Republicans are on a political self-destruction path attacking Taylor Swift : Her Eras Tour (2023–2024) and its accompanying concert film became the highest-grossing tour and concert film of all time, respectively. Swift has directed music videos and films such as All Too Well: The Short Film (2021).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Swift

http://take10charles.blogspot.com/2024/02/blog-post_22.html

Swift began writing songs professionally at age 14 and signed with Big Machine Records in 2005 to become a country singer. She released six studio albums under the label, four of them to country radio, starting with Taylor Swift (2006). Her next, Fearless (2008), explored country pop, and its singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me" catapulted her to mainstream fame. Speak Now (2010) infused rock influences, while Red (2012) experimented with electronic elements and featured Swift's first Billboard Hot 100 number-one song, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together". She departed from her country image with 1989 (2014), a synth-pop album supported by the chart-topping songs "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood". Media scrutiny inspired the hip-hop-influenced Reputation (2017) and its number-one single "Look What You Made Me Do". After signing with Republic Records in 2018, Swift released the eclectic pop album Lover (2019) and the autobiographical documentary Miss Americana (2020). She explored indie folk styles on the 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore, subdued electropop on Midnights (2022), and re-recorded four albums subtitled Taylor's Version after a dispute with Big Machine. These albums spawned the number-one songs "Cruel Summer", "Cardigan", "Willow", "Anti-Hero", "All Too Well", and "Is It Over Now?". Her Eras Tour (2023–2024) and its accompanying concert film became the highest-grossing tour and concert film of all time, respectively. Swift has directed music videos and films such as All Too Well: The Short Film (2021). One of the world's best-selling musicians, with 200 million records sold, Swift has been honored as the Global Recording Artist of the Year three times by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. She is the highest-grossing female touring act, the most-streamed woman on Spotify and Apple Music, and the first billionaire with music as the main source of income. The 2023 Time Person of the Year, Swift has appeared on lists such as Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists, and Forbes' World's 100 Most Powerful Women. Her accolades include 12 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, 40 American Music Awards, 40 Billboard Music Awards, and 23 MTV Video Music Awards. Swift is a philanthropist and an advocate for artists' rights and women's empowerment. Life and career Early life Swift's childhood home in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989,[1] in West Reading, Pennsylvania.[2] She is named after singer-songwriter James Taylor.[3] Her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, is a former stockbroker for Merrill Lynch[4] and her mother, Andrea Gardner Swift (née Finlay), is a former homemaker who previously worked as a mutual fund marketing executive.[5] Taylor has a younger brother, actor Austin Swift.[6] Swift's mother is of Scottish and German descent, and her father is of Scottish and English descent with distant Italian ancestry.[7][8] Swift's paternal great-great-grandfather, Charles Carmine Antonio Baldi, was an Italian immigrant entrepreneur and community leader who opened several businesses in Philadelphia in the 1800s.[9][10][11] Her maternal grandmother, Marjorie (née Moehlenkamp) Finlay, was an opera singer.[12] Swift spent her early years on a Christmas tree farm that her father had purchased from one of his clients.[13][14] She is a Christian.[15] She attended preschool and kindergarten at Alvernia Montessori School, run by Bernadine Franciscan sisters,[16] before transferring to the Wyndcroft School.[17] The family moved to a rented house in the suburban town of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania,[18] where Swift attended Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School.[19] At age nine, Swift became interested in musical theater and performed in four Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions.[20] She also traveled regularly to New York City for vocal and acting lessons.[21] Swift later shifted her focus toward country music, inspired by Shania Twain's songs, which made her "want to just run around the block four times and daydream about everything".[22] She spent weekends performing at local festivals and events.[23][24] After watching a documentary about Faith Hill, Swift felt she needed to move to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career in music.[25] She traveled there with her mother at age eleven to visit record labels and submitted demo tapes of Dolly Parton and Dixie Chicks karaoke covers.[26] She was rejected, however, because "everyone in that town wanted to do what I wanted to do. So, I kept thinking to myself, I need to figure out a way to be different."[27] She spent summers in Stone Harbor, New Jersey until she was 14 years old, performing in a local coffee shop.[28][29] When Swift was around 12 years old, musician Ronnie Cremer taught her to play guitar. Cremer helped with her first efforts as a songwriter, leading her to write "Lucky You".[30] In 2003, Swift and her parents started working with New York–based talent manager Dan Dymtrow. With his help, Swift modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch as part of their "Rising Stars" campaign, had an original song included on a Maybelline compilation CD, and met with major record labels.