Childhood and youth
Taylor Swift was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. She was the first child of parents Scott Kingsley Swift and his wife Andrea, née Gardner. Both were involved in banking - the father worked as a financial consultant, and the mother was a housewife.
The daughter's name was chosen in honor of one of the couple's favorite performers, James Taylor. The family has a youngest son, Austin, who today graduated from the University of Notre Dame and acts as a dramatic actor.
Young Taylor attended Windcroft elementary private school and high school in the town of Wyomissing. It was there that Swift began making music. She mastered playing the guitar. Later, texts began to appear for the invented melodies.
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Taylor Swift as a child
Country style turned out to be the closest in spirit to the girl. Little Swift performs the song Big Deal at a local competition and immediately receives an offer to open for country singer Charlie Daniels.
Having signed a contract with RCA Records, the singer still does not achieve the release of the disc, so she terminates the cooperation agreement. After moving to Nashville, the girl gets more creative freedom.
Performing at a cafe window with her compositions, Swift attracted the attention of Scott Borchetta, who was just opening his own record company, Big Machine Records. The conclusion of a contract with the studio served to further develop the successful creative biography of the performer.
Hobbies in childhood
The girl was born in a small town in Pennsylvania. Her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, was a financial consultant. Her mother, Andrea Gardner, worked at a marketing foundation before her daughter was born. After going on maternity leave, she decided to stay at home, because her husband earned enough.
Taylor was the first child in the family. Her parents dreamed of her making a career in the financial sector. Therefore, they chose a universal name for their daughter that did not emphasize her gender. She was named after the singer James Taylor, whom Andrea adored. Later, the girl’s brother Austin was born, and now he performs in the theater.
The future star studied at the Windcroft private school. She was nine years old when her parents decided to move to Wyomissing. Swift finished middle school in a new place. She was very bored due to parting with old friends. Gradually the girl developed an interest in music. At age 10, she wrote her first song in an attempt to express her emotions.
Parents always supported their daughter's hobbies. Thanks to them, the little girl learned to play the guitar and attended vocal courses. Later she began going to castings and auditions, but never became a leader in them. Despite this, Taylor was a success among the residents of her hometown. She regularly performed at fairs, competitions and festivals in Wyomissing. As a child, the singer took acting classes on Broadway, so she had absolutely no fear of the stage or performing in front of crowds.
When Swift was 12 years old, she performed the US anthem at the opening ceremony of the Philadelphia Games. But the real breakthrough for the girl was her performance at a local competition with the song Big Deal. Charlie Daniels noticed her sincere interest in country music, and he invited her to sing as an opening act before his concert.
In 2004, the singer signed a contract with RCA Records. But representatives of the label wanted to wait until the girl came of age and only then begin releasing albums and promoting her. She refused to wait that long, so she canceled the contract before the recording.
Music
First, in August, a single was released for the song Tim McGraw, and in October, Taylor Swift’s debut album was released, which critics considered successful. Taylor was even awarded a local Nashville award for best emerging female vocalist. The artist's subsequent works also received awards.
The third album was released in 2010 under the name Speak Now. Taylor Swift wrote the lyrics and music for all 12 songs herself. The album again topped the Billboard 200 and at that time was considered the singer’s most successful work commercially.
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The 2012 album Red reinforced the success of the young singer. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. In March 2013, Taylor Swift and a team of musicians began a tour in support of the new album. The tour included 86 concerts that the singer gave in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Asia.
In 2014, Swift presented her fifth studio album, 1989. Taylor positioned the new disc as the first official pop disc. In the songs of this record, the performer moved away from the usual country music.
In 2015, the singer was included in Forbes magazine's list of the most influential women. In the ranking of 100 Most Powerful Women, Taylor took 64th place. The artist became the youngest woman to be included on this list. In the same year, she took 1st place in the list of the sexiest women according to the men's magazine MAXIM.
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The 58th annual Grammy Awards took place on February 15, 2021. The singer was nominated for awards in seven categories for the songs Blank Space and Bad Blood and won in three of them. Taylor Swift won Album of the Year, becoming the first woman to win the category twice.
In May 2021, the singer was awarded a special Taylor Swift Award at the BMI Pop Awards. This was the second time during the existence of the BMI Pop Awards that a musician was awarded such an award. The first was Michael Jackson.
On December 9, 2021, the single and its video, I Don't Wanna Live Forever, were released. The song was co-written by Sam Dew and Jack Antonoff and performed as a duet with Zayn Malik. The single became the soundtrack to the film Fifty Shades Darker.
