Swift, Taylor Alison,
1989- , American singer-songwriter, b. West Reading,
Pa. A precocious songwriter, Swift moved to Nashville at age 15 hoping to
land a recording deal. Two years later, her first album was released,
establishing her on the country charts with the single “Tim
McGraw” (2006; her first top-ten country hit). Her second album
release, Fearless (2008), began her transition into
mainstream pop. This transformation was completed in the 2010s with a series
of top-selling albums and hit singles, including “You Belong with
Me” (2009; the first country single to top
Billboard’s all genre radio chart), “I Knew
You Were Trouble” (2012; supposedly written about
singer/songwriter/actor Harry Styles), and the dance-pop song “Shake
It Off” (2014). During the pandemic year of 2020, she recorded two
more contemplative albums that incorporated elements of folk and alt-rock.
Swift has sold over 200 million records worldwide, making her among the most
successful of all female recording acts, and has won 11 Grammy Awards,
including three for best album, a first for a female artist. Swift has also
become an advocate for artist’s rights following a falling out with
her original label, which sold her back-catalog masters. In an attempt to
reclaim her music, she began rerecording her original albums in autumn 2020,
beginning with a new version of Fearless that was released
in 2021. Swift has cultivated an extremely loyal fan base and has fed the
tabloid press through her songs that document several past relationships
with other well-known pop stars.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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