Words by Tysen Romeo
Billboard awarded her with Woman of the Decade in 2019. NYU gave her an honorary doctorate of fine arts in 2022. She is also a singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and a director. Long story short, Taylor Swift will go down in history for being one of the most successful artists of the 21st century. She has been a dominant force in the music industry and has grown a huge fan base, known as “Swifties,” who believe she IS the music industry.
Swift has released 10 full-length studio albums and two re-recordings of these albums in the span of 17 years. She has proven herself to be one the most versatile musical artists of all time with her genre-spanning discography.
In 2006, she released her self-titled debut album, making her the first female country artist to write a U.S. platinum-certified album. She then dove into country pop with her next two studio albums, “Fearless” (2008) and “Speak Now” (2010). Swift then experimented with rock and electronic styles on “Red” (2012), which featured “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” her first ever No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2014 she ditched all things country and went full pop/synth-pop. It was a redefining moment in her career that proved that she could evolve from a country artist into a popstar.
In 2016, Swift deviated from her usual pattern of releasing an album every two years and took a break from the public eye. She didn’t make any public appearances or release any music for several months. She decided to take a step back from the spotlight and focus on her mental health, specifically related to controversy with Kayne West and Kim Kardashian, she also wanted to focus on her personal life and writing new music. Swift returned in 2017 with the release of her sixth studio album, “Reputation,” which addressed many of the issues she faced in the previous year. She then went on her Reputation Stadium Tour from 2018. In the U.S., the tour grossed $266.1 million in the box office and broke many records, including becoming the highest-grossing North American concert tour in history.
In 2019, Swift released her seventh studio album, “Lover,” under her new record label, Universal Music Group. After securing a new label, Swift became a sort of trailblazer in the business of music. She spoke out against the acquisition of her master recordings by her old label’s music executive Scooter Braun, which sparked a wider conversation about artists’ ownership of their work. She wanted to buy her masters to her albums, but Braun would not let her purchase them back from him without signing a new contract with him. That’s when Swift decided she was going to re-record her six albums that she recorded with her old label and then release them as her version of the album, known as “Taylor’s Version,” officially making those six albums hers again.
In early 2020, Swift was supposed to tour her “Lover” album, but Lover Fest was unfortunately canceled due to COVID-19. Instead, she burrowed away like we all did and wrote another redefining album, “Folklore.” The album was a surprise release in July 2020 and signified a shift from her previous pop-oriented sound to more stripped-down, folk-inspired instrumentation and storytelling. “Folklore” went on to win a Grammy for Album of the Year and showcased just how versatile of an artist she is. In December 2020, Swift dropped a surprise album called “evermore.” Her fans joke that “evermore” is the forgotten sister of “Folklore,” as she released a documentary concert film on Disney+ for “Folklore” and did some small live performances for the album. Not so with “Evermore.” However, “Evermore” received just as much love from the fans who were just excited by the surprise of “Evermore” as they were with “Folklore.”
In April 2021 Swift released “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” and Red (Taylor’s Version) seven months later. Both albums included “vault songs,” which Swift wrote around the time the album was released but were cut from the final track-list. Along with the release of “Red (Taylor’s Version),” Swift released “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” an extended version of a song on the original “Red” album. She directed a 13-minute short film to accompany the song featuring Sadie Sink, Dylan O’Brien and Swift herself. The short film was met with critical acclaim for her direction and went on to win an MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year and the Grammy Award for Best Music Video.
