Taylor Swift Biography

When Russian performer Olga Buzova released her first English song Not Enough For Me, a post appeared on her personal Instagram page in which the girl proudly admitted to her subscribers that one of the American publications compared her work with the career of American singer Taylor Swift. Well, let's leave the question of how correct it was to compare my performances with the work of the ten-time Grammy award winner and the youngest lady on the Forbes list. Just - in fairness - tell the story of Swift's 15-year ascent to Musical Olympus and show why this young woman has long been not only the heroine of youth publications and the idol of teenage girls, but also an example of a good business strategist, who is also gifted with a remarkable talent as a musician.

American (and what is there - world) publications love the story of Taylor Swift. A classic: an outsider in school and invisible in the classroom, little Taylor, inspired by her grandmother's successful opera career, writes poetry about her experiences, learns a few guitar chords and gradually becomes a star first in the country and then in the pop scene. At the global level. And if we ignore the irony, then this girl really has something to brag about: her live performances leave no doubt about the exclusivity of her vocal abilities, dedication while working on clips does not give anyone the right to accuse the singer of negligence, and her diligence during the tour can only be admired .

And yet there is an element of a beautiful fairy tale in the history of Miss Swift, the romantic veil of which, in some surprising way, the world press is not yet ready to dispel.

legend taylor

“I hope that I can help people whose voices also need to be heard. Therefore, I will donate money to various organizations that help victims of sexual violence, ”American performer Taylor Swift made this statement in August 2017, when she won a sensational harassment case against her by Colorado DJ David Mueller, which allegedly took place in 2013. The singer sued the poor fellow a little: only one dollar is a symbolic compensation for inspiring thousands of victims of sexual violence around the world with her example. Here, as Taylor considered, justice was dearer to her.

An unfortunate dollar and millions of sympathetic and admiring reviews, the star of the world pop scene received for not being afraid to admit that many years ago she was felt on the buttocks. True, to her credit, it must be said that at first the offended star did not want to take everything to public court - as her mother later tells in tears under oath, the Swift family was afraid of unnecessary publicity in the press. Therefore, then the performer, who wanted to defend her dignity, decided to close the issue quietly: she simply called the radio station where Muller worked and demanded that the DJ be fired, whose hands were far from being on the mixing console.

And the incident would have been forgotten if the furious and unemployed Muller himself had not gone to court, accusing Swift of libel. The singer had to get out of the situation: in 2015, Taylor filed a reciprocal and very noble lawsuit (after all, even for an unemployed person, one dollar of compensation is quite a feasible amount) about harassment. And finally, two years later, she won it. Because good always wins - at least in Swift's universe.

On guard of the excellent reputation of the 27-year-old Taylor is more than a dozen people. For example, TAS Rights Management (named after capital letters name of the singer - Taylor Alison Swift) is vigilant that the name of the girl is mentioned only in the most favorable contexts. The company does not ignore even the once popular Periscope network, where fans posted fragments of their favorite concert performances. This is how Taylor Swift manages to maintain record sales of her records year after year - her "dogs" do everything not to miss a single illegal distribution of the artist's products. Swift herself is also not a blunder: her songs are almost non-existent on streaming platforms. Appear - only when there is a strategic benefit in it. For example, the last triumphant return of all Taylor's compositions to one of the most popular Spotify services took place in early June 2017 - just before the release of the new album by Katy Perry, with whom, reportedly, the girl in recent times doesn't get along too well.

But TAS Rights Management has a task even more serious than the capture of copyright infringers - to monitor compliance with Taylor's "legend". Every day, the gendarmes of the pop idol sniff the entire Network for unauthorized use of her name, but not everyone gets to the chopping block, but only those who defame the singer's reputation. Two years ago, for example, the so-called TASs stumbled upon the site of guitarist Ronnie Kremer, who billed himself as Taylor's first guitar teacher (the site's name is ITaughtTaylorSwift.com). In those years, he worked part-time as an ordinary computer master, and, according to his version, it was he who then taught the girl how to select accompaniment to her songs.

By the way, Taylor herself never denied that it was a certain “computer master” who inspired her to pick up the guitar. But according to her (read - common) legend, it was a demonstration of just a few chords. Everything else is young talent mastered on their own.

But Ronnie says otherwise. Taylor's father called him to give lessons to his daughter for six hours a week - moreover, it was on the playing technique for country music. They studied long and hard. But the story that the future pop idol was trained by a "36-year-old balding fat man," according to the guitarist, does not sell well. And no, he's not mad at the Swift family for being left in the shadows. He just wants justice. But justice in the understanding of TAS Rights Management is somewhat different: now it is impossible to get to the ITaughtTaylorSwift.com site.

Mr and Mrs Swift

Although Ronnie Kremer, unlike his student, did not take place in show business, he understands the rules of the game quite sensibly. Of course, the story of the girl who told the pages of the diary and guitar strings all her innermost thoughts will bring her a Grammy many times faster than the story that she was prepared for from childhood big stage. Yes, Taylor, no doubt, grew up a talented child, but talent in our time is only half the battle. The second half is competent management. And it may even be a good thing that Mr. and Mrs. Swift understood this well.

“I had a magical childhood,” recalls Taylor Swift in an interview with Rolling Stone, “I could walk wherever I wanted.” She really had a place to roam: the Swift family in her youth Taylor and her brother Austin lived on a spruce farm in Pennsylvania. You can’t imagine a better background for a country singer: after all, it was American farms that at one time nurtured the best voices of the industry for the world.

Taylor is no exception. It just shouldn't have been.

Her parents - Scott and Andrea - knew perfectly well what success is and how it is built. Successful financiers (Taylor's mother soon quit her job as a broker and devoted herself to her children), they predicted for their children a dizzying career on Wall Street. The androgynous name Taylor is a confirmation of this: at one time, parents made a bet that the gender of their daughter should interfere with the conquest of financial heights as little as possible. The performer herself confirms this: “Mom thought it would be cool if “Taylor” was written on my passes and other corporate documents, and people would guess whether I was a man or a woman. Yes, she wanted me to do business.”

