Taylor Swift Biography:
Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Growing up, she developed a love for country music, especially Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton. By the age of 10, she began performing around her hometown, at festivals, fairs and sang at karaoke contests. She started writing songs at the age of 12, and this was the same time she got her first guitar.
Big Break
Taylor's family realized her talent and determination, and they made regular trips to Nashville. At the age of 14, she became the youngest songwriter signed to a publishing deal with Sony/ATV. This is when the family packed up and moved to Hendersonville, TN.
At a showcase at the Bluebird Cafe, Taylor caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, who was at the time planning to launch a new label. He signed her to his label, Big Machine Records, and a career was born.
Her self-titled debut was released in 2006. It debuted at No. 3, but 39 weeks later, it hit the top of the charts and has sold over 2.5 million copies, earning the young star a Platinum album.
2007 is Taylor Swift's Year
Although her album came out in October 2006, it was 2007, that was really a career year for Taylor Swift. As mentioned above, her album reached the No. 1 spot on the charts, and did so well that her label decided to re-package it with some video content, a few more songs, and release it as a Deluxe Limited Edition. Fans could listen to several new songs, watch all the videos released up until that time, plus watch a movie edited by Taylor herself.
In April, Taylor won her first award, at the CMT Music Awards, for "Breakthrough Video," for "Tim McGraw." She was so ecstatic, that she promised to take the award with her out on the road with Brad Paisley later that year. And, she did.
At the ACM Awards that year, Taylor finally got to meet her idol, and the namesake of her first hit song, "Tim McGraw." Not only did she meet him, but she actually sang "Tim McGraw" to him, as he and wife Faith Hill sat in the front row at the awards show. Fans will not forget when the song ended, she reached out her hand, and said, "Hi, I'm Taylor." It was such a precious moment.
At the ACM Awards, Taylor collected the Best New Female Artist Award. In November at the CMA Awards, she took home the Horizon Award.
Before the end of the year, and her 18th birthday, she would reach another milestone, as her single "Our Song" became her first No. 1 song. Not only was it No. 1, but it remained in the position for six weeks, into 2008.
Taylor Moves Fearlessly In 2008
In 2008, Taylor continued touring (she was on the road with Rascal Flatts as well as headlining some shows), which she loves so much.
In November 2008, she released her sophomore release, titled Fearless. The singles "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me" soared to the top of the Billboard charts, earned Taylor various awards including the 2010 Grammy for Album of the Year, and it ultimately became the best-selling album of 2009.
Preceded by the single "Mine," which hit the top of the iTunes chart in just a few hours of release, Taylor continued her winning streak with the October 2010 release of her third album, Speak Now. The album staggeringly sold over one million copies in its first week alone.
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