It was at the July 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, where she won Video of the Year for her short film and announced her 10th studio album “Midnights” would be released October 2022. She wanted to give it as an album inspired by her sleepless nights when anxiety, insecurity and self-criticism kept her up, and in classic Swift style, she decided to drop the “Midnights” deluxe version at 3 a.m. the morning after the album was released. “Midnights” went on to break even more records for Swift, including records she set herself
Which leads us to the Eras Tour. Swift’s sixth headlining concert tour, her first tour since her album “Reputation,” a tour that would have hits from all 10 of her albums, four of those being albums she never properly toured. The day tickets went on sale was what some Swifties called “the great war.” The demand for tickets to the Eras Tour was described as “unprecedented” and “astronomical,” as about 3.5 million people registered for Ticketmaster’s presale program. This caused Ticketmaster’s website to crash when tickets went on presale. Even with the website crashing, over 2.4 million tickets were sold that day, which broke the record for the most concert tickets sold by an artist in a single day. Ticketmaster also sold all the tickets they had available during the presale, which meant there were no tickets available for the public sale. Ticketmaster faced a lot of public criticism and political scrutiny for that whole thing.
The U.S. leg of the Eras Tour kicked off March 17, 2023 Glendale, Arizona, and is set to end August 9, 2023, in Inglewood, California. Swift’s three-hour set includes 44 songs, spanning across all her “eras” and albums. In anticipation for Swift’s arrival, local dignitaries have been giving her keys to their cities, and Tampa even made her honorary mayor for a day.
The tour is getting spectacular reviews and is projected to gross more than her record-breaking Reputation tour in 2018.
As the legend Billy Joel said, “Taylor Swift is like The Beatles of her generation.” Yes. He said that. He did. Look it up.
Basically, it is undeniable how popular Swift is. She is pop star perfection. She has the talent, the fame, and the beauty. She is already going down in history as one of the music’s most successful performers. Her writing is already being taught in some colleges around the world. She has also done so much for women and women’s rights, whether it was by empowering them through her music and lyrics, representing positive female role models in the music industry, shaping societal expectations and norms, or setting an example as a successful businesswoman. She is what you might call a mastermind.
Whether you are a fan of Taylor Swift’s music or not, don’t you think that it is just pretty amazing that we are living at the same time as her and get to see and listen to history being made? If you are still a hater, you should listen to “mean” from “Speak Now”: It’s about you.
FAQs
Why do they say Taylor Swift is the music industry? ›
No truer words have ever been spoken by Barbara Walters in 2014 when she said, “Taylor Swift is the music industry.” At the time, Swift was in the middle of what was her biggest era yet- releasing the pop mega-hit album “1989.” She was breaking record after record with “Shake It Off”, and for being 24 years old, she ...
Who is Taylor Swift's current record company? ›In 2004, at age 14, Taylor Swift signed a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV, thereby becoming the youngest signing in the company's history. In 2006 Swift signed with Big Machine Records and scored her first Top 40 hit with “Tim McGraw.” She then released four more singles and a self-titled album.
Why is Taylor Swift the best? ›She has 10 original studio albums, 2 re-recorded studio albums, 4 extended plays, 3 live albums, and 19 other minor works. All of her different songs hit every emotion that humans experience. There's a song for every circumstance and she understands feelings and writes them in a way that is unexplainable.
Why wasn t Taylor Swift allowed to buy her music? ›She stated that she had tried to buy her masters for years, but was not given a chance unless she signed another contract that would require her to create six more albums under the label in exchange for the masters of the first six, which she felt was "unacceptable".
Why didn t Taylor buy her own music? ›Why doesn't Swift own her masters? The majority of Swift's work was released under a deal she signed with Big Machine Records when she was 15, which gave the record label ownership of her masters.
How much does Taylor Swift make per concert? ›How much does Taylor Swift make per show? Swift reportedly makes an estimated $9 million per concert, but that sum is likely spread amongst Swift, her team, promoters, venues and touring production expenses.
What is Taylor Swift's biggest selling album? ›'1989′ Swift's 2014 album '1989′ stands out as the best-selling album ever released by the artist. In total, the album has sold over 14,332,116 copies worldwide and dominated the charts in the year of its release.
How many boyfriends have Taylor Swift had? ›Taylor Swift's Boyfriend Timeline: 12 Relationships & Their Songs.