How Taylor Swift became famous
As a teenager, Taylor Swift moved to one of the suburbs of the large and vibrant Nashville, a city rightfully called the capital of country music. Here she began taking private lessons from songwriter Lil Rose, and also singing with a guitar on the streets, standing in front of the windows of one of the local cafes. It was there that producer Scott Borchette noticed her. The master of the music industry at that time was just beginning to promote his own label, Big Machine Records, and therefore meeting the young talented singer turned out to be just in time.
Taylor Swift became popular after meeting with producer Scott Borchette. In 2006, with the support of Borchette, Taylor Swift recorded her first studio single, “Tim McGraw,” dedicated to her favorite country artist. Two months later, the debut album of the aspiring singer was released. Taylor Swift's namesake record became very popular, in particular, it received the status of a five-time platinum album, and also “stuck” on the Billboard 200 chart for 234 weeks, breaking the record of the decade. The audience appreciated the songs, the themes of which, at first glance, were rather superficial - first love, teenage experiences, the transformation from a girl to a woman. But, at the same time, the lyrics did not seem banal, but, on the contrary, made us think about the difficulties of the emotionally difficult period of growing up.
Thousands of fans come to every Taylor Swift concert. Soon they started talking about Taylor Swift as a rising country star. During the same period, the first awards appeared in her collection: the famous International Songwriters Association of Nashville named the girl the best author and performer of the year - and this in the “city of country music”! Moreover, Taylor Swift became the youngest recipient of this award.
Taylor Swift is involved in charity work and helps sick children. Amazing everyone with her amazing performance, in November 2008, Swift Taylor presented the world with her second studio album, “Fearless”. The album instantly reached first place on the Billboard 200 chart, and also broke the previous record, receiving the status of a six-time platinum album.
Fearless Taylor Swift The new record brought Taylor Swift new awards. Young Hollywood Awards (category “Future Superstar”), MTV Video Music Awards (“Best Video”), People Choice Awards (“Singer of the Year”), American Music Awards (“Best Performer of the Year”) - awards rained down on the singer one after another .
Taylor Swift Awards, Thousands of them By this time, Taylor Swift had turned from a promising young performer into one of the most popular stars on the world stage. Her position on the stage was also strengthened by two new albums – “Speak Now” (2010) and “Red” (2012), each of which became four times platinum in the USA, and also brought her phenomenal popularity in Europe. The geography of the young singer’s tours stretches from the USA to Japan. The girl spent many months away from home, returning to the States only for the next award. Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran - Everything Has Changed In 2014, Taylor Swift's fifth studio album, entitled “1989,” was released, which, according to the singer, was supposed to be her "the first documented official pop album" with a completely new style. The novelty was received with a bang: in the first week, US residents bought 1.2 million copies of the record, while the total circulation of the album approached the mark of 9 million copies sold.
Movies
The artist first appeared on the silver screen in 2009, playing a cameo role in the series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” At the same time, she starred as herself in the popular comedy Hannah Montana: The Movie.
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Taylor played more extensive roles in the films “Valentine’s Day” and “The Lorax.” And in 2014 she played in the project “Dedicated”. Four years later, Swift’s repertoire was replenished with a role in the film adaptation of the musical “Cats.”
Where did Taylor Swift come from?
The editors found out where the country singer's career began and how it developed
December 13, 1989 Born in West Reading, Pennsylvania. Her father is a financial consultant, the descendant of three generations of bank presidents. Mother is a housewife.
2 years
Until 1998, he received preschool education using the Montessori method from Franciscan nuns. Until the age of 8 he studies in a private school. Receives a Presbyterian upbringing and goes to Bible school in the summer.
With brother
1998. The family moves to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. He goes to theater auditions in New York.
“Growing up in Pennsylvania, Broadway auditions were my dream. I attended several castings in New York. I always went there for voice and acting lessons... and auditions. I stood in long corridors with a lot of people. I have always been monstrously tall, like a giant. After several years of unsuccessful auditions in New York, I began writing songs. But I never lost my love for the theater.”
1998-2000. She begins to get involved in country music and becomes a fan of Canadian singer Shania Twain, whose songs “make her run around the block and dream about everything in the world.”
Spends his weekends performing at local festivals, coffee shops, fairs, karaoke competitions, Boy Scout meetings and sporting events.
2000. Plays a supporting role in the classic musical Bye Bye Birdie.
Wins a talent contest in Wyomissing and gets the chance to open for popular country singer Charlie Daniels.
The last time an album sold as many copies as 1989 did first week, it was 2002, I was 12, and going through my 'braids phase'. #nofilternecessary
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2002. Wins a national poetry competition with the poem "Monster in My Closet." He learns three chords on the guitar, writes his first song “Lucky You” and decides to concentrate on his singing career.
2003: Taylor and her parents begin working with New York manager Dan Dimtrow, who stars her in their "Rising Stars" advertising campaign for Abercrombie & Fitch. Recording a song for Maybelline.