[31] After performing original songs at an RCA Records showcase, Swift, then 13 years old, was given an artist development deal and began making frequent trips to Nashville with her mother.[32][33][34] To help Swift break into the country music scene, her father transferred to Merrill Lynch's Nashville office when she was 14 years old, and the family relocated to Hendersonville, Tennessee.[13][35] Swift attended Hendersonville High School[36] before transferring to Aaron Academy after two years, which better accommodated her touring schedule through homeschooling. She graduated one year early.[37][38] 2004–2008: Career beginnings and first album In Nashville, Swift worked with experienced Music Row songwriters such as Troy Verges, Brett Beavers, Brett James, Mac McAnally, and the Warren Brothers[39][40] and formed a lasting working relationship with Liz Rose.[41] They began meeting for two-hour writing sessions every Tuesday afternoon after school.[42] Rose called the sessions "some of the easiest I've ever done. Basically, I was just her editor. She'd write about what happened in school that day. She had such a clear vision of what she was trying to say. And she'd come in with the most incredible hooks." Swift became the youngest artist signed by the Sony/ATV Tree publishing house,[43] but left then BMG-owned RCA Records (later bought by Sony Music) at the age of 14 due to the label's lack of care and them "cut[ting] other people's stuff". She was also concerned that development deals can shelve artists[34][24] and recalled: "I genuinely felt that I was running out of time. I wanted to capture these years of my life on an album while they still represented what I was going through."[44] Taylor Swift singing on a microphone and playing a guitar Swift opening for Brad Paisley in 2007. To promote her first album, she opened tours for other country musicians in 2007 and 2008.[45] At an industry showcase at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe in 2005, Swift caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, a DreamWorks Records executive who was preparing to form an independent record label, Big Machine Records. She had first met Borchetta in 2004.[46] She was one of Big Machine's first signings,[34] and her father purchased a three-percent stake in the company for an estimated $120,000.[47][48] She began working on her eponymous debut album with producer Nathan Chapman, with whom she felt she had the right "chemistry".[24] Swift wrote three of the album's songs alone and co-wrote the remaining eight with Rose, Robert Ellis Orrall, Brian Maher, and Angelo Petraglia.[49] Taylor Swift was released on October 24, 2006.[50] Country Weekly critic Chris Neal deemed Swift better than previous aspiring teenage country singers because of her "honesty, intelligence and idealism".[51] The album peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200, on which it spent 157 weeks—the longest stay on the chart by any release in the US in the 2000s decade.[52] Swift became the first female country music artist to write or co-write every track on a US platinum-certified debut album.[53] Big Machine Records was still in its infancy during the June 2006 release of the lead single, "Tim McGraw", which Swift and her mother helped promote by packaging and sending copies of the CD single to country radio stations. As there was not enough furniture at the label yet, they would sit on the floor to do so.[54] She spent much of 2006 promoting Taylor Swift with a radio tour and television appearances; she opened for Rascal Flatts on select dates during their 2006 tour,[55] as a replacement for Eric Church.[56] Borchetta said that although record industry peers initially disapproved of his signing a 15-year-old singer-songwriter, Swift tapped into a previously unknown market—teenage girls who listen to country music.[54][13] Following "Tim McGraw", four more singles were released throughout 2007 and 2008: "Teardrops on My Guitar", "Our Song", "Picture to Burn" and "Should've Said No". All appeared on Billboard's Hot Country Songs, with "Our Song" and "Should've Said No" reaching number one. With "Our Song", Swift became the youngest person to single-handedly write and sing a number-one song on the chart.[57] "Teardrops on My Guitar" reached number thirteen on the US Billboard Hot 100.[58] Swift also released two EPs, The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection in October 2007 and Beautiful Eyes in July 2008.[59][60] She promoted her debut album extensively as the opening act for other country musicians' tours in 2006 and 2007, including those by George Strait,[61] Brad Paisley,[62] and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.[63] Swift won multiple accolades for Taylor Swift. She was one of the recipients of the Nashville Songwriters Association's Songwriter/Artist of the Year in 2007, becoming the youngest person to be honored with the title.[64] She also won the Country Music Association's Horizon Award for Best New Artist,[65] the Academy of Country Music Awards' Top New Female Vocalist,[66] and the American Music Awards' Favorite Country Female Artist honor.[67] She was also nominated for Best New Artist at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.[68] In 2008, she opened for Rascal Flatts again,[69] and dated singer Joe Jonas briefly.[70][71] 2008–2010: Fearless Taylor Swift in 2009 Swift at the 2009 premiere of Hannah Montana: The Movie. She had a cameo appearance in the film and wrote two songs for its soundtrack.[72][73] Swift's second studio album, Fearless, was released on November 11, 2008, in North America,[74] and in March 2009 in other markets.