seventh studio album, 24K Magic, in 2022. It was her most commercially successful album to date, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 and earning a gold certification. It spawned four singles and featured guest appearances from Post Malone and Florence + the Machine. The album was followed by a live concert film, Taylor Swift: Eraser Tour, which debuted in theaters and then became available on streaming service Disney+.
In 2023, Swift rereleased her previous albums in a format called RED (Taylor’s Version) to maintain ownership of the master recordings. The albums topped the Billboard 200 and each single from the record received a top-ten spot on the Hot 100 chart. In the same year, she won Album of the Year at the 61st Annual American Music Awards for her fifth studio album, Reputation.
In 2024, Swift released her 12th studio album, 25. It is her most personal work to date and explores themes of depression, societal pressures and relationships with men. The record features several collaborations with popular artists, including rapper Dua Lipa and actor Mark Ronson. It also contains a cover of The Cure’s “Perfect Day.” The song was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe award. The album topped the Billboard 200 and was nominated for a Grammy award. It was followed by the live concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eraser Tour, which grossed more than $260 million worldwide.
