Taylor Swift charmed fans and critics alike when she came out of the gate at 16 with the introspective maturity of a singer-songwriter twice her age. Since then, Swift has built an illustrious career as a musician and performer. Her music — ranging from country to rock to synth ballads to alternative pop — has made her one of the most significant artists of the 21st century.

Taylor Alison Swift was born December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania. After moving to a Nashville suburb and performing original songs on Music Row, Swift signed to indie label Big Machine Records. Swift’s self-titled debut was released in 2006 to significant country radio play and was certified platinum a year later. Her sophomore country pop album, Fearless (2008) helped break the singer into the mainstream with major hits like “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.”

Swift seamlessly crossed over from country to mainstream pop with her 2012 album Red, which also contained her greatest songwriting achievement, “All Too Well.“ The singer's fifth studio album 1989 completed her move into full-blown pop and played a significant role in shaping the diaristic, synth-heavy Top 40 landscape of the mid 2010s, catapulting Swift to superstardom.

After Swift's master recordings were sold to a controversial talent manager in 2018, she decided to re-record her first six albums as a way to own her music. Since then, Swift has released four re-recordings of her original work; Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), and 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

While re-recording her six original albums, Swift has continued to release new albums, each more groundbreaking than the last. Swift's 2022 release, Midnights, made her the first artist in history to take all 10 of the top slots on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

In 2023, Swift embarked on her monumental Eras Tour — a three-hour spectacle in which she performed music from her 10 studio albums, honoring each album and its “era” in her life. The first leg of the Eras Tour netted the singer over a billion dollars.  —Maya Georgi