[75] Critics lauded Swift's honest and vulnerable songwriting in contrast to other teenage singers.[76] Five singles were released in 2008–2009: "Love Story", "White Horse", "You Belong with Me", "Fifteen", and "Fearless". The first single peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one in Australia.[58][77] It was the first country song to top Billboard's Pop Songs chart.[78] "You Belong with Me" was the album's highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two,[79] and was the first country song to top Billboard's all-genre Radio Songs chart.[80] All five singles were Hot Country Songs top-10 entries, with "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me" topping the chart.[81] Fearless became her first number-one album on the Billboard 200 and 2009's top-selling album in the US.[82] The Fearless Tour, Swift's first headlining concert tour, grossed over $63 million.[83] Journey to Fearless, a documentary miniseries, aired on television and was later released on DVD and Blu-ray.[84] Swift also performed as a supporting act for Keith Urban's Escape Together World Tour in 2009.[85] In 2009, the music video for "You Belong with Me" was named Best Female Video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.[86] Her acceptance speech was interrupted by rapper Kanye West,[87] an incident that became the subject of controversy, widespread media attention and Internet memes.[88] That year she won five American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year and Favorite Country Album.[89] Billboard named her 2009's Artist of the Year.[90] She won Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year for "Love Story" at the 2009 CMT Music Awards, where she made a parody video of the song with rapper T-Pain called "Thug Story".[91] At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, Fearless was named Album of the Year and Best Country Album, and "White Horse" won Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Swift was the youngest artist to win Album of the Year.[note 1] At the 2009 Country Music Association Awards, Swift won Album of the Year for Fearless and was named Entertainer of the Year, the youngest person to win the honor.[94] Swift featured on John Mayer's single "Half of My Heart" and Boys Like Girls' single "Two Is Better Than One", the latter of which she co-wrote.[95][96] She co-wrote and recorded "Best Days of Your Life" with Kellie Pickler,[97] and wrote two songs for the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack—"You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" and "Crazier".[73] She contributed two songs to the Valentine's Day soundtrack, including the single "Today Was a Fairytale", which was her first number-one on the Canadian Hot 100 and peaked at number two on the US Hot 100.[98][99] While shooting her film debut Valentine's Day in October 2009, Swift dated co-star Taylor Lautner.[100] In 2009, she made her television debut as a rebellious teenager in an CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode,[101] and she hosted and performed as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live; she was the first host ever to write their own opening monologue.[102][103] 2010–2014: Speak Now and Red Swift singing into a mic while playing a banjo Swift performing at the Speak Now World Tour in 2012 In August 2010, Swift released "Mine", the lead single from her third studio album, Speak Now. The single entered the Hot 100 at number three.[104] Swift wrote the album alone and co-produced every track.[105] The album was released on October 25, 2010,[106] opening atop the Billboard 200 with over one million copies sold.[107] It became the fastest-selling digital album by a female artist, with 278,000 downloads in a week.[108] Critics appreciated Swift's grown-up perspectives:[109] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone wrote, "in a mere four years, the 20-year-old Nashville firecracker has put her name on three dozen or so of the smartest songs released by anyone in pop, rock or country."[110] "Back to December", "Mean", "The Story of Us", "Sparks Fly", and "Ours" became subsequent singles, with the latter two reaching number one on the Hot Country Songs[81] and the first two peaking in the top ten in Canada.[99] She dated actor Jake Gyllenhaal in 2010.[111] At the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in 2012, Swift won Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance for "Mean", which she performed during the ceremony.[112] Swift won other awards for Speak Now, including Songwriter/Artist of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association (2010 and 2011),[113][114] Woman of the Year by Billboard (2011),[115] and Entertainer of the Year by the Academy of Country Music (2011 and 2012)[116] and the Country Music Association in 2011.[117] At the American Music Awards of 2011, Swift won Artist of the Year and Favorite Country Album.[118] Rolling Stone named Speak Now amongst its "50 Best Female Albums of All Time" (2012), writing: "She might get played on the country station, but she's one of the few genuine rock stars we've got these days, with a flawless ear for what makes a song click."[119] The Speak Now World Tour ran from February 2011 to March 2012 and grossed over $123 million,[120] followed up by the live album, Speak Now World Tour: Live.[121] She contributed two original songs to The Hunger Games soundtrack album: "Eyes Open" and "Safe & Sound", co-written and recorded with the Civil Wars and T-Bone Burnett. "Safe & Sound" won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.[122][123] Swift featured on B.o.B's single "Both of Us", released in May 2012.[124] She dated Conor Kennedy that year.