Taylor Alison Swift 

(born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter.

Her discography straddles genres, and her narrative songwriting—often inspired by her personal life
—has received critical praise and widespread media coverage. Born in West Reading,
Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 14 to pursue a career in country
music. She signed a songwriting contract with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2004 and a recording
deal with Big Machine Records in 2005, and released her eponymous debut studio album in 2006.
Swift explored country pop on the albums Fearless (2008) and Speak Now (2010); the success of
singles "Love Story", "You Belong with Me" and "Back to December" on both country and pop
radio established her as a leading crossover artist. She experimented
with rock and electronic genres on her fourth studio album, Red (2012), supported by the singles
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble". Swift eschewed
country on her synth-pop album 1989 (2014) and its chart-topping tracks "Shake It Off", "Blank
Space", and "Bad Blood". Media scrutiny on Swift's private life inspired Reputation (2017), which
drew from urban sounds. Led by "Look What You Made Me Do", the album made Swift the only act
in MRC Data history to have four albums each sell over a million copies in a week.
Parting ways with Big Machine, Swift signed with Republic Records in 2018 and released her
seventh studio album, Lover (2019). Inspired by escapism during the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift
ventured into indie folk and alternative rock styles on her 2020 studio
albums, Folklore and Evermore, receiving plaudits for their nuanced storytelling. Following a dispute
over the masters of her back catalog, she released the 2021 re-recordings Fearless (Taylor's
Version) and Red (Taylor's Version) to universal acclaim. The number-one songs "Cardigan",
"Willow" and "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" made Swift the only act to simultaneously debut atop
the US Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts three times. Besides music, she has played
supporting roles in films such as Valentine's Day (2010) and Cats (2019), released the
autobiographical documentary Miss Americana (2020), and directed the musical films Folklore: The
Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020) and All Too Well: The Short Film (2021).
With over 200 million records sold worldwide, Swift is one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
Eight of her songs have topped the Hot 100, and her concert tours are some of the highest-grossing
in history. She has received 11 Grammy Awards (including three Album of the Year wins), an Emmy
Award, 34 American Music Awards (the most for an artist), 29 Billboard Music Awards (the most for
a woman) and 58 Guinness World Records, among other accolades. She has featured on Rolling
Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time (2015), Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists (2019),
the Time 100 and Forbes Celebrity 100 rankings. Having been honored with titles such as Woman of
the Decade and Artist of the Decade, Swift is regarded as a pop icon due to her influential career,
philanthropy, and advocacy for artists' rights and women's empowerment.