Taylor Swift, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her narrative songwriting, which is often inspired by her personal life, has received widespread media coverage and critical praise. Born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Swift relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 14 to pursue a career in country music. She signed a songwriting deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2004 and a recording deal with Big Machine Records in 2005, before releasing her eponymous debut studio album in 2006.

Swift explored country pop on the albums Fearless (2008) and Speak Now (2010); the success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me" on both country and pop radio established her as a leading crossover artist. She experimented with rock and electronic genres on her fourth studio album, Red (2012), supported by singles "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble". With her synth-pop fifth studio album 1989 (2014) and its chart-topping songs "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood", Swift shed her country image and transitioned to pop completely. The media scrutiny on Swift's personal life influenced her next album Reputation (2017), which delved into urban sounds, led by the single "Look What You Made Me Do".

Parting ways with Big Machine to sign with Republic Records in 2018, Swift released her next studio album, Lover (2019). Inspired by escapism during the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift ventured into indie folk and alternative rock styles on her 2020 studio albums, Folklore and Evermore, receiving plaudits for their nuanced storytelling. Following a dispute over the masters of her back catalog, she released the 2021 re-recordings Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version), to universal acclaim. Besides music, Swift has played supporting roles in films such as Valentine's Day (2010) and Cats (2019), released the autobiographical documentary Miss Americana (2020), and directed the musical films Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020) and All Too Well: The Short Film (2021).

Having sold over 200 million records worldwide, Swift is one of the best-selling musicians of all time. Eight of her songs have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and her concert tours are some of the highest-grossing in history. She has received 11 Grammy Awards (including three Album of the Year wins), an Emmy Award, 34 American Music Awards (the most for an artist), 25 Billboard Music Awards (the most for a woman) and 56 Guinness World Records, among other accolades. She featured on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time (2015) and Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists (2019) lists and rankings such as the Time 100 and Forbes Celebrity 100. Named Woman of the 2010s Decade by Billboard and Artist of the 2010s Decade by the American Music Awards, Swift has been regarded as a pop icon due to her influential career, philanthropy, and advocacy of artists' rights and women's empowerment in the music industry.