[125] Taylor Swift on the Red Tour Swift on the Red Tour (2013) In August 2012, Swift released "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", the lead single from her fourth studio album, Red. It became her first number one single in the US and New Zealand,[126][127] and became the fastest-selling single in digital history.[128] Other singles from the album were "Begin Again", "I Knew You Were Trouble", "22", "Everything Has Changed", "The Last Time", and "Red". "I Knew You Were Trouble" reached the top five on charts in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the US.[129] "Begin Again", "22", and "Red" reached the top 20 in the US.[58] On Red, released on October 22, 2012,[130] Swift worked with Chapman and Rose, as well as the new producers Max Martin and Shellback.[131] It incorporated many pop and rock styles such as heartland rock, dubstep and dance-pop.[132] Randall Roberts of Los Angeles Times said Swift "strives for something much more grand and accomplished" with Red.[133] It opened at number one on the Billboard 200 with 1.21 million sales, making Swift the first female to have two million-selling first-weeks.[134][135] Red was Swift's first number-one album in the UK.[136] It earned several accolades, including four nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards (2014).[137] Swift received American Music Awards for Best Female Country Artist in 2012, Artist of the Year in 2013,[138][139] and the Nashville Songwriters Association's Songwriter/Artist Award for the fifth and sixth consecutive years.[140] The Red Tour ran from March 2013 to June 2014 and grossed over $150 million, becoming the highest-grossing country tour ever.[141] Swift was honored with the Pinnacle Award, making her the second recipient of the accolade after Garth Brooks.[142] During this time, she briefly dated English singer Harry Styles.[143] In 2013, Swift recorded "Sweeter than Fiction", a song she wrote and produced with Jack Antonoff for the One Chance soundtrack. The song received a Best Original Song nomination at the 71st Golden Globe Awards.[144] She provided guest vocals for Tim McGraw's song "Highway Don't Care", also featuring Keith Urban.[145] Swift performed "As Tears Go By" with the Rolling Stones in Chicago, Illinois, as part of the band's 50 & Counting tour,[146] and joined Florida Georgia Line at their set at the 2013 Country Radio Seminar to sing "Cruise".[147] Swift voiced Audrey in the animated film The Lorax (2012),[148] made a cameo in the sitcom New Girl (2013),[149] and had a supporting role in the dystopian film The Giver (2014).[150] 2014–2018: 1989 and Reputation See also: Taylor Swift sexual assault trial Swift performing on a mic, dressed in a blue skirt Swift at the 1989 World Tour, the highest-grossing tour of 2015. In March 2014, Swift began living in New York City.[note 2] She hired Tree Paine as her publicist,[153] and worked on her fifth studio album, 1989, with producers Jack Antonoff, Max Martin, Shellback, Imogen Heap, Ryan Tedder, and Ali Payami.[154] She promoted the album extensively, including inviting fans to secret album-listening sessions.[155] 1989 was released on October 27, 2014, and opened atop the Billboard 200 with 1.28 million copies sold.[156] Its singles "Shake It Off", "Blank Space" and "Bad Blood" reached number one in Australia, Canada and the US, the first two making Swift the first woman to replace herself at the Hot 100 top spot;[157] other singles include "Style", "Wildest Dreams", "Out of the Woods" and "New Romantics".[158] The 1989 World Tour (2015) was the highest-grossing tour of the year with $250 million in total revenue.[159] Prior to 1989's release, Swift stressed the importance of albums to artists and fans.[160] In November 2014, she removed her entire catalog from Spotify, arguing that the streaming company's ad-supported, free service undermined the premium service, which provides higher royalties for songwriters.[161] In a June 2015 open letter, Swift criticized Apple Music for not offering royalties to artists during the streaming service's free three-month trial period and stated that she would pull 1989 from the catalog.[162] The following day, Apple Inc. announced that it would pay artists during the free trial period,[163] and Swift agreed to let 1989 on the streaming service.[164] She then returned her entire catalog plus 1989 to Spotify, Amazon Music and Google Play and other digital streaming platforms in June 2017.[165] Swift was named Billboard's Woman of the Year in 2014, becoming the first artist to win the award twice.[166] At the 2014 American Music Awards, Swift received the inaugural Dick Clark Award for Excellence.[167] On her 25th birthday in 2014, the Grammy Museum at L.A. Live opened an exhibit in her honor in Los Angeles that ran until October 4, 2015, and broke museum attendance records.[168][169] In 2015, Swift won the Brit Award for International Female Solo Artist.[170] The video for "Bad Blood" won Video of the Year and Best Collaboration at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards.[171] At the 58th Grammy Awards (2016), 1989 won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, making Swift the first woman and fifth act overall to win Album of the Year twice.[172] Swift wearing a sparkling blazer singing on a mic Swift on her Reputation Stadium Tour (2018), the highest-grossing North American tour ever Swift dated Scottish DJ Calvin Harris from March 2015 to June 2016.[173] They co-wrote the song "This Is What You Came For", featuring vocals from Barbadian singer Rihanna; Swift was initially credited under the pseudonym Nils Sjöberg.