2004. Moves with parents to Nashville, Tennessee. Signs a contract with the recording company RCA Records. Meets songwriter Liz Rose. They meet for 2 hours every Tuesday after Taylor's school hours to write songs. Subsequently, they would write many songs, and in 2010 their joint composition You Belong With Me received a Grammy.
Rose on working with Taylor: “Basically, I was just her editor. She wrote songs about what happened to her at school today. She had such a clear vision of what she wanted to say.”
2005. At the musical Bluebird Cafe, her performance is noticed by Scott Borchetta from DreamWorks Records. He offers Swift a contract with his record company, Big Machine Records.
2006. Freshman Taylor Swift releases her debut album Taylor Swift, from which 5 singles conquer the Billboard charts. "Our Song" makes her the youngest artist to top the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
The New York Times calls the debut album “a small masterpiece.” Taylor Swift's album went platinum 5 times and remained on the Billboard Top 200 pop albums chart for a record 277 weeks—until 2013.
2008. Nominated for a Grammy in the category “Best New Artist”, but loses the victory to Amy Winehouse.
Releases second studio album Fearless, which becomes a bestseller in 2009. Love Story, the album's second single, becomes the second best-selling country song of all time.
From July to October, he dates Jonas Brothers member Joe Jonas.
2009. She goes on the Fearless tour, which will attract more than a million fans from all over the world and bring the 20-year-old singer $63 million.
Performing at the 51st Grammy Awards with Miley Cyrus.
Becomes the first country musician to win an MTV Video Music Award.
Her video You Belong With Me is called "Best Female Video - 2009." As Taylor Swift begins her acceptance speech on stage, Kanye West takes the microphone from her and says, “Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, and I'll let you finish. But Beyoncé has one of the best music videos of all time!” The rapper is referring to the Single Ladies video.
From October to December, Taylor Swift dates actor Taylor Lautner, known for his role as Jacob in Twilight. They star in the movie Valentine's Day together. After the breakup, Swift dedicated the song Back to December to him.
2010. In October, he released his third album, Speak Now, the first million copies of which were sold in a week. It becomes No. 1 on the American charts.
Receives 8 Grammy awards: “Best Country Artist”, the re-released Fearless becomes “Best Album of the Year” and “Best Country Album of the Year”.
Billboard names her Entertainer of the Year and Time magazine lists her as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2010.
Her secret affair with Jake Gyllenhaal is revealed, but after three months they break up due to their age difference.
2011. Writes two songs for the soundtrack to The Hunger Games. Safe & Sound would receive a Grammy and a Golden Globe nomination.
2012. In October, he released his fourth album, Red, which, like its predecessor, hit number one on Billboard in its first week and sold more than a million copies.
Red doesn't win a single Grammy, but is nominated in several categories. Taylor Swift wins three MTV Europe Music Awards.
From July to September he meets with Connor Kennedy (grandson of Robert Kennedy, a politician and brother of the US President).
In October, he begins a relationship with Harry Styles from One Direction, which will last until January 2013.
2013: At the Golden Globes, hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler joke about Taylor Swift for her frequent affairs. Fay advises the singer to stay away from the young man in the audience and "take some time to explore yourself."
2014: In October, she releases the album “1989,” which she calls her first “official” pop release.
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2015. Fortune magazine names Taylor Swift the most influential woman on the planet; she accompanies Madonna at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. Once again included in Time's list of 100 most influential people.
Holds the leading position on the Billboard Artist 100 for a record 22 weeks. At the Billboard Music Awards she wins in eight categories at once, including “Artist of the Year”, “Singer of the Year”, “Album of the Year”.
At the awards ceremony, Billboard will present a super video for the song Bad Blood, a collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, which stars a bunch of celebrities like Cara Delevingne, Jessica Alba and Cindy Crawford.
Starts dating Calvin Harris, their relationship will last more than a year.
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According to Forbes, Katy Perry takes first place in the list of the richest singers and is in second place in the ranking.
2016. Taylor Swift takes second place in the ranking of the most popular Instagram users. Here she follows her friend Selena Gomez.
Stars in ironic advertisements for Apple Music (which she helped change the service's policy last year).
At the beginning of June she breaks up with Calvin Harris, and two weeks later she is photographed kissing actor Tom Hiddleston, who is being predicted to play James Bond.
Personal life
A popular performer with a model appearance (Taylor’s height is 178 cm, weight is 55 kg) attracts the attention of men. From information confirmed by the singer, Taylor briefly dated Jonas Brothers vocalist Joe Jonas and actor Taylor Lautner, with whom she participated in the filming of the movie “Valentine’s Day.”
