Taylor Swift facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Taylor Swift
Swift in 2023
Born	Taylor Alison Swift (1989-12-13) December 13, 1989 (age 34) West Reading, Pennsylvania, US
Occupation	Singer-songwriter record producer actress director
Years active	2003–present
Organization	Taylor Swift Productions
Works	Albums singles songs videos performances
Relatives	Austin Swift (brother) Marjorie Finlay (grandmother)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee, US
Genres	Pop country folk rock alternative
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano banjo ukulele
Labels	Republic Big Machine

Signature

Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. She is considered a prominent cultural figure. Having sold over 200 million records globally, Swift is one of the best-selling musicians in history, the most streamed woman on Spotify and the only act to have five albums open with over one million copies sold in the US. Swift is an advocate for artists' rights and women's empowerment, and has inspired numerous music artists.

Early life
Music career
Influences
Voice
Songwriting
Cultural status
Entrepreneurship
Fashion
Philanthropy
Accolades and achievements
Wealth
Personal life
Taylor Swift quotes
Interesting facts about Taylor Swift
Images for kids
Discography
Filmography
Tours
See also

Early life

Swift's childhood home in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania

Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in West Reading, Pennsylvania. Her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, is a former stockbroker for Merrill Lynch and her mother, Andrea Gardner Swift (née Finlay), is a former homemaker who previously worked as a mutual fund marketing executive.

Swift spent her early years on a Christmas tree farm that her father had purchased from one of his clients. She attended preschool and kindergarten at the Alvernia Montessori School, run by the Bernadine Franciscan sisters, before transferring to The Wyndcroft School. The family moved to a rented house in the suburban town of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where Swift attended Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School. She spent her summers at the beach in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, and performed in a local coffee shop.

At age nine, Swift became interested in musical theater and performed in four Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions. She also traveled regularly to New York City for vocal and acting lessons. Swift later shifted her focus toward country music, inspired by Shania Twain's songs, which made her "want to just run around the block four times and daydream about everything."

She spent weekends performing at local festivals and events. After watching a documentary about Faith Hill, Swift felt sure she needed to move to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career in music. She traveled with her mother at age eleven to visit Nashville record labels and submitted demo tapes of Dolly Parton and The Chicks karaoke covers. She was rejected, however, because "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."

When Swift was around 12 years old, computer repairman and local musician Ronnie Cremer taught her to play guitar. Cremer helped with her first efforts as a songwriter, leading her to write "Lucky You". In 2003, Swift and her parents started working with New York-based talent manager Dan Dymtrow. With his help, Swift modeled 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.

After performing original songs at an RCA Records showcase, Swift, then 13 years old, was given an artist development deal and began making frequent trips to Nashville with her mother. To help Swift enter into the country music scene, her father transferred to Merrill Lynch's Nashville office when she was 14 years old, and the family relocated to Hendersonville, Tennessee. Swift initially attended Hendersonville High School before transferring to the Aaron Academy after two years, which better suited her touring schedule through homeschooling. She graduated one year early.

Music career

Swift signed a songwriting deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2004, and a recording contract with Big Machine Records in 2005. Her 2006 self-titled album made her the first female country artist to write a U.S. platinum-certified debut album.

Her next two albums, Fearless (2008) and Speak Now (2010), explored country pop. The former's "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me" were the first country songs to top the U.S. pop and all-genre airplay charts, respectively.

She experimented with rock and electronic styles on Red (2012), which featured her first Billboard Hot 100 number-one song, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together".

Moving to Republic Records in 2018, Swift released her seventh album Lover (2019) and autobiographical documentary Miss Americana (2020). Her singles "Cardigan" and "Willow" topped the Hot 100.

Swift began re-recording her first six albums in 2021; the latter's "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" became the longest song to top the Hot 100. Her 2022 album Midnights and single "Anti-Hero" broke multifarious records. Swift directed music videos and films such as All Too Well: The Short Film (2021), and played supporting roles in others.