[174] In April 2016, Swift criticized the lyrics of Kanye West's single "Famous", in which he sings "I made that bitch famous" in reference to his interruption of her acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. West claimed he had received her approval for the line, and his then-wife Kim Kardashian released video clips of Swift and West discussing the single amicably over the phone; a full recording of the call leaked in 2020 established that West did not disclose that he would call her a bitch.[175][176] After briefly dating English actor Tom Hiddleston,[177] Swift entered a six-year relationship with English actor Joe Alwyn in September 2016.[178][179][180] She wrote the song "Better Man" for country band Little Big Town,[note 3] which earned her the Song of the Year award at the 51st CMA Awards.[182] Swift and English singer Zayn Malik released the joint single "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" for Fifty Shades Darker: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2017). The song reached number two in the US.[183] In August 2017, Swift successfully countersued David Mueller, a former radio jockey for KYGO-FM, who sued her for damages from his loss of employment. Four years earlier, she informed Mueller's bosses that he had sexually assaulted her by groping her at an event.[184] Also in August 2017, after a one-year hiatus from the spotlight, Swift cleared her social media accounts and released "Look What You Made Me Do" as the lead single from her sixth album, Reputation.[185][186] The single was Swift's first UK number-one single.[187] It topped charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the US.[188] Reputation, released on November 10, 2017,[189] incorporated heavy electropop, along with hip hop, R&B, and EDM sounds.[190] Reviews praised Swift's mature artistry, but some denounced the themes of fame and gossip.[191] The album opened atop the Billboard 200 with 1.21 million sales, making Swift the first act to have four albums sell one million copies in a week in the US.[192] The album topped the charts in the UK, Australia, and Canada,[193] and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide as of 2018.[194] It spawned three more singles: "...Ready for It?",[195] "End Game" (featuring Ed Sheeran and rapper Future) and "Delicate".[158] Reputation was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019.[196] At the American Music Awards (AMA) of 2018, Swift won four awards, including Artist of the Year and Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. Swift had garnered 23 AMAs in her career, becoming the most awarded female musician in the show, surpassing Whitney Houston.[197] In April 2018, Swift featured on country duo Sugarland's "Babe".[note 4] She embarked on her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018.[199] It broke many records, such as the highest-grossing North American concert tour in history with $345.7 million revenue worldwide.[200] It was followed up with an accompanying concert film on Netflix.[201] 2018–2020: Lover, Folklore, and Evermore See also: Taylor Swift masters dispute Reputation was Swift's last album under Big Machine. In November 2018, she signed a new deal with the Universal Music Group; her subsequent releases were promoted by Republic Records. Swift said the contract included a provision for her to maintain ownership of her masters. In addition, in the event that Universal sold any part of its stake in Spotify, it agreed to distribute a non-recoupable portion of the proceeds among its artists.[202] Vox called it a huge commitment from Universal, which was "far from assured" until Swift intervened.[203] A portrait of Swift Swift at the American Music Awards of 2019, where she was named Artist of the Decade Swift released her seventh studio album, Lover, on August 23, 2019.[204] Besides Jack Antonoff, Swift worked with new producers Louis Bell, Frank Dukes, and Joel Little.[205] Lover made Swift the first female artist to have a sixth consecutive album sell more than 500,000 copies in one week in the US.[206] Critics commended the album's free-spirited mood and emotional intimacy.[207][208] The lead single, "Me!", peaked at number two on the Hot 100.[209] Other singles from Lover were the US top 10 singles "You Need to Calm Down" and "Lover", top 40 single "The Man",[58] and "Cruel Summer", which became a resurgent success in 2023 and reached number one on the Hot 100.[210] Lover was the world's best-selling album by a solo artist of 2019, selling 3.2 million copies,[211] and along with its singles earned nominations at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2020.[212] At the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, "Me!" won Best Visual Effects, and "You Need to Calm Down" won Video of the Year and Video for Good. Swift was the first female and second artist overall to win Video of the Year for a video that they directed.[213] While promoting Lover, Swift became embroiled in a public dispute with talent manager Scooter Braun and Big Machine over the purchase of the masters of her back catalog.[214][215] Swift said she had been trying to buy the masters, but Big Machine would only allow her to do so if she exchanged one new album for each older one under a new contract, which she refused to sign.[214][216] Swift began re-recording her back catalog in November 2020.[217] Besides music, she played Bombalurina in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats (2019), for which she co-wrote and recorded the Golden Globe-nominated original song "Beautiful Ghosts".[218][219] Critics panned the film but praised Swift's performance.[220] The documentary Miss Americana, which chronicled parts of Swift's life and career, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was released on Netflix that January.