For three months, the celebrity built her personal life with actor Jake Gyllenhaal. The singer also had fleeting affairs with Connor Kennedy, the grandson of the famous president, and with Harry Styles, a member of the group One Direction.
In 2015, Taylor Swift began dating DJ Calvin Harris. The musicians appeared together at social events and, according to eyewitnesses, did not separate for a minute, but fans never received an official announcement about the wedding. Taylor and Calvin split in May 2021.
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At the annual Met Gala Costume Institute, the singer met British actor Tom Hiddleston. In June, the stars vacationed together in Rhode Island, and in September the media reported that Swift and Hiddleston had already broken up. Later, British actor Joe Alwyn became her chosen one.
Taylor Swift's personal life consists of more than just romantic relationships. She has a good friend. Taylor often posts joint photos on Instagram with pop singer Selena Gomez. Often, girlfriends, while on vacation, appear in front of cameras in swimsuits.
Personal life and friends
The paparazzi tirelessly followed Taylor's personal life, especially after several men's magazines recognized her as the sexiest girl. But the singer tries not to give unnecessary reasons for gossip. She often communicates with men, and this does not always end in a relationship. Swift's novels usually last no more than 3-4 months. Even before her popularity, she was in relationships with Brandon Borello, Jordan Alford and Sam Armstrong. The performer dedicated songs to each of her ex-boyfriends.
It is known that the artist dated Joe Jonas, vocalist of the Jonas Brothers and DNCE. In 2010, she met Taylor Lautner on the set of Valentine's Day, and they began a romance. A few months later they broke up; the girl expressed her emotions in the song “Back to December”.
Swift also had an affair with Jake Gyllenhaal, but they separated due to their big age difference. The last straw was that the chosen one forgot about the girl’s birthday. Her famous boyfriends also included the president's grandson Connor Kennedy, One Direction member Harry Styles and Glee actors Chord Overstreet and Cory Monteith.
In 2015, Taylor began dating DJ Calvin Harris. They were called the highest paid couple, the relationship lasted a year and a half, and everyone was talking about the wedding. But in May 2016, the lovers broke up on the man’s initiative. The singer spent several months in a depressed mood and apathy, but soon she began an affair with Tom Hiddleston.
The relationship with the star of the film “Thor” developed very quickly. Swift introduced her lover to her parents, then went to Britain to meet his mother. Despite this, she and Tom soon broke up. The reason for the breakup was the actor’s desire to make the relationship public and his too busy schedule.
In June 2021, it became known about Taylor’s new romance, this time with actor Joe Alwyn. The acquaintance with the parents has already taken place; the singer does not provide other information to journalists. This time, she wants to keep her private life to herself rather than share it with the world.
In the life of a performer there is not only music and men. She spends a lot of time with her friends Selena Gomez and Emma Stone. Taylor considers the girls to be her sisters, who will always support and come to the rescue.
Taylor Swift now
Now Taylor continues to delight fans with new works. She released the lead single of the album Lover, which was called Me!. Already in the first week of broadcasting the video for this hit, views reached a record high of 65.2 million.
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Taylor Swift in 2021
The artist successfully converts her popularity into material values, which Forbes experts could not help but note. And if in 2021 the singer took 2nd place in the magazine’s ranking with an income of $80 million, then in 2021 she is already in 1st place with earnings of $185 million. The singer’s achievements were awarded by the American Music Awards in the “Artist of the Decade” category. .
early years
Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in the small American town of Reading, Pennsylvania. Her father, Scott, was a well-known financial consultant, and her mother, Andrea, was a homemaker, having stopped working quite early, but before that she was a special executor for a marketing fund. The parents assumed that the girl would also work in the financial sector in the future, which is why they chose a name for her that would make it impossible to immediately determine her gender.
For 9 years, the future celebrity went to Windcroft Elementary School, but after that her family moved to another city - Wyomissing, also located in Pennsylvania, and Taylor completed her studies there. At the age of 10, the girl realized that she wanted to become a singer, like her grandmother in her time, and began to play the guitar, composing her own songs.
The singer's family owned several horses and Scottish ponies , so she went horseback riding as a child. She also attended musical theater classes and took singing and acting lessons, for which she went to Broadway. Taylor's childhood idols, in addition to her own grandmother, were country singers LeAnn Rimes and Shania Twain. She was never afraid of the public, was comfortable on stage from an early age, and had an innate artistry and charm, thanks to which she quickly became a local star in Wyomissing.
Soon, not a single event in her city was complete without Taylor’s participation, be it a fair, festival or competition. The family of the future celebrity strongly supported and sponsored her hobby. At age 12, she was invited to perform the US national anthem at the opening celebration of the 76th Philadelphia Games, where Taylor's performance received a standing ovation from the audience.
