At the tender age of 34, Taylor Swift has already achieved what many artists can only dream of. With 14 Grammys under her belt, over 114 million albums sold and a staggering 70 billion audio and video streams to her name.
Not to mention her record-shattering ‘Eras Tour’. If you weren’t familiar with the singer before the tour, you certainly are now.
It’s the highest-grossing tour in history, being the first to cross the billion-dollar threshold, and Swift isn’t stopping there.
With more tour dates on the horizon, additional albums anticipated and even greater fame coming her way, all eyes are on this superstar’s career. But where did it all start?
Before Swift became a pop sensation, and prior to her early days as a country artist, she was just a little girl with big dreams, composing music on her bedroom floor, reports the Mirror.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1989, Taylor Swift spent her early years living on her family’s Christmas tree farm alongside her parents and brother. A passionate singer and songwriter from a young age, she always aspired to make it big.
(Image: Getty Images)
At the age of 14, her family moved to Nashville to help realise her dreams. She had her heart set on becoming a country singer, and knew there was only one place to be.
Her family’s efforts were not in vain.
In 2005, Swift was discovered while performing at an industry showcase at the iconic Bluebird Cafe, a music venue known for spotlighting songwriters. She caught the attention of Scott Borchetta and was signed to his independent label, Big Machine Records, kickstarting her career as a recording artist.
Her debut album was released in 2006 and she soon became known for her prolific output.
Swift has enjoyed a highly successful career since then. To date, she has released 11 studio albums: Taylor Swift (2006), Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014), Reputation (2017), Lover (2019), Folklore (2020), Evermore (2020), Midnights (2022), and The Tortured Poets Department (2024).
Over the years her music has evolved and so too has her voice.
Swift initially rose to fame as a country singer – her 2006 single ‘Our Song’ made her the youngest artist in history to have written and performed a No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
However, she later embraced pop music and cemented her status as one of the world’s most famous pop stars. In recognition of her success, TIME Magazine named her as the person of the year in 2023.
(Image: Getty Images)
Her journey from country darling to global superstar hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Notably, she was caught up in a spat with the artist Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) after he stormed the stage at the VMAs in 2009 and interrupted her acceptance speech.
“At the time I didn’t know they were booing him doing that. I thought they were booing me,” Swift, who was just 19 at the time, has since revealed. Ye did apologise in 2009 and the pair made amends, but the feud was rekindled in 2016.
Amid the fallout, Swift went into seclusion for a year.
The singer also faced a well-publicised battle in 2019 when Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings bought Big Machine Records, giving him the rights to the master recordings of her first albums. For Swift, who claimed she’d previously begged for the opportunity to own her work, it was a devastating blow.
But the saga wasn’t over.
In an effort to regain control of her music, Swift unveiled her plan to re-record her first six albums as part of a colossal re-recording project. Four albums in, her ‘Taylor’s Version’ releases have already seen huge success, and one of the most eagerly awaited re-releases – Reputation – is still on the horizon.
As expected, the re-recording project and the nostalgia stirred up by her Eras Tour has only amplified the singer’s appeal as her fame continues to skyrocket. However, she hasn’t forgotten her roots.
In 2018, Swift made a surprise return to Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe for a performance, expressing her gratitude for the venue’s support of musicians.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
