You are riding in the car with your family. You already know the song is going to play. No matter what station you listen to, she is always on. You read the name of the artist on the car screen, even though you know who sings the song. Taylor Swift. She’s bold, creative, and one of the most famous people of our generation. Taylor Swift is no stranger to the music industry. But how did this idol become the person she is today?
Early Life
Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania. She grew up on a small farm in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. When Taylor was nine, her parents Andrea and Scott Kingsley Swift decided to move to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Taylor’s first hobby was surprisingly not singing, it was horseback riding. She later turned her attention to musical theater. She performed in plays such as “Bye, Bye, Birdie”, “Grease”, and “Annie”. She frequently traveled to New York City for voice lessons, as well as acting 
classes. Taylor auditioned for many roles in New York but got nothing, and later became more interested in country music. At age 11, Taylor won a local talent show and was offered to be the opening act for Charlie Daniels, a singer and musician, at the Strausstown amphitheater. At age 12, Taylor wrote her first song, “Lucky You”. When she was 14, the family moved to Nashville. Taylor had an artist development deal with RCA Records, but left when she turned 15. Taylor Swift later caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, a Dreamworks Records executive at a café, and was one of the label’s first signings.
Big Break
In 2006, Taylor released her first album, “Debut”. Her singles “Our Song” and “Tim McGraw”, made her the youngest solo writer and singer of a #1 country song. Then in 2008, she released her second album, “Fearless”. It was the top-selling album of 2009 and Taylor’s popularity and fame continued to grow. In September 2009, she became the first country music artist to win an MTV Video Music Award. She won it when “You Belong with Me” was named Best Female Video. In November of 2009, Taylor became the youngest ever artist, and one of only six women, to be named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association. Her third album “Speak Now” was released in 2010 and Swift toured throughout 2011 and early 2012. In 2012 the artist released another album, “Red”. Taylor was on many television shows including, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003), Good Morning America (1975), The View (1997), and many more. In May 2012, she sold 23 million albums and 54.5 million digital tracks worldwide.
Taylor Now
Since 2012, Taylor has released 6 albums. Taylor’s most recent album is called “Midnights”. The song “Anti-
Hero” is the lead single of “Midnights.”. Taylor re-recorded her first six albums on her own. She chose to do this so she could completely own all of her music. Around March 17, 2023, Taylor Swift released the Eras world tour including all of her albums. Taylor’s concert sales broke the record for the most tickets sold in a day. All 170,000 tickets were sold in just a few hours. Taylor is 34 years old, lives in New York City, and is currently seeing NFL superstar, Travis Kelce.
Taylor Swift is an overall amazing performer, singer, and songwriter. She has sold over 200 million records globally, Swift is the most-streamed woman on Spotify and Apple Music, and is currently on one of the most successful music tours of all time. So next time you’re bored and looking for something to do, whip out a device, and listen to some of Taylor’s amazing and catchy songs.
Works Cited
Bailey, Alyssa. “Taylor Swift Channels ‘Reputation’ in a Black Slit Dress at the 2023 MTV VMAs.” ELLE, 12 September 2023, https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a44993051/taylor-swift-red-carpet-photos-vmas-2023/. Accessed 12 December 2023.
Swift, Taylor. “Taylor Swift.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Swift. Accessed 12 December 2023.
“Taylor Swift – Biography.” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2357847/bio/. Accessed 12 December 2023.