Swift has been referred to as one of the greatest songwriters of all time and the best of her generation.

Beginning in 2023, Swift embarked on the Eras Tour, which broke the record for most concert tickets ever sold in a single day.

Speak Now (Taylor's Version), released on July 7, 2023, made Swift the woman with the most number-one albums (12) in Billboard 200 history, surpassing Barbra Streisand.

1989 (Taylor's Version) was released on October 27, 2023, and became Swift's record-extending sixth album to sell one million copies in a single week in the U.S. The best-selling album of 2023, it surpassed Midnights for the largest album sales week of her career and garnered the most U.S. first-week vinyl sales of the 21st century. Its single "Is It Over Now?" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, replacing her own "Cruel Summer".

Her eleventh album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024), was released as a double album.

Outside of music, Swift had a supporting role in the 2022 period comedy film Amsterdam and signed to direct an upcoming feature film for Searchlight Pictures.

Influences

One of Swift's earliest memories of music is listening to her grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, sing in church. As a child, she enjoyed Disney film soundtracks: "My parents noticed that, once I had run out of words, I would just make up my own." Swift said she owes her confidence to her mother, who helped her prepare for class presentations as a child. She also attributes her "fascination with writing and storytelling" to her mother.

Swift has also been influenced by various pop and rock artists. She lists Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, the Rolling Stones, Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, and Carly Simon as her career role models. Her synth-pop album 1989 was influenced by some of her favorite 1980s pop acts, including Peter Gabriel, Annie Lennox, Phil Collins, and Madonna. She has also cited Keith Urban's musical style and Fall Out Boy's lyrics as major influences.

Voice

Swift possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range, and a generally soft but versatile timbre. She ranked 102nd on the 2023 Rolling Stone list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. In a review of the Eras Tour, The New Yorker critic Amanda Petrusich praised the clarity and tone of Swift's live vocals. The musicologist Alyssa Barna said that Swift's timbre is "breathy and bright" in her upper register and "full and dark" in the lower.

Songwriting

Swift's fascination with songwriting began in her childhood. She credited her mother with igniting confidence and early songwriting interests by helping her prepare for class presentations. She enjoyed Disney film soundtracks and would make up lyrics once she had run out of words singing them. Her lyrical influences include female country songwriters such as Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Dolly Parton; 1990s songwriters such as Melissa Etheridge, Sarah McLachlan, and Alanis Morissette; Joni Mitchell; and Fall Out Boy. She listed Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, and Kris Kristofferson as career role models, citing their both evolving and consistent songwriting outputs. Her literary influences included the authors William Shakespeare, Nathaniel Hawthorne, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the poets William Wordsworth, Robert Frost, and Emily Dickinson; the lattermost of whom was a distant cousin of Swift.

In The New Yorker in 2011, Swift said she identifies as a songwriter first: "I write songs, and my voice is just a way to get those lyrics across". Her personal experiences were a common inspiration for her early songs, which helped her navigate life.

Swift has been referred to as one of the greatest songwriters ever by several publications.

Cultural status

Swift at the 2010 Time 100 Gala

Swift has been credited with making a profound impact on the music industry, popular culture and the economy. Swift has influenced numerous music artists. Her albums have inspired an entire generation of singer-songwriters. In recognition of her cultural impact, Swift earned the title Woman of the Decade (2010s) from Billboard, Artist of the Decade (2010s) at the American Music Awards, and Global Icon at the Brit Awards.

In 2013, New York magazine's Jody Rosen dubbed Swift the "world's biggest pop star" .

Swift is also a subject of academic study; her artistry and fame are popular topics of scholarly media research. Various educational institutions offer courses on Swift in literary, cultural and sociopolitical contexts. Her songs are studied by evolutionary psychologists and cultural analysts.

Her fans are known as Swifties.

Entrepreneurship

Media outlets describe Swift as a savvy businesswoman. Swift maintains an active presence on social media and a close relationship with fans, to which many journalists attribute her success.

