TAYLOR SWIFT FACTS
Genre: Country, Southern Rock
Hometown: Wyomissing, Pennsylvania
Albums: Taylor Swift (2006), Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010) and Red (2012).
Awards: 7 Grammy Awards, 6 CMT Music Awards, 17 Teen Choice Awards, 7 Country Music Association Awards, 11 American Music Awards.
Hits: "You Belong With Me," "Our Song," "Back To December," "Love Story," "Today Was A Fairytale," "Brokenhearted."
Other: Taylor Swift's family uprooted from their farm in Pennsylvania by the time she was a teenager to move to Henderson, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville, to further her music career.
There probably isn't a musician more popular right now than Taylor Swift, who has managed to chart a dynamic career path that has made her the idol of pop, country and tween music fans alike. From a young age, Swift showcased a unique musical acumen, singing at state fairs and contests when she was only 10 years old and singing the national anthem at a Philadelphia 76ers game at the age of 11. For much of her life, Swift was drawn to the country music capitol of Nashville, and her family helped her follow her dreams by moving to Tennessee and jumpstarting her career.
Taylor Swift attracted the attention of Big Machine Records, which signed the musician to a contract and released her first single, "Tim McGraw," in 2006. The song hit the Top 10 of U.S. country music charts and appeared on her debut album, Taylor Swift, along with other hits like "Our Song," "Should've Said No" and "Picture To Burn."
After becoming a sensation in the country music world, Swift burst onto the pop music scene with 2008's Fearless, which stayed at No. 1 on the country and pop music charts for 11 weeks straight. The record garnered Swift a slew of awards, including four Grammy Award and four Country Music Awards, and propelled her to become the first country music star to ever win an award at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 2010, Swift came back with an even bigger album, Speak Now, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.
In 2012, Swift released her fourth studio album, Red, which also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was the only triple-platinum album to be sold in 2012. With each album seemingly building on the strengths of previous releases, Swift has barely scratched the surface of her musical career and should be a force on the country and pop charts for the foreseeable future.