Taylor Swift has established herself as one of the most successful and prolific artists of her generation. With a career spanning over two decades, she has consistently demonstrated her remarkable talent as a singer-songwriter, captivating audiences worldwide.
Swift’s ability to weave personal narratives into her music has resonated with fans of all ages (affectionately called “Swifties”), earning her numerous accolades, including multiple Grammy awards.
Following her evolution from country sweetheart to pop sensation, we can definitely appreciate her versatility and adaptability as an artist. Beyond her music, Swift’s entrepreneurship and dedication to her craft have made her an industry powerhouse.
To pay tribute to not only a gifted musician but also a cultural icon who continues to influence and inspire countless artists and fans alike, we’ve created the Taylor Swift timeline which summarizes the major milestones of her career so far.
Taylor Swift timeline: shortlist of key events
- 13 December 1989 – Taylor Alison Swift is born
- 2001 – She learns to play the guitar
- 2006 – Her first single is released
- 2006 –Self-titled debut album
- 2007 – The Horizon Award for best new artist
- 2008 – Second album: “Fearless”
- 2009 – First tour as a headliner
- 2009 – Album of the year ACM Award (“Fearless”)
- 2009 – Video Music Award for best female video
- 2010 – Wins 4 Grammys, including for album of the year
- 2010 – Third studio album: “Speak Now”
- 2011 – CMA entertainer of the year Award
- 2012 – Fastest selling single in digital history (“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”)
- 2012 – Fourth album: “Red”
- 2014 – Fifth album: “1989”
- 2014 – Album of the year Grammy Award for “1989”
- 2017 – Sixth album: “Reputation”
- 2019 – Seventh album: “Lover”
- 2020 – Eight and ninth albums: “Folklore” & “Evermore”
- 2020 – Album of the year Grammy for “Folklore”
- 2020 – Swift begins re-recording her earlier albums
- 2022 – Tenth studio album: “Midnights”
- 2023 – The Eras concert tour
- 2023 – MTV Video Music Awards: 9 wins
- 2023 – Becomes a billionaire
Taylor Swift: a timeline of events
Now let’s have a more in-depth look at the series of events and achievements that marked Taylor Swift’s life from her early beginnings to her ascent as a global pop sensation.
13 December 1989 – Taylor Swift is born
This marks the birth of Taylor Swift, in full Taylor Alison Swift. Born and raised until the age of 12 in West Reading, Pennsylvania, the artist then moves with her family to Hendersonville, Tennessee, so she could pursue a professional music career with country labels in nearby Nashville.
2001 – Learns to play guitar
Showing an interest in music since an early age, Swift quickly progressed from roles in children’s theatre to her first appearance before a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game, when she sang The Star-Spangled Banner anthem. A year later, she picked up guitar and began to write songs, taking her inspiration from country music artists such as The Dixie Chicks and Shania Twain.
2006 – Releases her first single
At age 14, Swift signed with Sony/ATV as a songwriter and started performing at venues in the Nashville area. It was with the occasion of one such performance that she was noticed by record executive Steve Borchetta who signed her at his Big Machine label under which her fist single, “Tim McGraw”, was released in the summer of 2006. The song would prove to be an instant success, spending 8 months on the Billboard country singles chart.
2006 – Taylor Swift’s self-titled debut album
After releasing hit single “Tim McGraw”, Swift soon followed with a self-titled debut album which would put her on the map of country music and on a touring circuit as the opening act for numerous artists such as George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw himself, and Faith Hill.
2007 – Receives the Horizon Award for best new artist
Having sold more than one million copies in the United States, “Taylor Swift” album was certified platinum and brought the singer the Horizon Award for best new artist from the Country Music Association (CMA) in November 2007, which marked her emergence as that year’s most-visible young country music star.
2008 – Second album: “Fearless”
Released on November 11, Swift’s second album “Fearless” opened at #1 on the Billboard200 chart with sales of more than half million copies in its first week. Demonstrating a refined pop sensibility, the album managed to court the mainstream pop audience without losing sight of the singer’s country roots.
2009 – First tour as a headliner, Album of the year ACM Award, Video Music Award for best female video
2009 sees Swift embarking on her first tour as a headliner, playing to sold-out venues across North America, and dominating the industry award circuit. In April, “Fearless” is recognized as album of the year by Academy of Country Music, and in September Swift tops the best female video category with “You Belong with Me” at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs).
However, during her acceptance speech, her special moment was shadowed by the infamous interruption made by rapper Kanye West, who protested that the award should have gone to Beyoncé. Later in the program, while accepting the award for video of the year, Beyoncé invited Taylor on stage to conclude her speech, which drew a standing ovation for both performers.