But the world of finance did not seduce Taylor for long. She wanted to become a star - first of all, to take revenge on her classmates who considered her, as she herself said more than once, an outsider. Material for poems and songs has accumulated decent - unhappy love, ridicule of peers, teenage experiences. Surprisingly, now Taylor is 27 years old, and although she herself and her songs have already grown up, the singer still continues to work mainly for a teenage audience.

Seeing that the daughter had no more interests besides music (it was impossible not to notice: Taylor constantly strove to grab the microphone and sing something wherever she was), the parents almost immediately realized that their daughter was not a she-wolf from Wall Street. will become (“disappoint”, by the way, the youngest son Austin, who today is trying to realize himself in photography and cinema). I had to urgently rewrite my business plan - fortunately, Taylor really had excellent musical data. So the family said goodbye to their beloved spruce farm and moved to the country mecca of all America - the city of Nashville, where almost every street has its own record company.

At that time, Taylor was 14. She moved to high school, and, as her overly talkative acquaintances say, she didn’t go to classes on foot, but drove in a Lexus convertible - almost the same as the popular beauty rival of the main character from Taylor’s video You Belong With Me.

On the other hand, having moved to Nashville, Taylor no longer worried about her success or failure in school. She had a goal - to become a singer, and the girl began to fulfill her dream: she sang on the streets, in bars, at karaoke competitions, at sports competitions. All in order to catch the eye of some producer who would believe in her talent. But after all, the parents did not just follow the lead of their ambitious daughter, moving from their beloved farm in Pennsylvania to stuffy Tennessee. My father transferred to the local office of the largest American bank Merrill Lynch (here he worked as a financial consultant), and at the same time bought 3% of the capital of the newly created independent record company Big Machine Records, the head of which offered young Taylor her first contract.

The fact that Swift's father actually controls a portion of the company's shares is no secret. However, the legend says: the purchase took place after the young singer was "noted" in one of the bars (allegedly the father simply tried to protect the interests of his daughter). And, alas, this is the very case where a lot changes from a change in the places of the terms.

teen queen

One way or another, young Taylor began to take her first successful steps in the world of country music. The image of a young girl in short dresses, with angelic curls and with a guitar at the ready immediately fell in love with the general public - largely due to the fact that Swift favorably differed from typical representatives of the genre. It was a great triumph - and most importantly, to maintain it, the young performer needed very little: to compose songs, sing and maintain the image of a kind of girl-next-door.

If you believe the revelations of Ronnie Kremer, then while the father was in charge of the girl's finances, her mother Andrea took care of her daughter's image. Ex-teacher Taylor recalls how her mother did not allow the singer to eat high-calorie foods for breakfast (unlike her brother, by the way), arguing that "the world does not need fat stars."

On the other hand, true or not, Taylor herself did not need to be told twice how to behave. In the end, her stellar ascent came at precisely the time when one unsuccessful party or loss of control over oneself could cross out all past successes in a moment. Before her eyes, Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie, and Britney Spears lost their national recognition because of their love for drunken brawls. So the girl, without thinking twice, immediately entered herself into the generation of new healthy American youth, jogging in the morning and drinking vegetable smoothies instead of coffee. No alcohol - the singer still does not tire of emphasizing that she first tried alcohol at her legal 21. No dubious parties. No inappropriate acquaintances.

Taylor's former young people are extremely silent: they almost do not communicate with the press about romance with the performer (the exception, however, was Calvin Harris, who once uttered that he felt deceived by his ex-lover). A very atypical behavior for Hollywood heroes, largely thanks to which Miss Swift comes out of all this mess with her boyfriends relatively dry, continuing to declare in her incomplete thirty that she falls in love every time, like the first.

And most often they really believe her - perhaps because she herself is convinced of the sincerity of her words. Taylor is hard to catch as hypocrisy: her behavior during the incident with Kanye West in 2009 and after is a very eloquent example of the performer's strategy in any awkward situations that she sometimes happens to find herself in (the case of DJ harassment proves the same). Naivety, sacrifice and nobility from time to time perfectly play into the hands of Swift, forcing millions of hearts around the world to fall in love with her (even Barack Obama supported the singer in a quarrel with Kanye West). And, perhaps, this is the case when a celebrity is not a hostage to his image, but with pleasure remains his most devoted fan.

For many years in a row, Taylor has remained the unspoken queen of not only country music, but also the pop scene: she buys multi-room mansions for herself and her parents (the singer's fortune is $ 280 million, according to Forbes), shines on the red carpet, breaks sold-out concerts and shoots clips blowing up You Tube (her work Ready For It? is proof of that). Of course, like any person, she has her skeletons in the closet, but her great talent, hard work, as well as the support of parents influential in the industry (who, it seems, have their own leverage on the press) leave no chance for anyone to destroy the dream, to which Taylor has been going since childhood.

Photo: Getty Images, Legion-Media, Instagram, press archives

Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer and actress born December 13, 1989 in Reading. The singer considers her date of birth happy, she often writes the number "13" on her hand before concerts. By the age of 27, she managed to receive more than 200 awards for her work. She was repeatedly elected the best country singer, for which Taylor received 10 Grammy statuettes.

She writes songs for herself, almost all of them become hits. The actress calls Lee Ann Rimes, Shania Twain and her own grandmother, opera singer Marjorie Finlay, her childhood idols. Now the girl lives in Nashville. She also has a home in Los Angeles. The general state of the singer has almost 60 million dollars. She bought her parents a mansion in Tennessee.