[221][222] Swift signed a global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group in February 2020 after her 16-year contract with Sony/ATV expired.[223] Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift released two surprise albums: Folklore on July 24, and Evermore on December 11, 2020.[224][225] Both explore indie folk with a more muted production compared to her previous upbeat pop songs.[226][227] Swift wrote and recorded the albums with Jack Antonoff, and Aaron Dessner from The National, as producers.[228] Alwyn co-wrote and co-produced select songs under the pseudonym William Bowery.[229] The albums garnered widespread critical acclaim. The Guardian and Vox opined that Folklore and Evermore emphasized Swift's work ethic and increased her artistic credibility.[230][231] Three singles supported each of the albums, catering to the US mainstream radio, country radio, and triple A radio. The singles were "Cardigan", "Betty", and "Exile" from Folklore, and "Willow", "No Body, No Crime", and "Coney Island" from Evermore.[232] Swift became the first artist to debut a US number-one album and a number-one song at the same time with Folklore's "Cardigan" and Evermore's "Willow".[233] Folklore was 2020's best-selling album in the US with 1.2 million copies sold.[234] It won Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, making Swift the first woman to win the award three times.[235] At the 2020 American Music Awards, she won three awards, including Artist of the Year for a record third consecutive time.[236] According to Billboard, she was 2020's highest-paid musician in the US, and the world's highest-paid solo musician.[237] 2021–present: Re-recordings, Midnights, and the Eras Tour See also: Taylor Swift–Ticketmaster controversy and Impact of the Eras Tour Swift singing into a mic Swift on the Eras Tour in 2023 Following the masters dispute, Swift released re-recordings of her first six studio albums, beginning with Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version) in April and November 2021, respectively. Both releases peaked atop the Billboard 200,[238] becoming the first ever re-recorded albums to do so.[239] Fearless (Taylor's Version) was preceded by "Love Story (Taylor's Version)", which made her the second artist after Dolly Parton to have both the original and re-recorded versions of a song reach number one on the Hot Country Songs chart.[240] Red (Taylor's Version) was supported by "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)", which became the longest song in history to top the Hot 100.[241] The song was accompanied by a short film, which won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video[242] and Swift's record third MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year.[243] Swift's tenth studio album, Midnights, was released on October 21, 2022.[244] Characterized by an electropop[245][246] and synth-pop[247] sound, the album was dubbed by Rolling Stone critics as an instant classic.[248][249] The album was her fifth to open atop the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of over one million copies and broke various sales and streaming records,[250] including the most single-day streams and most single-week streams on Spotify.[251] Its tracks, led by single "Anti-Hero", monopolized the top 10 of the Hot 100, making Swift the first artist to do so.[252] Two other singles, "Lavender Haze" and "Karma", peaked at number two on the Hot 100.[253] Swift won nine awards at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year ("Anti-Hero") for a record fourth time,[254] and received six nominations at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, including a record seventh for Song of the Year ("Anti-Hero").[129] In March 2023, Swift embarked on the Eras Tour, a retrospective tour covering all her 10 studio albums. Media outlets extensively covered the tour's cultural and economic impact,[255] and its US leg broke the record for the most tickets sold in a day.[252] Ticketmaster received public and political criticisms for mishandling the tour's ticket sales.[256] The Eras Tour became the highest-grossing tour in history, collecting over $1 billion; its concert film, released to theaters worldwide on October 13, 2023, became the highest-grossing concert film ever, with over $250 million earned worldwide, and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.[257][258][259] Swift continued releasing her re-recorded albums during the Eras Tour. Speak Now (Taylor's Version), released on July 7, 2023, made Swift the woman with the most number-one albums (12) in Billboard 200 history, surpassing Barbra Streisand.[260] 1989 (Taylor's Version), released on October 27, 2023, became Swift's record-extending sixth album to sell one million copies in a single week in the US and surpassing Midnights for her career's largest album sales week.[261] Its single "Is It Over Now?" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100. Swift was the most streamed artist of 2023 on Spotify,[262] Apple Music,[263] and Amazon Music;[264] the first act to place number one on the year-end Billboard top artists list in three different decades (2009, 2015 and 2023);[265] and the first living artist to simultaneously chart five albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.[266] She had five out of the 10 best-selling albums of 2023 in the United States, a record since Luminate began tracking US music sales in 1991.[267][268] Swift's music releases, touring, and related activities culminated in an unprecedented height of popularity post-pandemic.[269] Music Business Worldwide remarked that she entered a "new stratosphere of global career success" in 2023.[270] Beyond her albums, Swift featured on five songs from 2021 to 2023: "Renegade" and "Birch" by Big Red Machine,[271] a remix of "Gasoline" by Haim,[272] "The Joker and the Queen" by Ed Sheeran,[273] and "The Alcott" by the National.