From a ringleted country artist to world’s most charming pop star, this seven-time Grammy award winner has built a childhood dream into a business empire.
A global superstar whose tours sell out stadiums in seconds, she is the top-selling digital artist in music history. Her feats are all the more impressive because she writes her own material—a rarity for a country singer, but especially unusual for a teen star.
Her large-scale charitable contributions are one thing, but it’s in the small gestures – genuine hugs she distributes without discretion – where she proves time and time again that platinum-selling, record-setting success has not changed her inherent nature.
Childhood
Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in Pennsylvania. Her grandmother, an opera singer, was an early influence as she started to sing at the age of 10. She entered local karaoke contests and recorded some demo tapes which ended in almost every receptionist desks of Nashville’s record labels.
At the age of 12, Swift was shown by a computer repairman how to play three chords on a guitar, inspiring her to write her first song, “Lucky You”. Seeing her growing interest in country musci, her family eventually moved to Hendersonville, Tennessee where opportunity came in the form of Scott Borchetta, a records executive.
Career
Taylor released her debut album “Taylor Swift” in October of 2006 and received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album sold 39,000 copies during its first week.
In 2008 Taylor released her second studio album “Fearless”. The lead single from the album, “Love Story”, became the second best-selling country single of all time, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was the top-selling album of 2009 and brought Swift much crossover success.
She followed her success with her third album Speak Now on October 25, 2010, selling over a million copies in the first week. In the early years of her career, Swift’s signature look consisted of sun-dresses and cowboy boots. This fashion style is still copied by many of the young fans who attend her concerts.
She has also collaborated with T-Pain, John Mayer and pop-punk band Boys and Girls. But the most publicized instance of her sharing the stage with another artist wasn’t planned — In 2009, she was about to accept a Video Music Award for Best Female Video in New York when Kanye West hijacked the stage, interrupting Swift and insisting that Beyoncé had “one of the best videos of all time.” He wound up apologizing a few days later, but by then the incident was legend.
Philanthropy
Swift is a supporter of arts education. In 2009, she donated $250,000 to various schools around the country that she had either attended or had other associations with. In 2010, she donated $75,000 to Nashville’s Hendersonville High School.
In 2008, she donated $100,000 to the Red Cross to help the victims of the Iowa flood. In response to the May 2010 Tennessee floods, Swift donated $500,000 during a telethon hosted by WSMV.
Awards
Billboard’s Woman of the Year in 2011 and 2014
Harmony Award from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra in 2011
Ripple of Hope Award from Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights in 2012