Hobbies in childhood

The girl was born in a small town in Pennsylvania. Her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, was a financial advisor. Mother, Andrea Gardner, worked in a marketing fund before the birth of her daughter. 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 that she would make a career in the financial sector. Therefore, they chose a universal name for their daughter, which does not emphasize her gender. She was named after the singer James Taylor, whom Andrea adored. Later, the girl's brother Austin was born, now he performs in the theater.

The future star studied at private school Windcroft. She was nine years old when her parents decided to move to Wyomissing. Swift graduated from the middle classes already in a new place. Because of parting with old friends, she was very bored. Gradually, the girl developed an interest in music. At the age of 10, she wrote her first song in an attempt to express her emotions.

Parents have always supported their daughter's hobbies. Thanks to them, the baby learned to play the guitar, attended vocal courses. Later, she began to go to castings and auditions, but never became a leader in them. Despite this, Taylor was successful among the inhabitants of her hometown. She regularly performed at fairs, competitions, and festivals in Wyomissing. As a child, the singer went to acting classes on Broadway, so she was not at all afraid of the stage and performances in front of a crowd of people.

When Swift was 12 years old, she sang the US anthem at the opening ceremony of the Philadelphia Games. But the real breakthrough for the girl was the performance at the local competition with the song Big Deal. Charlie Daniels noticed her sincere interest in country music, 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 for the girl to come of age and only then start releasing albums and promotion. She refused to wait that long, so she canceled the contract before the recording.

First albums

Taylor was only 14 years old when she moved to Nashville. Her parents sent her to the Christian school Aaron Academy, because there was an opportunity to study at home. In her free time, the girl took private lessons from songwriter Lil Rose. She also performed with a guitar near a local cafe, until she was lucky enough to meet Scott Borchette. The founder of the label Big Machine immediately appreciated the talent of the artist, he offered her a contract.

In 2006, Swift recorded her debut single, Tim McGraw, dedicated to her favorite country singer. Two months later, a full Taylor Swift album was released. It went platinum five times and also broke a ten-year record, staying on the chart for 234 weeks. Motives close to people, combined with uncomplicated lyrics, instantly brought popularity to the singer. She became the youngest ever recipient of a songwriting award.

In the same year, two mini-albums were released, which brought the girl a Grammy nomination. But she lost out to Amy Winehouse, another great performer. In 2008, Swift again amazed everyone with her hard work by recording another full-length disc. It was called Fearless and was certified platinum several times in the US and Australia. Thanks to this record, Taylor received several prestigious international awards.

In 2010 and 2012 two more successful albums of the performer were released - "Speak now" and "Red". After that, she went on a world tour that lasted more than 100 days. Swift has toured to many countries including Japan, New Zealand and Australia. She often gave non-standard concerts, for example, performances in the hall of the airport or on a double-decker bus.

Movie roles

Taylor made numerous film appearances, although she rarely landed the lead roles. She first played in the series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and then in the feature film about Hannah Montana with Miley Cyrus. During filming, the girls became friends.

Fans most of all remember the brilliant performance of the actress in the romantic comedy "Valentine's Day". Later, she starred in the film "Todd vs. High School" and one of the episodes of the American TV series "New Girl". The girl also wrote soundtracks for some popular films. Among them are Dreams Come True and The Hunger Games.

Swift has never been afraid to experiment. She herself writes music and words for her songs, but often invites new producers and arrangers. In different albums of the singer, you can find elements of alternative rock and dubstep. Despite this, she remains true to her beloved country style, although in the last records she “moved” towards dance pop. The girl always takes pictures and communicates with fans, for this she allocates one hour before each concert.

In 2014, the album "1989" was released, which critics called one of the best in show business. In 2017, Taylor released the video "Look what you made me do", which broke all the records of views on Youtube. In October of the same year, she invited hundreds of fans to her home for a private presentation of the Reputation record. The official release should take place on November 10th.

Personal life and friends

The paparazzi relentlessly 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 novels usually last no more than 3-4 months. Even before her popularity, she had 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 met with Joe Jonas, the vocalist of the Jonas Brothers and DNCE. In 2010, she met Taylor Lautner on the set of Valentine's Day, and they began an affair. 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 parted ways due to the big age difference. The last straw was that the chosen one forgot about the girl's birthday. Among her famous guys was also the grandson of President Connor Kennedy, a member One group Direction Harry Styles and Glee cast members 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 at the initiative of the man. The singer spent several months in a depressed mood and apathy, but soon she began an affair with Tom Hiddleston.

Relations 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, they soon broke up with Tom. The reason for the breakup was the desire of the actor to make the relationship public and his too busy schedule.

In June 2017, it became known about Taylor's new romance, this time with actor Joe Alvin. 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 personal life to herself, rather than share it with the whole 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 her sisters who will always support and come to the rescue.

• Name: Taylor
• Surname: swift
• Date of Birth: 13.12.1989
• Place of Birth: Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
• Zodiac sign: Sagittarius
• Eastern horoscope: Snake
• Occupation: singer, actress
• Growth: 178 cm
• The weight: 55 kg

Taylor Swift can be called the brightest representative of country music among the "new" generation. Youth, beauty, the ability to defend themselves and, of course, outstanding talent allowed the girl to conquer the music world.

Photo Taylor Swift

Childhood and first successes

Taylor Swift was born into a family that was far from music. Father is a financial consultant, mother is a housewife who, in her youth, was also related to banking. Parents did not even think that their daughter would devote herself entirely to the stage. The Swift family lived in Pennsylvania.. When Taylor and her brother were still children, the family moved from a small farm to Wyomissing. There the girl continued her studies at school.

Then, in nine-year-old Taylor, a sleeping talent seemed to awaken. She began to sing. Everywhere. Is always. She was not embarrassed by passers-by, she artistically and firmly held herself in public. From that time on, it became clear to her that she would connect her fate with singing. Still young Tei went to auditions, performed at fairs, festivals, trying to find her way to the big stage. Before fortune smiled at her, she managed to send several demo versions of songs to recording studios. A talented girl who plays the guitar and composes her own compositions, as if they did not notice. First her finest hour happened when Taylor was invited to sing the US anthem at the opening of the Philadelphia Games.