Swift has endorsed many brands and businesses. In 2009, she launched a l.e.i. sundress range at Walmart, and designed American Greetings cards and Jakks Pacific dolls. Also that year, she became a spokesperson for the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators and Sony Cyber-shot digital cameras. Swift launched two Elizabeth Arden fragrances—"Wonderstruck" and "Wonderstruck Enchanted", followed by "Taylor" and its "Made of Starlight" variation in 2013, and "Incredible Things" in 2014.

She signed a multi-year deal with AT&T in 2016 and bank corporation Capital One in 2019. Swift released a sustainable clothing line with Stella McCartney in 2019. In light of her philanthropic support for independent record stores during the COVID-19 pandemic, Record Store Day named Swift their first-ever global ambassador. Swift has refused to invest in cryptocurrency and "unregistered securities".

Fashion

Swift on Good Morning America in 2012. Red lips are generally regarded as one of her signature looks.

Swift's fashion appeal has been picked up by publications such as People, Elle, and Vogue. Her street style has received acclaim. Vogue Australia regards her as an influential figure in sustainable fashion. She co-chaired the 2016 Met Gala.

Philanthropy

Swift is well known for her philanthropic efforts. In 2008, she donated $100,000 to the Red Cross to help the victims of the Iowa flood. Swift has performed at charity relief events, including Sydney's Sound Relief concert. In response to the May 2010 Tennessee floods, Swift donated $500,000 during a telethon hosted by WSMV. In 2011, Swift used a dress rehearsal of her Speak Now tour as a benefit concert for victims of recent tornadoes in the U.S., raising more than $750,000. In 2016, she donated $1 million to Louisiana flood relief efforts and $100,000 to the Dolly Parton Fire Fund. Swift donated to food banks after Hurricane Harvey struck Houston in 2017 and to various cities during the Eras Tour in 2023. In 2020, she donated $1 million for Tennessee tornado relief.

Swift is a supporter of the arts. She is a benefactor of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has donated $75,000 to Nashville's Hendersonville High School to help refurbish the school auditorium, $4 million to fund the building of a new education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, $60,000 to the music departments of six U.S. colleges, and $100,000 to the Nashville Symphony. Also a promoter of children's literacy, she has donated money and books to various schools around the country to improve education. In 2007, Swift partnered with the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police to launch a campaign to protect children from online predators. She has donated items to several charities for auction, including the UNICEF Tap Project and MusiCares. As recipient of the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year in 2011, Swift donated $25,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Tennessee. In 2012, Swift participated in the Stand Up to Cancer telethon, performing the charity single "Ronan", which she wrote in memory of a four-year-old boy who died of neuroblastoma. She has also donated $100,000 to the V Foundation for Cancer Research and $50,000 to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Swift has encouraged young people to volunteer in their local communities as part of Global Youth Service Day.

Swift donated to fellow singer-songwriter Kesha to help with her legal battles against Dr. Luke and to actress Mariska Hargitay's Joyful Heart Foundation organization. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, Swift donated to the World Health Organization and Feeding America and offered one of her signed guitars as part of an auction to raise money for the National Health Service. Swift performed "Soon You'll Get Better" during the One World: Together At Home television special, a benefit concert curated by Lady Gaga for Global Citizen to raise funds for the World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

In addition to charitable causes, she has made donations to her fans several times for their medical or academic expenses.

Accolades and achievements

For more details, see List of awards and nominations received by Taylor Swift

In 2009, Swift became the first country singer in history to win an MTV Video Music Award.

Swift was featured in listicles such as Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists, the Time 100 and Forbes Celebrity 100.

She has won:

14 Grammy Awards (including four for Album of the Year—tying for the most by an artist),
an Emmy Award,
40 American Music Awards (the most won by an artist),
29 Billboard Music Awards (the most won by a woman),
92 Guinness World Records,
23 MTV Video Music Awards (including three Video of the Year wins—the most by an act),
12 Country Music Association Awards (including the Pinnacle Award),
8 Academy of Country Music Awards,
and two Brit Awards.

