Taylor Swift Taylor Swift Swift performing in St. Louis, Missouri, during the 2013 Red Tour Background information Birth name Taylor Alison Swift Born December 13, 1989 (age 25) Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. Country Genres pop pop rock Singer-songwriter Occupation(s) record producer actress philanthropist Vocals Instruments guitar banjo ukulele piano Years active 2004–present Labels Big Machine Website taylorswift.com Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 14 to pursue a career in country music. She signed with the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. The release of Swift's self-titled debut album in 2006 established her as a country music star. Her third single, "Our Song," made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number-one song on the Hot Country Songs chart. She received a Best New Artist nomination at the2008 Grammy Awards. Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in 2008. Buoyed by the pop crossover success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me," Fearless became the best-selling album of 2009 in the United States. The album won four Grammy Awards, with Swift becoming the youngest ever Album of the Year winner. Swift's third and fourth albums, 2010's Speak Now and 2012's Red, both sold over one million copies within the first week of their U.S release. Speak Now won two Grammy Awards, while Red's singles "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble" were worldwide hits. Swift's fifth album, the pop-focused 1989, was released in 2014. It sold more copies in its opening week than any album in the previous 12 years, and made Swift the first and only act to have three albums sell more than one million copies in the opening release week. The singles "Shake It Off" and "Blank Space" both reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Swift is known for narrative songs about her personal experiences. As a songwriter, she has been honored by the Nashville Songwriters Association and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Swift's other achievements include seven Grammy Awards, twelveBillboard Music Awards, eleven Country Music Association Awards, seven Academy of Country Music Awards and one Brit Award. She is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 40 million albums—27.1 million of them in the U.S.—and 130 million single downloads, and is among the top five music artists who have sold the most digital music worldwide. In addition to her music career, Swift has appeared as an actress in the ensemble comedy Valentine's Day (2010), the animated filmThe Lorax (2012) and The Giver (2014). As a philanthropist, Swift supports arts education, children's literacy, natural disaster relief,LGBT anti- discrimination activities and charities for sick children. Contents [hide] 1 Life and career o 1.1 1989–2004: Early life o 1.2 2004–08: Career beginnings and Taylor Swift o 1.3 2008–10: Fearless o 1.4 2010–12: Speak Now o 1.5 2012–14: Red and media scrutiny o 1.6 2014–present: Full Transition to Pop and 1989 2 Artistry o 2.1 Influences o 2.2 Lyrical themes and style o 2.3 Musical and vocal style o 2.4 Public image 3 Impact and recognition o 3.1 Music industry 4 Product endorsements 5 Acting career 6 Philanthropy 7 Personal life o 7.1 Family o 7.2 Residences o 7.3 Wealth o 7.4 Relationships o 7.5 Politics 8 Awards and achievements 9 Discography 10 Concert tours 11 Filmography o 11.1 Film o 11.2 Television 12 See also 13 References 14 External links §Life and career §1989–2004: Early life Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in West Reading, Pennsylvania.[1] Her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, is a Merrill Lynch financial adviser.[2][3] Scott was raised in Pennsylvania and is the descendant of three generations of bank presidents.[4][5] Her mother, Andrea (née Finlay), is a homemaker who previously worked as a mutual fund marketing executive.[6] Andrea, though American, spent the first 10 years of her life in Singapore, before returning to the U.S. and settling in Texas—her own father was an engineer who worked throughout Southeast Asia.[5] Swift grew up with one sibling, her younger brother, Austin.[7] Swift spent the early years of her life on an 11-acre Christmas-tree farm in Cumru Township, Pennsylvania.[8] Swift's family owned several Quarter horses and a Shetland pony, and her first hobby was English horse riding.[9] Her mother first put her in a saddle when she was nine months old and she later competed in horse shows.[10] Swift attended preschool and kindergarten at the Alvernia Montessori School, run by Franciscan nuns,[11] before moving to the Wyndcroft School, a co-ed private school.[12] Swift and her brother were raised in accordance with the Presbyterian faith and attended Vacation Bible School.[13][14] When Swift was nine years old, the family moved to a rented house in the suburban town of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania,[15] where she attended West Reading Elementary Center and Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School.[16] Swift summered at her parents' waterfront vacation home in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, and described it as the place "where most of my childhood memories were formed."[17] During early adolescence, Swift became interested in musical theater and performed in numerous Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions, including Bye Bye Birdie.[18] Swift also traveled regularly to Broadway for vocal and acting lessons.[19] Swift then turned her attention to country music—Shania Twain's songs made her "want to Just run around the block four times and daydream about everything."[20] She spent her weekends performing at local festivals, coffeehouses, fairs, karaoke contests, garden clubs, Boy Scout meetings and sporting events.[5][6][21] At the age of 11, after many failed attempts,[22] Swift won a local talent competition and was given the opportunity to appear as the opening act for Charlie Daniels.[23] After watching a Behind the Music episode about Faith Hill, Swift felt sure that she needed to go to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a music career.[24] At the age of 11, she traveled with her mother to Nashville to submit a demo, of Dolly Parton and Dixie Chicks karaoke covers, with record labels along Music Row.[25] She received label reJections and realized that "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."[26] At the age of 12, Swift was taught how to play three chords on a guitar, inspiring her to write her first song, "Lucky You."[27] She had previously won a national poetry contest with a poem titled "Monster in My Closet," but now began to focus on songwriting.[28] In 2003, Swift and her parents started working with New York-based music manager Dan Dymtrow. With Dymtrow's help, Swift modelled for Abercrombie & Fitch as part of their "Rising Stars" campaign, had an original song included on a Maybelline compilation CD, and attended meetings with maJor record labels.[29] After performing original songs at an RCA Records showcase, the eighth-grader was given an artist development deal and began making frequent trips to Nashville with her mother.[30] When Swift was fourteen, her father transferred to the Nashville office of Merrill Lynch and the family relocated to a lakefront house in Hendersonville, Tennessee:[4] My parents took all the pressure off by saying, "We're Just moving because we love the area, so don't worry." They knew nothing about the industry and had no involvement in entertainment, but I was obsessed with it and so they did their research and read up about it to help me in every way they could. They're amazing people.[31] In Tennessee, Swift attended Hendersonville High School for her freshman and sophomore years. [32] Later, to accommodate her touring schedule, Swift transferred to the Aaron Academy, a private Christian school which offered homeschooling services. She maintained a 4.0 grade average and earned her high school diploma in 2008, having completed her final two years of course work in 12 months.[33][34] §2004–08: Career beginnings and Taylor Swift Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 14. In 2004,[35] she signed an artist development deal with RCA Records and was the youngest songwriter to sign a publishing deal with Sony/ATV. [36] Swift proceeded to work with experienced Music Row songwriters such as Troy Verges, Brett Beavers, Brett James, Mac McAnally and The Warren Brothers.[37][38] She eventually formed a lasting working relationship with Liz Rose. Swift saw Rose performing at an RCA songwriter event and suggested that they write together.[39] They began meeting for two-hour writing sessions every Tuesday afternoon after school.[40] Rose has said that the sessions were "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."[41] Swift also began recording demos with producer Nathan Chapman.[39] After performing at a BMI Songwriter's Circle showcase at The Bitter End, New York, in 2004,[38] [42] Swift became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Tree publishing house.[43] Swift left RCA Records when she was 15—the company wanted her to record the work of other songwriters and wait until she was eighteen to release an album, but she felt ready to launch her career with her own material.[22][44] Swift later recalled: "I genuinely felt that I was running out of time.