The family's move to the Nashville area was a turning point for Taylor Swift. Still continuing to sing wherever possible, the fourteen-year-old Tei was noticed by the producer of a music label that was gaining popularity. Acquaintance with Scott Borchette and a signed contract with Big Machine Records soon bore fruit. By that time, the girl had already fallen in love with country music with all her heart and dreamed of working in this direction. 2006 was marked by the release of the singer's debut album. But before that, in order to attract the attention of the audience to the new performer, the single "Tim McGraw" was launched into rotation. Swift's first big creation was warmly received by critics. So shone in the musical sky new star country directions. And, of course, around the talented and bright, at the same time fragile and sweet girl Taylor there was a general hype.

Continuing a career: not a step back

The next two years, Swift tours, appears with performances at various venues and works tirelessly. Taylor's unprecedented perseverance and efficiency were duly rewarded. In 2008, after the release of the second album "Fearless", a whole series of high-profile victories fell upon her. The album was financially successful. It topped the Billboard 200 chart, became the best-selling album in the United States in 2009, and was certified six times platinum.

• Young Hollywood Awards, Future Superstar category;
• "Best Female Video" at the MTV Video Music Awards-2009 for the clip "You Belong With Me";
• Nashville Songwriters Association of the Year Award for Songwriting and Performer of the Year;
• Billboard Magazine named Taylor Top Performer of 2009;
• Award at the People Choice Awards-2010, category "Singer of the Year".

The release of the singer's third album was not long in coming. One of the most successful young performers of the late 2000s consolidates her position on the music scene: the album "Speak Now", like the previous ones, becomes multi-platinum. All compositions were written by Swift herself. The geography of tours has expanded, now it is recognized not only in America, but also in Europe and Asia. Organized tour in support of the album is recognized as one of the highest grossing in history.

In 2011, at the American Music Awards, Taylor won the Best Performer of the Year nomination. And at the 54th Grammy Awards, she received awards for "Best Country Solo Performance" and "Best Country Song" (the song "Mean"). MAXIM magazine also paid attention to such a popular person, taking the twentieth place in the ranking of the sexiest women in 2011.

year 2012. And again new album. Again a phenomenal success. One can only admire such zeal and such dedication with which Taylor works. Two years later, another album. "Red" and "1989" only reinforce the success of the singer. In these records, Taylor experiments more, adds new styles to his music and again shines with talent. For the entire period of creativity, Swift did not make a single mistake. Each subsequent work only consolidated previous results and rewarded with new victories.

In 2012, Tei became the performer of the soundtrack for the film The Hunger Games.

Taylor's list of achievements is simply huge. Among them:

• 3 MTV Europe Music Awards in 2012;
• in 2012 and 2013 for the fifth and sixth consecutive Nashville Songwriters Association Songwriter/Artist Award;
• The composition "I Knew You Were Trouble" became the best in the nomination "Best Female Video" at the MTV Video Music Awards-2013;
• Winning four nominations at the 2015 MTV VMAs;
• In 2015, Swift received seven nominations for the 2016 Grammy Awards, three of which went to Swift (Album of the Year, Best Music Video and Best Pop Vocal Album).

By the age of 25, Swift had already performed in a duet with Paul McCartney, Kenny Chesney, and sang with Madonna. In 2015, Taylor became the youngest woman in history to be included in the Forbes list of the most influential and significant people among women. And beauty and unbridled charisma allowed her to become the sexiest woman according to MAXIM-2015.

In 2016, Taylor Swift's talent and musical contributions were compared to the great Michael Jackson. She became the second in history, after the legendary pop singer, to receive a special award at the BMI Pop Awards.

By 2016, Taylor's income amounted to $ 170 million, Swift was named the highest paid celebrity.

Personal life

Of course, there have always been fans around the active, full of life beauty singer. Taylor herself, however, also did not skimp on emotions and several short-lived novels remained behind her. She dated Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers for several months in 2008. In 2009, there was a short-term romance with a handsome "werewolf" from the sensational Twilight saga. By the way, with her namesake Taylor Lautner, Swift starred in the movie "Valentine's Day".

All relationships of a girl with a million dollar fortune lasted for several months. Among her chosen ones was also the grandson of John F. Kennedy Connor, actor Jake Gyllenhaal, Harry Styles from one direction.

In 2015, it seemed that Taylor had finally found her life partner. DJ Calvin Harris and Swift did not comment on their relationship, but there were rumors about the couple's engagement and further wedding. For a little over a year, the lovers did not part, and in May 2016 it became known about the breakup of the highest paid couple of 2015.

Another short-term romance happened in the summer of 2016. However, already in September it became clear that the relationship between Taylor Swift and actor Tom Hiddleston was broken.

Taylor Alison Swift Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Taylor grew up in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania and moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 14 to pursue her musical career. Taylor signed to independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by Sony/ATV Music publishing house. The release of her debut album in 2006 established her as a country music star. She received a Best New Artist nomination at the 50th Grammy Awards.

Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in 2008 and was a crossover and huge commercial success. The record won four Grammy awards, Taylor became the youngest ever winner of Album of the Year. Fearless also won Album of the Year and plaudits at the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, and Country Music Association Awards, making it the most awarded album in country music history. Taylor Swift released her third album in 2010, selling over a million copies in its first week. With over 1.6 million fans on the latest figures, the Speak Now World Tour has become one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. The singer's fourth album, Red, was released in autumn 2012. Over 1.2 million copies of the album were sold in the United States in its first weeks of release, the highest sales figure in the last ten years. Her singles "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble" became hits all over the world. A tour in support of the Red album is planned for early March 2013.