Is Taylor Swift the highest paid musician? ›Taylor Swift is the highest-paid female entertainer in the world, earning a cool $92 million in 2022 following the success of her 10th studio album “Midnights,” according to a new report from Forbes.
What is Taylor Swift's lucky number? ›
Taylor Swift considers number 13 to be her lucky number. She constantly references it. Taylor talking about why 13 is her lucky number in an interview: "I was born on the 13th, I turned 13 on Friday the 13th, my first album went gold in 13 weeks.
Does Taylor Swift have tattoos? ›Taylor Swift's tattoos are just as thoughtful and creative as her songs. From inking her favorite lyrics to her lucky number 13 before every concert, she has dazzled the world with her tats. Though these tattoos were not permanent, they symbolized important parts of her life.
Who is Taylor Swift favorite singer? ›Joni Mitchell: This Is Why She's Taylor Swift's Favorite Artist | Time.
What is Taylor Swift's most successful single? ›- Bad Blood. ...
- All Too Well. ...
- We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. ...
- Love Story. ...
- Blank Space. ...
- Shake It Off. ...
- I Knew You Were Trouble. ...
- You Belong with Me.
Unmatched Musical Talent.
Swift has a unique musical ability that is unmatched in the world of contemporary pop, and her compositions are just as inventive and catchy. She continually creates songs that completely engross the listener, from captivating beats to catchy choruses and smart bridges.
In 2019, music executive Scooter Braun purchased the master rights to Taylor Swift's early albums after he acquired her former label, Big Machine Label Group. The move, which Swift called her “worst case scenario,” has led the pop star to re-record her music.
Who currently owns Taylor Swift's Masters? ›Shamrock Capital, the firm that bought Taylor Swift's masters, raises over $600m to expand content strategy. Los Angeles-based investment company Shamrock Capital has raised more than $600 million in commitments for its third equity fund for content strategy, exceeding its hard cap against a target of $500 million.
Why doesn t Taylor own her Masters? ›The masters were acquired when Scooter bought Taylor's former label, Big Machine records. The acquisition does not allow Taylor the creative freedom of owning her own songs.
Why did Taylor remove music from Spotify? ›In 2014, she removed her catalog due to her belief music should not be free. She wrote an op-ed about it for The Wall Street Journal. “It's my opinion that music should not be free and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will some day decide what an album's price point is,” she wrote.
What is Taylor Swift's shortest album? ›Now we know a bit more about what's going on there: The album's Apple Music listing shows how long each song is, indicating that they have a total length of 44 minutes and 2 seconds. That would make Midnights Swift's second-shortest album of her career, behind just her self-titled debut LP.
Does Taylor Swift take voice lessons? ›
At age 9, Swift started taking vocal and acting lessons in New York City and later decided to shift her focus toward country music, inspired by Shania Twain and Faith Hill.
What is the highest attended Taylor Swift concert? ›AT&T Stadium released the attendance numbers for the three days worth of shows. The final total: 210,607 Swifties attended over the course of the three-day stint. The stadium says that is a three-day record for attendance.
Why are Taylor Swift tickets so expensive? ›When tickets are first made available, this causes a surge in demand and high costs. In addition, many of Taylor Swift's shows sell out on the first day they go on sale, prompting fans to purchase tickets through websites like StubHub, where they are frequently more expensive.
How much does Taylor Swift make per hour? ›The most interesting stat, however, was the earnings per minute and earnings per hour. For instance, with an annual income of $170M, Taylor Swift makes $19,406/hour.
Who sold more albums Taylor or Adele? ›Adele was the second-best selling artist with 952,000 copies sold across her catalog last year, and Swift was No. 3 with 898,000 copies sold. Collectively, BTS, Adele and Swift represented 7.1% of all CD album sales in 2021 — BTS with 2.54% of that whole, Adele with 2.35% and Swift with 2.21%.
How many #1 songs has Taylor Swift had? ›With 189 chart entries on the Billboard Hot 100 (including 9 number-ones and 40 top-tens), Swift is the female artist with the most charted songs in the United States.