As a songwriter, she has been honored by the Nashville Songwriters Association, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the National Music Publishers' Association and was the youngest person on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time in 2015.

At the 64th BMI Awards in 2016, Swift was the first woman to be honored with an award named after its recipient.

Swift is the most streamed female act on Spotify, and the only artist to have received more than 200 million streams in one day (228 million streams on October 21, 2022).

Her Reputation Stadium Tour (2018) is the highest-grossing North American tour ever, and she was the world's highest-grossing female touring act of the 2010s.

Nine of her songs have topped the Billboard Hot 100.

She is the longest-reigning act of Billboard Artist 100 (64 weeks).

Swift became the youngest woman to be included on Forbes' list of the 100 most powerful women in 2015, ranked at number 64.

She was the most googled musician in 2022.

Wealth

Forbes has named her the annual top-earning female musician four times (2016, 2019, 2021, and 2022). She was the highest-paid celebrity of 2016 with $170 million—a feat recognized by the Guinness World Records as the highest annual earnings ever for a female musician, which she herself surpassed with $185 million in 2019. Overall, Swift was the highest paid female artist of the 2010s decade, earning $825 million. She has invested in a real estate portfolio worth $84 million, including the Samuel Goldwyn Estate in Beverly Hills, California; the High Watch in Watch Hill, Rhode Island; and multiple adjacent purchases in Tribeca, Manhattan, nicknamed as "Taybeca" by local realtors.

Personal life

Taylor Swift has had several celebrity boyfriends, including Joe Alwyn, Tom Hiddleston, Calvin Harris, Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mayer, Taylor Lautner, and Joe Jonas.

She began dating American football player Travis Kelce in 2023.

Taylor Swift quotes

"No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind."
"Anytime someone tells me that I can't do something, I want to do it more."
"We don't need to share the same opinions as others, but we need to be respectful."
"I love making new friends and I respect people for a lot of different reasons."

Interesting facts about Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift was named after singer-songwriter James Taylor.
She has Scottish and German heritage.
Her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, was an opera singer.
Her younger brother, Austin, is an actor.
Swift identifies as a Christian.
Shania Twain, both as a songwriter and performer, was Swift's biggest musical influence.
Faith Hill was Swift's childhood role model, and she would often imitate her.
"Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer was the first song Swift learned to play on the guitar.
In 2009, she made her television debut as a rebellious teenager in an CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode.
She hosted and performed as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live; she was the first host to write their own opening monologue.
Swift is known for venturing into various music genres and undergoing artistic reinventions, having been described as a "music chameleon".
She is the first living artist to simultaneously chart five albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.
Entomologists named a millipede species Nannaria swiftae in her honor.
YouGov surveys ranked her as the world's most admired female musician from 2019 to 2021.
Swift is known for her love of cats. Her pet cats have been featured in her visual works, and one of them is the third richest pet animal in the world, with an estimated net worth of $97 million.
Swift's net worth is $570 million, per a 2022 estimate by Forbes.
Swift received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from New York University and served as its commencement speaker on May 18, 2022.

Images for kids

Swift opening for Brad Paisley in 2007. To promote her first album, she opened tours for other country musicians in 2007 and 2008.
Swift at the 2009 premiere of Hannah Montana: The Movie. She had a cameo appearance in the film and wrote two songs for its soundtrack.
Swift performing at the Speak Now World Tour in 2012
Swift on the Red Tour (2013)
Swift at the 1989 World Tour, the highest-grossing tour of 2015
Swift on her Reputation Stadium Tour (2018), the highest-grossing North American tour of all time
Swift at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Swift at the One More Haim Tour (2022) as a surprise guest
Swift on Good Morning America in 2012. Red lips are generally regarded as one of her signature looks.