Taylor Swift has earned numerous awards in her short career, including six Grammy Awards, ten AMCs, seven CMASs, six and 13 ACMS BMI Awards. She has sold over 20 million albums and 41.8 million digital tracks worldwide, making her one of the best-selling musicians of all time. Taylor has deal approval with Target, CoverGirl, Sony, Elizabeth Arden, Walmart, and American Greetings. According to Forbes magazine, she is one of the richest musical performers working today. In addition to her music career, Taylor Swift has appeared as an actress in the crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation(2009), romantic comedy Valentine's Day(2010) and animated film Lorax (2012).

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Early years of life:

Taylor Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Scott Kingsley Swift, a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch Bank, and Andrea (née Gardner), a housewife who previously worked as a mutual fund marketing executive. Taylor was named after singer James Taylor, her mother believes a gender-neutral name will help her forge a successful business career. She has a younger brother, Austin, who attends Vanderbilt University. Taylor spent the early years of her life on a farm near Pottstown, Pennsylvania and was educated at the Wyndcroft Fee School. When Tay was nine years old, her family moved to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where she attended junior/high school. Summer Taylor spent in country house her parents in Stone Harbor, New Jersey and described it as a place "where most of my childhood memories were formed".

At the age of nine, Taylor developed an interest in musical theater and performed at the Berks Youth Theater Academy, in productions of Grease, Annie, Bye Bye Birdie and The Sound of Music. Taylor regularly traveled to Broadway, New York for vocal and acting lessons. However, after several years of auditioning in New York, she didn't get anything, after which she turned her attention to country music. Tey was inspired by LeAnn Rimes's Blue and her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, an opera singer. When Taylor was in fourth grade, she won a national poetry competition with a three-page poem, Monster in the Closet. At the age of eleven, after many attempts, Tey entered a local singing talent competition where she sang LeAnn Rimes' "Big Deal" and was given the opportunity to open for Charlie Daniels at the Strausstown Amphitheater. She spent her weekends performing at local festivals, fairs, cafes, karaoke contests, garden clubs, and Boy Scout meetings. Taylor Swift demoed and traveled with her mother to Nashville, Tennessee for spring break, leaving copies of the demos on Music Row. She received a number of rejections and realized that "I need to know how to do more than just sing a song".

Taylor Swift began performing "The Star Spangled Banner" at many sporting events, hoping to be offered a recording contract. At the age of 12, a computer repairman showed Taylor Swift how to play three chords on the guitar, inspiring her to write her first song, Lucky You. Taylor then recorded a second demo of original songs. In 2003, Sona and her parents started working with music manager Dan Dymtrow after he saw her sing at the US Open. Taylor Swift's second demo caught the attention of RCA Records, who offered her a deal. In 2004, Taylor modeled for Abercrombie and Fitch as part of the "Rising Stars" campaign and had original songs included on the Maybelline Cosmetics CD compilation.

When Taylor Swift was 14 years old, her father was transferred to the Merrill Lynch office, Nashville and the family moved to a lakeside home in Hendersonville, Tennessee. In Tennessee, she attended high school. Later, to accommodate Taylor's touring schedule, her parents transferred her to Aaron Academy, a private Christian school that provides homeschooling services, and she received her high school diploma in 2008.

Musical career:

2004-2008: Taylor Swift's early career

Taylor moved to Nashville at the age of 14 and signed with RCA Records. Swift's musical influences include Shania Twain, Sheryl Crow, Dixie Chicks, LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, Reba McEntire, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Garth Brooks, and Tammy Wynette. Taylor Swift studied with composers such as the Troy Verges, Brett Beavers, and Warren Brothers, but eventually formed a strong working relationship with Liz Rose. Taylor met Rose at RCA after they started writing together. They began dating for a two-hour writing class every Tuesday afternoon after school. Liz Rose said the lessons were "some of the easiest I've ever done. Basically, I was just her editor. She wrote about what happened at school that day. She had such a clear vision of what she was trying to say. And she came with the most incredible hooks." Swift also began recording demos with producer Nathan Chapman. After performing at BMI Songwriter's Circle and Bitter End, New York, Taylor Swift became the youngest composer ever hired by Sony/ATV Tree.

Swift left RCA Records when she was 15, the company wanted to record the work of others and waited until she was 18 to release an album, but Taylor felt ready to start her career with her own material. She also broke up with manager Dan Dymtrow, who later took legal action against Taylor and her parents. At The Bluebird Café in Nashville in 2005, Swift caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, then at Dreamworks Records, who was preparing to form his own independent record label, Big Machine Records. Tei was one of the first artists signed to the new label. She also joined talent agency CAA.

Taylor began work on her debut album shortly after signing a recording contract with Big Machine Records. After experimenting with veteran producers in Nashville, Swift convinced Big Machine Records to hire Nathan Chapman as her demo producer. It was her first recording of a studio album, but Swift felt she was entitled to experimentation, "chemistry". After all, Chapman produced all but one of Taylor Swift's tracks. She described the album as a "diary" of her early teens and most of the songs were written during her freshman year of high school. As a result, the songs describe puberty, insecurities, first loves, and teenage angst. She said that while "it sounds like I had 500 boyfriends," "I was able to write relationship songs when I was thirteen, but I wasn't in one at the time." Taylor Swift wrote only three songs from the album, including two of the singles, as well as the other 8 tracks she co-wrote with songwriters Liz Rose and Robert Ellis Orrall. Musically, the album has been described as "a mixture of instrumental trad country and lively rock guitars".

The Taylor Swift album was released in October 2006. Big Machine Records was still in its infancy, and Taylor and her mother helped "stuff CD singles into radio envelopes." Borchetta said his decision to sign the 16-year-old singer was taken with raised eyebrows among record industry peers. However, Swift has tapped into a previously unknown market of teenage girls who listen to country music. She was featured in "GAC Short Cuts", a part documentary, part music and video series designed to introduce her fans to country music. She also performed at television shows Good Morning America, The Megan Mullally Show, America's Got Talent, and TRL. Taylor spent most of 2006 promoting a radio tour and then stated, “The radio tour for most artists is six weeks long. Mine lasted six months." Swift, a self-described "baby on the internet," uses MySpace to build fans.