Who sold more albums Shania Twain or Taylor Swift? ›While Swift passed that record Shania is still the top-selling female country artist of all time though with more than 90 million albums sold worldwide and her album Come On Over is the best-selling album in Soundscan history by a female artist in any genre with an incredible 40 million units sold worldwide. Wow!
Who is the bestfriend of Taylor Swift? ›Taylor Swift's closest friend since high school, Abigail Anderson Berard, got to share a special moment with the star during the second night of The Eras Tour in Nashville on Saturday night (May 6).
What is Taylor Swift's longest relationship? ›Taylor Swift is currently dating English actor Joe Alwyn, beginning in November of 2016, and has been Taylor's longest relationship as of December 2022.
Who was Taylor Swift's first lover? ›Joe Jonas. Joe was Taylor's first famous boyfriend, and he left a big scar on her heart.
Who is richer Taylor Swift or Kanye West? ›
According to Forbes, Swift has a networth of around $570 million. Compare that to the $400 million that West is worth, according to the same outlet, and Swift has already passed the controversial artist and designer.
Is Taylor Swift more successful than the Beatles? ›Taylor Swift has broken The Beatles' long-held chart record for having the fastest run of three number one albums. Swift's re-recorded LP Fearless (Taylor's Version) topped the UK chart on Friday, following the success of her recent efforts Folklore and Evermore.
Who is the highest paid solo artist of all time? ›Michael Jackson is the first musician to earn over $100 million in a year (1989), and has become the top-earning male soloist a record seven times.
What does 13 mean for Taylor? ›13, 1989 her birthday, but as it turns out, the number has a special significance to her career. "I paint this on my hand before every show because 13 is my lucky number; for a lot of reasons," she explained to MTV News in 2009. "I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th.
What's Taylor Swift's favorite food? ›Her favorite food is chicken tenders.
What are Taylor Swift's fans called? ›Swifties is the name of Taylor Swift's fans. The name simply comes from the name 'Swift'. It's a nickname that distinguishes Taylor Swift fans from other fan communities. Taylor has trademarked the word 'Swifties'.
What is Taylor Swift's real hair? ›So what is her natural color? Swift has shared small sneak peeks when sharing throwbacks of her childhood, with pictures of her from when she was a child showing that she has naturally bright, blond hair, just like her mother.
What is Taylor Swift's natural hair color? ›Still, while she's experimented with both lighter and darker shades for music videos and performances, she's always been a natural blond, so hailing her as "blondie" is not a stretch.
Does Taylor Swift have a doctorate? ›When I first saw the news about Taylor Swift receiving an honorary doctor of fine arts degree from New York University, I rolled my eyes. Anyone who's worked toward an advanced degree knows that it takes years of focused study of a specialized topic to earn a doctoral-level credential relevant to their field.
Who is Taylor Swift's biggest idol? ›Which ones are her ultimate idols? The answer shouldn't surprise you. In a chat with Nashville Lifestyles, Swift paid homage to Faith Hill and Kenny Chesney as the people she looks up to the most.
What is Taylor Swift's personality type? ›
Taylor Swift is a famous American singer-songwriter and director with an ESFJ personality type according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Taylor Swift's heartfelt song lyrics and generous, empathetic nature align with The Provider ESFJ personality type.
What is Taylor Swift's most listened to song? ›- Blank Space [1989] – 1,706,000.
- I Don't Wanna Live Forever [Orphan] – 1,678,000.
- Shake It Off [1989] – 1,610,000.
- Love Story [Fearless] – 1,528,000.
- Look What You Made Me Do [Reputation] – 1,185,000.
- Wildest Dreams [1989] – 1,177,000.
- You Belong with Me [Fearless] – 1,091,000.
"Love Story" has been widely considered as Swift's signature song.
Is Taylor Swift a Millionaire? ›Forbes estimates Taylor Swift's net worth at $570 million.
