Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple 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 the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me" 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". The media scrutiny on Swift's 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.