Taylor Swfit released her debut single "Tim McGraw" in mid-2006, which reached No.6 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs magazine. The second single from Taylor Swift's album, "Teardrops on My Guitar", was released on February 24, 2007. In mid-2007, the song peaked at No.2 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs and No.33 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was re-released as a pop remix, which brought "Teardrops on My Guitar" to No.13 on the Hot 100 and No.11 on the Pop 100. Her third song from her debut album, "Our Song" spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Country Music music charts, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, and rose to No. 24 on the Billboard Pop 100. Taylor's successful single, "Picture to Burn", became the fourth single from her debut album. The song debuted and soon reached No.3 on the Billboard Country chart in the spring of 2008. "Should've Said No" was the second song to reach No.1. Debuting on the high Billboard 200, the album sold 39,000 copies in its first week. It reached No.1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums and No.5 on the Billboard 200. Debut album Taylor Swift has been at the top of the Top Country Albums chart for eight consecutive weeks and has remained at the top for 24 of 91 weeks.

Tei toured in support of the album. She appeared as an opening act for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, George Strait, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts. In October 2008, Swift sang a duet with top-selling rock band Def Leppard in Nashville. The event was televised in Taylor Swift CMT and Def Leppard. She held meetings and congratulated her after the concert.

Tylor Swift received the Composer/Performer of the Year award from The Nashville Songwriters Association International in 2007. She is the youngest person ever to be awarded the title. Tei was nominated in 2008 for a Grammy Award in the category "Best new artist”, but lost to Amy Winehouse. She won the Country Music Association's Horizon Award for Best New Artist. In 2008, she won the Best New Female Vocal at the Country Music Awards. Taylor also won Favorite Female Country Artist at the 2008 AMAs. She has won seven awards at the BMI Awards.

Swift recorded a holiday album, Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, which was released exclusively on Target in late 2007. In the summer of 2008, Swift released Beautiful Eyes, an EP sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. In its first week of release, the album sold 45,000 copies, debuting at No.1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums and peaking at No.9 on the Billboard 200.

2008-2010: Album release "Fearless" and incident at the 2009 MTV VMAs

Taylor Swift's second studio album, Fearless, was released in November 2008. She wrote seven of the album's songs alone, including two of the singles, and co-wrote the remaining six with songwriters Liz Rose, John Rich, Colbie Caillat and Hillary Lindsey. While Swift wrote many songs while on tour, she made a conscious effort not to include "road songs": "As a 16-year-old girl, I can never get involved with those songs about playing in a different city every night. I want to write about my feelings and love and lack of love." She said that the title of the album meant "that you're afraid of a lot of things, but you go on anyway." She co-produced the album with Nathan Chapman. Musically, the record is characterized by "loud, guitar-driven and rousing choirs", sometimes with "a little violin and banjo tucked in together".

Fearless received positive reviews from music critics. The New York Times described Taylor as "one of the the best authors pop songs, above all she is the pragmatist of the country due to its richest inner world than most adults." The Village Voice felt that she was distinguished by "uncanny wisdom and openness", "skillfully avoiding the pitfalls of the typical diary of trite vulgarity and pseudo-profound nonsense". Entertainment Weekly noted that the album would appeal mainly to young girls - "she sounds like a real teenager ..." Music critic Robert Christgau described Taylor as "an unusually and incredibly strong and gifted teenage girl."

Taylor Swift performed her first tour from April 2009 to June 2010. As part of the 105-day Fearless Tour, Swift played 90 days in North America, six days in Europe, eight days in Australia and one day in Asia. The show included several costume changes, dancers, and a fabulous set of castles. Taylor invited John Mayer, Faith Hill and Katy Perry to perform one-off duets with her on various dates on the North American tour. The tour attracted over 1.1 million fans and grossed over $63 million. The Fearless Tour, a concert film, was shown on television and later released on DVD and Blu-ray.

In September 2009, Swift became the first country music artist to win at the MTV Video Music Awards when the music video for "You Belong with Me" was named Best Female Video. Her speech was interrupted by rapper Kanye West, who was involved in a number of other incidents at the awards show. West announced Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies", nominated in the same category, as "one of the best videos of all time". Many onlookers booed West, prompting him to flip with the crowd. He then handed the microphone over to Swift's speech. Backstage, Taylor was seen "crying hysterically". According to Rolling Stone, West issued "a partial apology in which he added that he still thought the Beyoncé video was excellent." West was suspended from the event. When Beyoncé later won the Video of the Year award, she invited Taylor Swift to take the stage to finish her speech.

West's behavior has been criticized by celebrities including Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Lady Gaga. After a big outcry in the media and not only, West called Taylor Swift and apologized for his behavior.

Swift released a cover of Tom Petty's "American Girl", exclusively through Rhapsody in June 2009, and has continued to contribute to Petty's recording of the song. Taylor Swift provided background vocals on the song "Half Of My Heart" by John Mayer, featured on his fourth album in November 2009. The song received many positive reviews from music critics. Taylor and Mayer performed the song live at Madison Square Garden, New York in December 2009. It was released as the album's third single in June 2010 and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Swift collaborated with a number of other artists in 2008 and 2009. She co-wrote and recorded the song "Best Days of Your Life" with Kelly Pickler. Taylor Swift also co-wrote two songs with Martin Johnson and Robert Ellis Orrall for the Hannah Montana: The Movie Soundtrack, "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" and "Crazier". Taylor also provided vocals for Boys Like Girls's "Two Is Better Than One", written by Martin Johnson. In January 2010, Taylor Swift contributed to two songs - including "Today Was a Fairytale" - on the Valentine's Day soundtrack and covered Better Than Ezra's "Breathless" on the Hope for Haiti Now album. .