What is the most popular song of all time? ›According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.
Is Taylor Swift a technically good singer? ›So is she a good singer? Yes, but not by traditional standards. Unpolished, untechnical and lacking some rudimental skills - but listen to how she tells a story and all is forgiven. This live version of 'Wildest Dreams' is a perfect distillation of how Taylor's voice works.
How many octaves can Taylor Swift sing? ›Taylor Swift's vocal range is approximately three octaves, spanning A2 – G5 – D6. What is Taylor Swift's voice type or fach? Taylor Swift is undoubtedly a soprano, either a light lyric soprano or a soubrette.
Who has more hits Madonna or Taylor Swift? ›With 40 top 10 hits in the Hot 100 over her career, Swift surpassed Madonna as the woman with the most top 10s in the chart's history. (Madonna has 38 top 10 singles.) Swift is only surpassed by Drake, who counts 59 top 10 hits.
Is Taylor Swift really the music industry? ›Taylor Swift is a household name that has been making headlines and breaking records in the music industry for over fifteen years.
Who is considered the music industry? ›The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, represent and supply music creators.
Who is the head of the music industry? ›
Sir Lucian Grainge. Sir Lucian Grainge is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment.
Why do people like Taylor Swift's music so much? ›Many people are drawn to the familiar scenes and pictures painted by her poetic lyrics. Her songs are timeless because they describe emotions and experiences that anyone can relate to and sympathize with. A prime example of this is her song august, from her 2020 folk-pop album folklore.
Is Taylor Swift technically a good singer? ›So is she a good singer? Yes, but not by traditional standards. Unpolished, untechnical and lacking some rudimental skills - but listen to how she tells a story and all is forgiven. This live version of 'Wildest Dreams' is a perfect distillation of how Taylor's voice works.
Has Taylor Swift ever had a real job? ›This isn't exactly a normal job, but before becoming one of the biggest singers in the world, Taylor had a pretty interesting task. She grew up on a Christmas tree farm, so it was her job to check the trees for bugs.
What are the big 4 in the music industry? ›Major record labels make up over 85 percent of the music industry. Currently, the four major record labels (known as the Big Four) are EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group.
Who are the big three in the music industry? ›The 3 major record labels are: Universal Music Group. Sony Music. Warner Music Group.
Is Taylor Swift the most successful artist? ›As of April 28, 2023, The Beatles have the highest total certified albums and Drake has the highest total certified digital singles. Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Eminem, and Taylor Swift are the only acts in the top 30 of both lists.
Who has the most fans in the music industry? ›| Popularity ranking | Artist | Fans tracking |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Rihanna | Fans tracking: 5,018,878 |
| 02 | Drake | Fans tracking: 5,010,714 |
| 03 | Coldplay | Fans tracking: 4,913,820 |
| 04 | Eminem | Fans tracking: 4,896,241 |
The Beatles. Finally, the title for the most successful musical artist of all time goes to The Beatles. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr joined forces in Liverpool, England in 1960. Worldwide sales for the group have reached unparalleled levels: 1.6 billion singles and 600 million albums.
Who owns most music? ›The music industry is concentrated and dominated by three main players. According to Music & Copyright, the three largest record labels - Universal Music Group (32% market share), Sony Music Entertainment (20%), and Warner Music Group (16%) - hold a 68% share of the music recording market.
What is special about Taylor Swift's voice? ›
Taylor Swift is an extremely popular alto (AKA mezzo) singer that has a very impressive lower range and upper range for a pop star. She has a unique mix of rich dark notes and a bright upper range, which is why many people classify her as a light lyric soprano that has the capability of an alto.
Why is Taylor Swift concert so expensive? ›Taylor Swift has gained notoriety for her brisk and continuous touring schedules. She performs at more events than the majority of other musicians, making it challenging for fans to keep up with her schedule. When tickets are first made available, this causes a surge in demand and high costs.