[274] For the soundtrack of the 2022 film Where the Crawdads Sing, she recorded "Carolina", which received nominations for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and Best Song Written for Visual Media at the Grammy Awards.[275] Outside of music, Swift had a supporting role in the 2022 period comedy film Amsterdam and has signed to direct an upcoming feature film for Searchlight Pictures.[276][277] She began dating American football player Travis Kelce in 2023.[278] In January 2024, AI-generated fake pornographic images portraying Swift were posted to Twitter and spread to other social media platforms, spurring criticism of AI and Twitter and demands for legal reform.[279][280] Twitter temporarily suspended searches of Swift on the platform.[281] Artistry Influences One of Swift's earliest memories of music is listening to her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, sing in church.[5] As a child, she enjoyed Disney film soundtracks: "My parents noticed that, once I had run out of words, I would just make up my own."[282] Swift said she owes her confidence and "fascination with writing and storytelling" to her mother, who helped her prepare for class presentations as a child.[283][284] Swift was drawn to the storytelling aspect of country music,[285] which was introduced to the genre by female country artists of the 1990s: Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and the Dixie Chicks.[286][287] Twain, both as a songwriter and performer, was her biggest musical influence.[288] Hill was Swift's childhood role model, and she would often imitate her.[289] She admired the Chicks' defiant attitude and the way they played their instruments,[290] and was also influenced by older country stars like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Dolly Parton,[23] the last of whom she believes is exemplary to female songwriters.[115] As a songwriter, Swift was influenced by Joni Mitchell's emotional and autobiographical lyrics, highlighting Mitchell's 1971 album Blue as a favorite "because it explores somebody's soul so deeply".[291] She also spoke of influence from 1990s songwriters such as Melissa Etheridge, Sarah McLachlan, and Alanis Morissette,[292][293] and alt-country artists like Patty Griffin[294] and Lori McKenna.[295] Various pop and rock artists have also influenced Swift. She lists Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, and Kris Kristofferson as her career role models.[13][296] 1989 was influenced by some of her favorite 1980s pop acts, including Peter Gabriel, Annie Lennox, Phil Collins, and Madonna.[297][298] She also cited Keith Urban's musical style and Fall Out Boy's lyrics as major influences.[299][300] Genres "If there's one thing that Swift has proven throughout her career, it's that she refuses to be put in a box. Her ever-evolving sound took her from country darling to pop phenom to folk's newest raconteur." —The Recording Academy, 2021[301] Swift is known for venturing into various music genres and undergoing artistic reinventions,[302][277] having been described as a "music chameleon".[303][304] She self-identified as a country musician until 2012, when she released her fourth studio album, Red.[305] Her albums were promoted to country radio, but music critics noted wide-ranging styles of pop and rock[306][307] and said that the melodies of her songs were rooted in pop music, and the country music elements were limited to instruments such as banjo, mandolin, and fiddle, as well as her slight twang.[308][309] Some commented that her country music identity was an indicator of her narrative songwriting rather than musical style.[310][311] Although the Nashville music industry was receptive of Swift's status as a country musician, critics accused her of abandoning her roots in favor of crossover success in the mainstream pop market.[312][313] Red's eclectic pop, rock, and electronic styles intensified the critical debate, to which Swift responded, "I leave the genre labeling to other people."[314] Music journalist Jody Rosen commented that by originating her musical career in Nashville, Swift made a "bait-and-switch maneuver, planting roots in loamy country soil, then pivoting to pop".[315] She abandoned her country music identity in 2014 with the release of her synth-pop fifth studio album, 1989. Swift described it as her first "documented, official pop album".[316] Her subsequent albums Reputation (2017) and Lover (2019) have an upbeat pop production; the former incorporates hip hop, trap, and EDM elements.[317][318][319] Midnights (2022), on the other hand, is distinguished by a more experimental, "subdued and amorphous pop sound".[320][321] Although reviews of Swift's pop albums were generally positive, some critics lamented that the pop music production indicated Swift's pursuit of mainstream success, eroding her authenticity as a songwriter nurtured by her country music background—a criticism that has been retrospectively described as rockist.[322][323] Musicologist Nate Sloan remarked that Swift's pop music transition was rather motivated by her need to expand her artistry.[324] Swift eschewed mainstream pop in favor of alternative, folk and indie rock styles with her 2020 studio albums Folklore and Evermore.[325][326] Clash said her career "has always been one of transcendence and covert boundary-pushing", reaching a point at which "Taylor Swift is just Taylor Swift", not defined by any genre.[327] Voice "Cardigan" Duration: 22 seconds.0:22 Swift uses her lower register in "Cardigan" (2020).[328] "Lavender Haze" Duration: 18 seconds.0:18 "Lavender Haze" (2022) features Swift's falsetto vocals in the refrain.