In November 2009, Swift became the youngest female artist, and one of only six women, to be nominated as the Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association. Fearless also won the Association's Album of the Year award. The album received numerous other awards and became the most awarded album in the history of country music. Taylor Swift became the youngest artist to win Album of the Year from the Academy of Country Music's. At the American Music Awards, Taylor Swift was honored with Artist of the Year and Favorite Country Album. She was awarded the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and was named Composer/Performer of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association. Taylor has won four BMI Awards. Billboard named her 2009 Artist of the Year. Taylor Swift was included in Time's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2010.

In January 2010, Swift received four Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, Best Country Album, Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song, out of a total of eight nominations. She became the youngest female artist to win Album of the Year. During the ceremony, Taylor Swift sang "Rhiannon" and "You Belong with Me" with Steve Nicks. Her vocal performance received negative reviews and sparked much discussion in the media. Her vocals have been variously described as "bad and off-key", "strikingly bad", and "incredibly pathetic". While The New York Times wrote "it's nice to see someone so gifted make the occasional slip" and described Taylor Swift as "the most important new pop star in the last few years", music critic Bob Lefsetz predicted her career would be over" in one night" ("overnight"). In April 2010, Stevie Nicks wrote an article in Time defending the singer: "Taylor reminds me of myself in her definition and her childlike nature. This innocence that is so special and so rare. This girl writes songs that are sung all over the world, like Neil Diamond and Elton John ... The female rock and roll country pop composer is back, and her name is Taylor Swift. And it's women like her who are going to keep the music business going."

2010-2012: Album release "Speak Now" and 13 month world tour

Taylor Swift released her third studio album, Speak Now, in October 2010. She wrote all twelve songs alone: ​​"I got my best ideas at 3am in Arkansas and had no collaborators around." Recording for the album took place in California, Tennessee and Kentucky over a two-year period. Taylor, who co-produced this album with longtime collaborator Nathan Chapman, described the album as "a collection of confessions I wanted to say at that moment." Taylor Swift originally wanted to call the album Enchanted, but Scott Borchetta, CEO of her record company, felt the title didn't reflect the album's other themes: "She played me a bunch of new songs. I looked at her and I said, "Taylor, this record is not about fairy tales and high school. It's not where you were." Musically, it was said that the album "expands beyond country pop and will border on alternative rock and dirty bubblegum pop".

"Speak Now" received positive reviews from music critics. Rolling Stone described Swift as one of the best composers ("pop, rock or country"). The Los Angeles Times praised her abilities as a composer as "a blow to the overall experience that will make you feel unique."

Swift ran an extensive promotional campaign prior to the release of Speak Now. She has appeared on various talk shows and morning shows, and performed free mini-concerts in unusual venues, including an open double-decker bus on Hollywood Boulevard and the departure lounge at JFK Airport. She took part in a "guitar pull" alongside Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill and Lionel Ritchie at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, where the musicians shared the stage and took turns playing acoustic versions of their songs to raise money for the Country Music Hall of Fame. and Museum. The album's lead single, "Mine", was released in August 2010 and five more singles were released in 2010 and 2011: "Back to December", "Mean", "The Story of Us", "Sparks Fly", and "Ours ". Speak Now is one of the major commercially successful albums and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in the US. Its sales of 1,047,000 copies made it the sixteenth album in United States history to sell a million copies in a single week. As of February 2012, "Speak Now" has sold over 4,000,000 copies in the US and over 5,700,000 copies worldwide. In her career, as of May 2012, Taylor Swift has sold over 22 million albums and 50 million digital tracks worldwide.

Taylor Swift toured throughout 2011 and early 2012 in support of Speak Now. In a thirteen-month, 111-date world tour, Taylor played seven shows in Asia, twelve shows in Europe, 80 shows in North America and twelve shows in Australia. Three US tour dates were rescheduled after she contracted bronchitis. The stage show was inspired by the Broadway Theater of the Musical, with choreographed routines, intricate staging of parts, pyrotechnics, and many costume changes. Swift invited many musicians to join her for one-off duets on a North American tour. Performances were organized with James Taylor, Jason Mraz, Shawn Colvin, Johnny Rzeznik, Andy Grammer, Tal Bachman, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Nicki Minaj, Nelly, B.o.B., Usher, Flo Rida, T.I., Jon Foreman, Jim Adkins, Hayley Williams , Hot Chelle Rae, Ronnie Dunn, Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney. The tour attracted over 1.6 million fans and grossed over $123 million, becoming one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. Swift's first live album, Speak Now World Tour: Live, performances of all seventeen shows from the North American leg of the tour, was released in November 2011.

On the North American and Australian tour, Taylor Swift wrote different lyrics on her left hand for each performance. She also performed numerous acoustic cover songs during the North American tour. Taylor said the cover songs allowed her to be "spontaneous" in otherwise well-rehearsed shows: "I'm going to have a lot of people who come to more than one show and I want them to have a different experience every time." Cover versions of songs performed by Taylor Swift on the Speak Now World Tour include such artists as: Justin Timberlake, Tori Amos, TLC, Pink, Fall Out Boy, Dave Matthews Band, Michelle Branch, Jordin Sparks, Maroon 5, Train, John Mellencamp, Kim Carnes, Avril Lavigne, The Jackson 5, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Gwen Stefani, All American Rejects , Britney Spears and Eminem.

At the 54th Grammy Awards in February 2012, Swift's "Mean" won Best Country Song and Best Solo Performance. She also performed "Mean" during the ceremony. The song is considered a rebuttal by Bob Lefsetz, who was one of the most vocal critics of her 2010 Grammy performance. Lefsetz had previously been a supporter of the singing career, and Taylor and Lefsetz corresponded occasionally by mail and telephone. USA Today noted that criticism in 2010 seemed to "make her Best Composer and Living Performer.

