Taylor Swift has been taking the world by storm since her debut studio album in 2006. From ‘Fearless‘ to ‘Lover’, her albums have been critically acclaimed, exploring themes of love, heartbreak, and personal growth. Taylor has taken a more mature approach to write music for her more recent projects, delving into deeper and more meaningful stories that her fans can relate to.
Her songwriting prowess also shines through in her many awards and recognitions from the Recording Academy—winning 23 Grammys throughout her career and becoming one of the most popular artists of all time. In terms of record sales and streaming numbers, she is the second-best-selling female artist of all time behind Adele. With her highly successful singles such as ‘Blank Space’, ‘Shake it off’, ‘ME’ and most recently ‘Willow’, it’s no wonder why she has become one of the most beloved artists in pop culture today.
Singles & Albums: A Look at the Hits
Taylor Swift’s success can be attributed in part to her chart-topping singles and albums. With over 130 million album sales worldwide, she has become one of the top-selling music artists in history.
In 2006, Taylor’s self-titled debut album was released and went platinum five times. The singles from the album–“Tim McGraw,” “Teardrops on My Guitar,” and “Our Song”–were all major hits, topping the US Country chart and placing in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Her follow-up albums also saw a lot of success. Her fourth studio album Red (2012) debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 Chart, with two singles–“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble”–breaking digital records for being downloaded more than any other song by a female artist before them.
And Her most recent studio album 1989 (2014) sold more than 1.2 million copies in its first week, making it Billboard’s highest-selling album release since 2002. The six singles released from this record have all been on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at one time or another, with four of them debuting at number one. Clearly, Taylor Swift is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to music!
Accolades & Awards for Taylor Swift
When it comes to awards, Taylor Swift is certainly no slouch. As of 2019, she’s been nominated for a total of 363 awards, with 113 of those wins—131 if you include Billboards Women in Music Awards. And that doesn’t even include her various Grammys, American Music Awards, and Guinness World Records!
Grammys
Taylor Swift has earned 10 Grammy Awards over the course of her career—10 out of 35 nominations! In 2020 she won Album of the Year for Lover and Best Pop Vocal Album for the same album. She’s also won Song of the Year, Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance (all three for different songs) along with a handful of other categories over the years.
American Music Awards
Taylor has taken home a total of 29 awards from the show since 2008—including Artist of the Decade in 2019. Among the 29 awards, 10 were in specific categories such as Favorite Pop/Rock Song (“Shake It Off”), Artist & Female Artist (both twice), while 17 are “proudly presented” by AMAs as an accolade on its own without any nomination process.
Guinness World Records
In 2018 Taylor received a Guinness World Record for breaking the most video view records on Vevo within 24 hours (43.2 million!) with her single “Look What You Made Me Do” — an accomplishment few other artists can brag about. She also holds numerous titles for becoming first female artist to ever do something or top-10 lists like most streamed artist on Spotify in one day (12 million!).
Music Genres Explored by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is a musician who has explored a wide range of music genres, and you might not know just how prolific her music can be. She has dabbled in everything from country to pop, hip-hop and electro-pop.
Country Music
Swift got her start with country music, which she furthered explored on her subsequent albums Fearless and Speak Now. She injected her own unique twist into the classic country sound by combining it with pop, rock and alternative influences. She even wrote the number one hit, “Today Was a Fairytale”, for the movie “Valentine’s Day”.
Pop Music
With her fourth album, Red, Taylor made the switch from country to pop — but with a decisive sway towards true country elements coming through in songs like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “22”. Her success only increased as Swift quickly became one of today’s most popular crossover artists ever.
Hip Hop and Electro-Pop
Taylor’s last studio album, 1989 was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys — it won its share of awards too! This was when she permanently switched to pop music, but with hip hop influences found on tracks such as “Shake It Off” and “Bad Blood”. Most recently on her Lover album she’s combined electro-pop elements into her sound even further — resulting in hits like “ME!” featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco fame.
Collaborations & Cover Songs of Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has been known to collaborate with some of the world’s biggest music stars. Such as Ed Sheeran and The Civil Wars. Could you imagine a better team-up than those two? But Taylor is also no stranger to covering other artists, in addition to being covered by them. Let’s take a look at some of her best collaborations and cover songs.
Collaborations
Taylor famously collaborated with Ed Sheeran for the release of his hit single “Everything Has Changed.” She also recorded an acoustic version of it with him for BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge. Another popular collaboration was with The Civil Wars on their Grammy Award-winning song “Safe and Sound” which was featured in the movie The Hunger Games.
Cover Songs
When it comes to covers, Taylor has done quite a few great ones! Most notably, she sang a beautiful rendition of Adele’s “Someone Like You” during her Red Tour performances. Her version of John Lennon’s classic track “Imagine” was also a hit with fans. And that one was even released as part of an iTunes exclusive.
Whether it’s collaborating or covering, Taylor Swift always brings something special to any song she participates in! If you ever get the chance to hear one of her duets or covers live. Don’t miss it – you won’t regret it!
The Evolution of Taylor Swift’s Sound
Have you watched Taylor Swift’s music grow and evolve over the years? From her debut album in 2006 to her most recent album “Lover,” she has changed and grown so much.
From Country to Pop Artist
When Taylor Swift first started out, she was a country-pop artist with songs that were rooted in the country tradition. She uses acoustic guitars, banjos, mandolins and fiddles to create a unique sound that immediately drew attention. As she released more albums, her music began to experiment with different styles within the pop genre.
The Rise of Electronic Elements
In her 2014 album “1989”, Taylor incorporated electronic elements into her traditional country-pop sound. She also started using synths, drum machines, bass and synthesized horns throughout her work. This opened up a new style of music for Taylor Swift—a more contemporary one. That contains elements from jazz, EDM and hip hop as well as the pop genre.
Continuing To Evolve
Taylor Swift has continued to evolve musically with each new album release. Her most recent album “Lover” is an even more developed iteration of all the genres. She has explored over the years, combining elements of soul, funk, R&B and country. Her sound can be appreciated by fans both old and new!