Taylor Swift has a lot of fans, and for good reason. Her music is catchy, and her stories are pretty relatable. But the thing that really gives her fans a connection to her is how she connects with near-universal emotions and situations. Whether it’s the coming of age themes on her debut album or the songs about heartbreak on her latest LP, it’s easy to see why so many people feel connected to her music.
Taylor began her career in country music at an early age. At a showcase at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe in 2005, she caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, who was preparing to form his own independent record label, Big Machine Records. Taylor was one of the first signings, with her father purchasing a three percent share of the company.
After the release of her second studio album, Fearless, Taylor forged new connections with artists and songwriters, including Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, who would become frequent collaborators on future releases. The album also marked a new direction for her music, incorporating influences from pop and rock into her sound. The record was a critical success, with the “New York Times” calling it “a small masterpiece of pop-minded country, both wide-eyed and cynical, held together by Ms. Swift’s firm, pleading voice.”
In 2012, Taylor released her fourth studio album, RED. The album was a breakthrough hit, selling over one million copies in its first week of release and becoming the fastest-selling album by a female artist in US history. The RED Tour was also a huge success, becoming the highest-grossing country music tour of all time when it concluded.
Throughout the RED era, Taylor explored more nuanced relationship issues and began to experiment with new genres in her music. She collaborated with producers like Max Martin and Shellback, as well as songwriters like Nathan Chapman and Liz Rose. The songwriting on this album was especially groundbreaking, as Taylor started to explore more emotional and vulnerable subject matter in her lyrics.
By the end of the RED era, Taylor released two indie folk albums, folklore and evermore, that incorporated the sounds of Americana into her music. The albums were critically acclaimed, with evermore topping both the Billboard 200 and the Hot 100 charts, the first time that a single from an indie folk album has done so.
In the years that followed, Taylor has continued to break records with her music and her image. She’s broken records for the most number of wins at the MTV Video Music Awards and the American Music Awards, and she has received more Grammy nominations than any other artist in history. She’s also broken records for the most number of number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the most singles on the iTunes Top Songs chart.