Taylor Swift was named Composer/Performer of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association in 2010 and 2011. During the ceremony in 2011, she performed an acoustic version of "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" in honor of Alan Jackson at the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, who later thanked Swift in his speech for "the most beautiful version I've ever heard". Taylor has won various awards for "Speak Now". She was named Entertainer of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in 2011 and 2012 and was named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2011. Taylor Swift won Artist of the Year at the 2011 American Music Awards and Speak Now was named Favorite Country Album. She was also the recipient of two BMI awards. Billboard named Swift their 2011 Woman of the Year. The same year, Billboard placed her on the Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters 2000–2011 at number 15; she was in second place in the ranking of women. Taylor Swift ranked second on Rolling Stone's Top 16 "Queen Of Pops" of the decade...

Taylor Swift recorded two original soundtracks for The Hunger Games in March 2012. "Safe & Sound" was co-written and recorded with The Civil Wars and T-Bone Burnett. John Paul White stated while working with Taylor "She had some great ideas. We had complete freedom. It really was a collaboration. We brought melancholy and a dark corner. Taylor contributed the melody and chords." Rolling Stone described the song as "a beautiful ballad by Swift". Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars debuted a live version of this song at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in January 2012. The song was released as the lead single on the album, and in April 2012 it had already sold 970,000 copies in the United States. Taylor's second song, "Eyes Open" from the album, was written exclusively by the singer and produced by Nathan Chapman. In May 2012, Taylor Swift provided vocals for B.o.B's song "Both of Us" from the Strange Clouds album.

2012: Album release Red

Taylor Swift's fourth studio album, Red, is scheduled for release on October 22, 2012. She wrote ten of the album's sixteen songs herself. The remaining six were co-written by Laurie McKenna, Butch Walker, Ed Sheeran and Dan Wilson, among others. Nathan Chapman served as the album's lead producer, but others, including Butch Walker, Jeff Bhaskar and Shelbeck, produced individual tracks. Taylor said that the process of making the album made her feel like a "student" and allowed her to "paint in different colors". The first single from the new album, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", was released in August 2012. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in one week of sales. Taylor Swift is doing a promotional tour before the release of Red. She has performed at the MTV VMAs as well as the iHeartRadio Festival, and will also perform at the BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards, Good Morning America, and VH1 Storytellers. The singer signed a number of contracts; she released her second fragrance with Elizabeth Arden, collaborated with Sony on two photography projects, and will release a Deluxe edition of Red through Target.

You can see what clips were during the birth of Taylor Swift here: http://tubeclips.ru/80-e/ The site has a huge selection of clips online, from the 80s.

One of the most colorful country singers of all time considers the number 13, her date of birth, her lucky number, often drawing it on her arms during performances. Her father, Scott, worked as a financial consultant, and her mother, Andrea, devoted most of her life to housekeeping, stopping working quite early. Taylor has a younger brother, Austin.

The Swift family had several horses, so as a child, Taylor was involved in horse riding. She also attended musical theater classes and often traveled to Broadway to practice vocals and acting skills. T

Taylor Swift began writing songs at the age of 10, learning to play the guitar, and also performed at fairs and festivals in the city of Wyomissing, where she grew up.

star trek singer

At the age of 14, young Taylor Swift moved to Nashville with the firm intention of becoming a star and being heard. She sang and played the guitar right on the street, near the cafe, until she was noticed by the founder of the music label Big Machine Records, Scott Borchette.

The debut single of the singer Tim McGraw was released in 2006 and brought her fame, as well as the Nashville Songwriters Association Award. At the end of the same year, the first album called Taylor Swift was released, well received. music critics. The next two years, the performer works on two mini-albums, as a result of which she becomes a Grammy nominee, but in the end she loses to Amy Winehouse. The next album, Fearless, was released on November 11, 2008 and became a real explosion in music industry USA. It hit number one on the chart music albums Billboard and went 6x platinum in the US and 5x platinum in Australia.

In October 2010, Taylor Swift released the album Speak Now, which cemented her success. It went multi-platinum again in many countries, including the US, Australia and Canada. In support of it, Taylor staged a 111-day world tour.

In early 2012, the singer worked on songs for the Hunger Games soundtrack. The song Safe & Sound from this album was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, but lost out to Adele's Skyfall, the theme to the film 007: Skyfall.

Taylor Swift's fourth full length album was released in October 2012. In the songs from the RED disc, the influence of not only country music is noticeable, but also other styles: dubstep and pop dance. The people who helped the singer in the work on the fourth album believe that this is a big step towards the glory of a pop star and world recognition. A world tour is organized in support of RED.

Now Taylor Swift lives in Nashville, but the girl also has a house in Los Angeles. Her fortune is estimated at about $57 million.

Personal life

Taylor Swift's most famous romance was her relationship with Twilight star Taylor Lautner. The namesake starred together in the film Valentine's Day in 2010, and after breaking up, the singer dedicated the song Back to December to her boyfriend. By the way, about Taylor's habit of writing songs in honor of past The guys are already joking around.

The rest of Taylor's novels were rather short: in 2008, she spent four months with singer Joe Johnson, several months in 2009, the artist met with John Mayer, three months in 2010 with actor Jake Gyllenhaal, and quite a bit with Cory Monteith (and before that with his Glee co-star Chord Overstreet), three months in mid-2012 with Connor Kennedy, and four months in late 2012 with One Direction band member Harry Styles. But these are the names of only famous guys!

One of Taylor's first singles Tim McGraw was dedicated to parting with a guy named Brandon Borello, the song Picture to Burn tells about an affair with a certain Jordan Alford, Should "ve Said No was written after a guy named Sam Armstrong cheated on the singer.

Now 26-year-old Taylor is going to marry DJ Calvin Harris.