2010 – 4 Won Grammys, Third studio album: “Speak Now”
Taylor Swift begins the year with an impressive showing at the Grammy Awards, collecting 4 honors, including the best country song, best country album, and album of the year. She then released her 3rd album entitled “Speak Now” on October 25.
2011 – CMA entertainer of the year Award
Taylor Swift continues to reclaim accolades, this time receiving the Entertainer of the Year Award from the Country Music Association.
2012 – Record for fastest selling single in digital history
On August 14, 2012, her single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” topped the iTunes singles chart in just 50 minutes after release, earning her a Guiness World Record. This is just one of the 100+ world records she holds, including the one for Biggest-Selling Album Worldwide For A Solo Artist in 2019 for her album “Lover”.
2012 – Fourth album: “Red”
Released on October 22, “Red” sold 1.2 million copies in its first week on sale in the US, which marked the highest one-week total in 10 years. In addition, its lead single (“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”) brought Swift her first number-one hit on the Billboard pop singles chart.
2014 – Fifth album: “1989”, Album of the year Grammy Award
Titled after her birth year and reportedly inspired by the music of that era, “1989” was what Taylor would call her first “official pop album”. On the strength of the upbeat “Shake It Off”, the album became another blockbuster for the artist as it sold more than 5 million copies in the US and earned Swift her second Grammy for album of the year.
2017 – Sixth album: “Reputation”
Although she avoided discussing her personal life in interviews, Swift proved surprisingly frank in her music by releasing album “Reputation”, with hit song “Look What You Made Me Do” alluding to controversial countersuit against radio host David Muller. The album went on to become the top-selling LP of the year.
2019 – Seventh album: “Lover”
Released on August 23, the album was described by the artist as a “love letter to love itself”, with same-titled song being a highly upbeat record.
2020 – Eight and ninth albums: “Folklore” & “Evermore”, Album of the year Grammy for “Folklore”
Released on July 24 with little advance notice, “Folklore” marked a departure from her previous pop-inspired work and drew praise for its introspection, winning the Grammy for album of the year. The sister record, “Evermore”, appeared later in December 2020.
2020 – Swift begins re-recording her earlier albums
Following a dispute over the ownership of Swift’s back catalog, the singer started re-recording her early material in an effort to gain control of it and hoping that her remade songs would be sought out for licensing deals instead of the original songs.
Thus, she would later release three re-recorded albums – “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and “Red (Taylor’s Version)” in 2021, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” in 2023 – all of which reached #1 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.
2022 – Tenth studio album: “Midnights”
Adopting a synth-pop sound, the candid album “Midnights” was released on October 21. The singer would describe it as “the story of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.”
2023 – The Eras concert tour
In March 2023, Taylor Swift kicked off the Eras Tour, which represents her first concert tour since 2018 and her sixth one overall. Described by the artist herself as “a journey through all of her musical eras”, the Eras Tour is her most expansive tour yet, with 146 dates across five continents.
2023 – MTV Video Music Awards: 9 wins
The 2023 edition of the popular MTV Video Music Awards was dominated by Taylor Swift, who took home nine awards, including some of the most-coveted ones like Best Pop Video, Song of the Year, and, of course, Video of the Year for “Anti-Hero”. It was her 4th time winning this prestigious award, which makes her the most awarded person in this category.
2023 – Becomes a billionaire
According to a report by Bloomberg, as of October 2023, Taylor Swift’s total net worth was estimated at around $1.1 billion. This makes her one of the few musicians reaching such a high status based solely on music and events.
FAQs about Taylor Swift
Check out below the short answers to the top questions that people ask about Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift is an American pop and country music artist recognized for her songwriting, musical versatility, and artistic reinventions through numerous awards and accolades. Five of her songs, among which “Shake It Off”, “Blank Space”, and “Look What You Made Me Do”, topped the Billboard Hot 100.
Originally born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Taylor Swift moved with her parents when she was 13 to Hendersonville, Tennessee so she could devote more of her time to courting country music labels in nearby Nashville.
Yes, she does. She is credited as a writer or cowriter on every original song she released, being the sole writer of all the records on her third studio album (“Speak Now”).
Out of Taylor Swift’s nearly 80 Billboard Hot 100-charting songs, more than 20 records including “You Belong with Me”, “Back to December”, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”, “Blank Space”, “Shake It Off”, and “Look What You Made Me Do” were Top 10 hits.
About the Taylor Swift Timeline
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