Exploring the Life Story: Taylor Swift and Her Rise to Fame
Stars don't come bigger than Taylor Swift who has since come a long way from her days as a little girl who had moved from her birthplace of Reading, Pennsylvania to Nashville, Tennessee to better her chances at succeeding at a musical career. That was almost two decades ago and that decision coupled with hard work and tenacity has made her into one of the best selling American musicians of all time and one of the most influential figures of the world, just ask Time. She has sold over 50 million records worldwide and won a truckload of awards including at least ten Grammys. Here is a quick dash through how Taylor became so famous and successful and did we mention she topped 2019's Forbes list of the world's highest-earning entertainers? Yes, she did, grabbing $185 million pretax which is over double of the $81 million earned by the beyhive queen, Beyonce who came in at 2nd place.
When you start to chase your passion early, chances are that you'd make it early as well and that is the case with Taylor Swift who had already attained millionaire status in her twenties. The future country cum pop star was born on the 13th of December 1989. She was raised by her stockbroker dad and homemaker mom alongside her brother Austin in Reading Pennsylvania (her birthplace) and later Wyomissing, another town in Pennsylvania where the family had moved to. Swift who was given the birthname Taylor Alison Swift (after American singer-songwriter James Taylor) had attended both the Alvernia Montessori School and The Wyndcroft School in Reading and upon moving to Wyomissing attended Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School. She would later attend Hendersonville High School in Tennessee from where she'd come to earn her high school diploma through home-schooling.
Taylor Swift's journey to fame began when she was just 9 years old. It was at this time she became enamored by show business and aspired to become an entertainer. As the daughter of a stockbroker who worked for Merrill Lynch, Swift could afford to travel regularly to New York City to take both voice and acting lessons. She'd also appear in a theatre play or two. Swift had begun listening to lots of music and became smitten by Shania Twain who inspired her to chose country music as her genre of focus. Two years later, when she was just 11, she began visiting the home of country music - Nashville with her mother. However, her demo tapes of cover songs by the likes of Dolly Parton came as cliche to Nashville producers, thus Taylor had to become more creative.
An encounter with a certain Ronnie Cremer steered her further in the right direction. Cremer would teach Taylor to play her first guitar and write songs. Swift's parents were incredibly committed to helping her achieve her dreams at musical success. They met a certain Dan Dymtrow who would help Taylor land modeling gigs. As a result, Swift would come to have her original song in a Maybelline compilation CD. All for their little girl, Swift's parents relocated to Tennessee and subsequently, Taylor Swift began meeting with more and more music execs and in 2005, she inked her first music deal with Big Machine Records. An independent record label, Swift's father invested a hundred and twenty grand for a 3% part of the label. And then came 2006 when Taylor Swift dropped her debut eponymous album. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200 and she was praised for her talents especially her songwriting abilities.
With the release of her second album, Fearless, in 2008, Taylor Swift became a star! Her narrative songs about her own romantic experiences became something of a signature and it did gain her widespread attention. The album won her her first four Grammy Awards, solidifying her celebrity status. Now with at least 7 albums released, Taylor Swift has time and again broken her own records. She successfully made a complete cross-over from country to pop in 2014 with the album 1989 which included the hit single 'Shake It Off'. With the album, she became the first woman to win back-to-back Grammys for Album of the Year.