[329] Problems playing these files? See media help. Swift possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range,[330] and a generally soft but versatile timbre.[331][332] As a country singer, her vocals were criticized by some as weak and strained compared to those of her contemporaries.[333] Swift admitted her vocal ability often concerned her in her early career and has worked hard to improve.[334] Reviews of her vocals remained mixed after she transitioned to pop music with 1989; critics complained that she lacked proper technique but appreciated her usage of her voice to communicate her feelings to the audience, prioritizing "intimacy over power and nuance".[335] They also praised her for refraining from correcting her pitch with Auto-Tune.[336] The Los Angeles Times remarked that Swift's defining vocal feature is her attention to detail to convey an exact feeling—"the line that slides down like a contented sigh or up like a raised eyebrow".[337] With Reputation, critics noted she was "learning how to use her voice as a percussion instrument of its own",[338] swapping her "signature" expressive vocals for "cool, conversational, detached" cadences and rhythms similar to hip hop and R&B styles.[339][340][341] Alternative Press stated that her "evocative" vocal stylings are more reminiscent of pop-punk and emo genres.[342] Reviews of Swift's later albums and performances were more appreciative of her vocals, finding them less nasal, richer, more resonant, and more powerful.[309][343][344] With Folklore and Evermore, Swift received praise for her sharp and agile yet translucent and controlled voice.[345][346][347] Pitchfork described it as "versatile and expressive".[348] With her 2021 re-recorded albums, critics began to praise the mature, deeper and "fuller" tone of her voice.[349][350][351] An i review said Swift's voice is "leagues better now" with her newfound vocal furniture.[352] The Guardian highlighted "yo-yoing vocal yelps" and passionate climaxes as the trademarks of Swift's voice,[353] and that her country twang faded away.[354] Midnights received acclaim for Swift's nuanced vocal delivery.[355] She ranked 102nd on the 2023 Rolling Stone list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[332] In a review of the Eras Tour, The New Yorker critic Amanda Petrusich praised the clarity and tone of Swift's live vocals.[356] Musicologist Alyssa Barna said that Swift's timbre is "breathy and bright" in her upper register and "full and dark" in the lower.[227] Songwriting Further information: List of songs by Taylor Swift Swift has been referred to as one of the greatest songwriters ever by several publications.[357][358][359] English-language scholars like Jonathan Bate and Stephanie Burt have noted that her literary and melodic sensibility and verbal writing style are rare amongst her peers.[360][361] Swift's bridges are often underscored as one of the best aspects of her songs,[362][363] earning her the title "Queen of Bridges" from Time.[364] Mojo described her as "a sharp narrator with a gift for the extended metaphor".[365] In The New Yorker in 2011, Swift said she identifies as a songwriter first: "I write songs, and my voice is just a way to get those lyrics across".[13] Her personal experiences were a common inspiration for her early songs, which helped her navigate life.[366][367] Her "diaristic" technique began with identifying an emotion, followed by a corresponding melody.[368][369] On her first three studio albums, love, heartbreak, and insecurities, from an adolescent perspective, were dominant themes.[370][371] She delved into the tumult of toxic relationships on Red,[372] and embraced nostalgia and post-romance positivity on 1989.[297] Reputation was inspired by the downsides of Swift's fame,[373] and Lover detailed her realization of the "full spectrum of love".[374] Other themes in Swift's music include family dynamics, friendship,[375][376] alienation, self-awareness, and tackling vitriol, especially sexism.[284][377] Her confessional lyrics received positive reviews from critics,[378][13][379] who highlighted their vivid details and emotional engagement, which they found uncommon in pop music.[380][381][382] Critics also praised her melodic compositions; Rolling Stone described Swift as "a songwriting savant with an intuitive gift for verse-chorus-bridge architecture".[383][384] NPR dubbed Swift "a master of the vernacular in her lyrics",[340] remarking that her songs offer emotional engagement because "the wit and clarity of her arrangements turn them from standard fare to heartfelt disclosures".[384] Despite the positive reception, The New Yorker stated she was generally portrayed "more as a skilled technician than as a Dylanesque visionary".[13] Tabloid media often speculated and linked the subjects of her songs with her ex-lovers, a practice reviewers and Swift herself criticized as sexist.[385][386][387] Aside from clues in album liner notes, Swift avoided talking about the subjects of her songs.[388] On her 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore, Swift was inspired by escapism and romanticism to explore fictional narratives.[389] Without referencing her personal life, she imposed emotions onto imagined characters and story arcs, which liberated her from tabloid attention and suggested new paths for her artistry.[368] Swift explained that she welcomed the new songwriting direction after she stopped worrying about commercial success.[389] According to Spin, she explored complex emotions with "precision and devastation" on Evermore.[390] Consequence stated her 2020 albums convinced skeptics of her songwriting prowess, noting her transformation from "teenage wunderkind to a confident and careful adult".[363]