The ''Billboard'' 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Often, a recording act will be remembered by its "number ones", those of their albums that outsold all others during at least one week.

The chart is based solely on sales (both at retail and digitally) of albums in the United States. The sales tracking week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday. A new chart is published the following Thursday with an issue date of the following Saturday. :Example: ::Monday January 1 – sales tracking week begins ::Sunday January 7 – sales tracking week ends ::Thursday January 11 – new chart published, with issue date of Saturday January 20.

Normally new products are released to the American market on Tuesdays. Digital downloads are included in ''Billboard'' 200 tabulation, as long as the entire album is purchased as a whole. Albums that are not licensed for retail sale in the United States (yet purchased in the U.S. as imports) are not eligible to chart. A long-standing policy which made ineligible titles that are sold exclusively by specific retail outlets, such as Wal-Mart or Starbucks, was reversed on November 7, 2007, and took effect in the issue dated November 17.

The current number-one album (as of the issue dated September 10, 2011) on the ''Billboard'' 200 is ''The R.E.D. Album'' by Game.

History

''Billboard'' began an album chart in 1945. Initially only five positions long, the album chart was not published on a weekly basis, sometimes three to seven weeks passing before it was updated. A biweekly (though with a few gaps), 15-position Best-Selling Popular Albums chart appeared in 1955. With the explosion of rock and roll music, ''Billboard'' premiered a weekly Best-Selling Popular Albums chart on March 24, 1956. The position count varied anywhere from 10 to 30 albums. The first number-one album on the new weekly list was ''Belafonte'' by Harry Belafonte. The chart was renamed to Best-Selling Pop Albums later in 1956, and then to Best-Selling Pop LPs in 1957.

Beginning on May 25, 1959, ''Billboard'' split the ranking into two charts ''Best-Selling Stereophonic LPs'' for stereo albums (30 positions) and ''Best-Selling Monophonic LPs'' for mono albums (50 positions). These were renamed to ''Stereo Action Charts'' (30 positions) and ''Mono Action Charts'' (40 positions) in 1960. In January 1961, they became ''Action Albums—Stereophonic'' (15 positions) and ''Action Albums—Monophonic'' (25 positions). Three months later, they became ''Top LPs—Stereo'' (50 positions) and ''Top LPs—Monaural'' (150 positions).

On August 17, 1963 the stereo and mono charts were combined into a 150-position chart called ''Top LPs''. On April 1, 1967, the chart was expanded to 175 positions, then finally to 200 positions on May 13, 1967. In 1972 the album chart's title was changed to ''Top LPs & Tapes''; in 1984 it was retitled ''Top 200 Albums''; in 1985 it was retitled again to ''Top Pop Albums''; in 1991 it became ''The Billboard 200 Top Albums''; and it was given its current title of ''The Billboard 200'' on March 14, 1992.

Catalog albums

In 1960, ''Billboard'' began concurrently publishing album charts which ranked sales of older or mid-priced titles. These ''Essential Inventory'' charts were divided by stereo and mono albums, and featured titles that had already appeared on the main stereo and mono album charts. Mono albums were moved to the ''Essential Inventory—Mono'' chart (25 positions) after spending 40 weeks on the ''Mono Action Chart'', and stereo albums were moved to the ''Essential Inventory—Stereo'' chart (20 positions) after 20 weeks on the ''Stereo Action Chart''.

In January 1961, the ''Action Charts'' became ''Action Albums—Monophonic'' (24 positions), and ''Action Albums—Stereophonic'' (15 positions). Albums appeared on either chart for up to nine weeks, then were moved to an ''Essential Inventory'' list of approximately 200 titles, with no numerical ranking. This list continued to be published until the consolidated ''Top LPs'' chart debuted in 1963.

In 1982, ''Billboard'' began publishing a ''Midline Albums'' chart which ranked older or mid-priced titles. The chart held 50 positions and was published on a bi-weekly (and later tri-weekly) basis.

On March 25, 1991 ''Billboard'' premiered the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart. The criteria for this chart were albums that were more than 18 months old and had fallen below position 100 on the ''Billboard 200''. An album needed not have charted on the ''Billboard 200'' at all to qualify for catalog status.

Starting with the issue dated December 5, 2009, however, the catalog limitations which removed albums over 18 months old, that have dropped below position 100 and have no currently-running single, from the ''Billboard 200'' was lifted, turning the chart into an all-inclusive list of the 200 highest-selling albums in the country (essentially changing ''Top Comprehensive Albums'' into the ''Billboard 200''). A new chart that keeps the previous criteria for the ''Billboard 200'' (dubbed ''Top Current Albums'') was also introduced in the same issue.

Holiday albums

''Billboard'' has adjusted its policies for Christmas and holiday albums several times. The albums were eligible for the main album charts until 1963, when a ''Christmas Albums'' list was created. Albums appearing here were not listed on the ''Top LPs'' chart. In 1974 this rule was reverted and holiday albums again appeared within the main list.

In 1983 the ''Christmas Albums'' chart was resurrected, but a title's appearance here did not disqualify it from appearing on the ''Top Pop Albums'' chart. In 1994 the chart was retitled ''Top Holiday Albums''. As of 2009 the chart holds 50 positions and is run for several weeks during the end-of-calendar-year holiday season. Its current policy allows holiday albums to concurrently chart on the ''Top Holiday Albums'' list and the ''Billboard 200''.

Nielsen SoundScan

Since May 26, 1991, the ''Billboard 200'''s positions have been derived from Nielsen SoundScan sales data, contributed by approximately 14,000 music sellers. Because these numbers are supplied by a subset of sellers rather than record labels, it is common for these numbers to be substantially lower than those reported by the Recording Industry Association of America when Gold, Platinum and Diamond album awards are announced (RIAA awards reflect wholesale ''shipments'', not retail ''sales'').

Year-end charts

''Billboard’s'' "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November. This altered calendar allows for ''Billboard'' to calculate year-end charts and release them in time for its final print issue on the last week of December. Prior to Nielsen SoundScan, year-end charts were calculated by an inverse-point system based solely on an album's performance on the ''Billboard 200'' (for example, an album would be given one point for a week spent at position 200, two points for a week spent at position 199… up to 200 points for each week spent at number one). Other factors including the total weeks on the chart and at its peak position were calculated into an album's year-end total.

After ''Billboard'' began obtaining sales information from Nielsen SoundScan, the year-end charts are now calculated by a very straightforward cumulative total of yearlong sales. This gives a more accurate picture of any given year’s best-selling albums, as a title that hypothetically spent nine weeks at number one in March could possibly have sold fewer copies than one spending six weeks at number three in January. Interestingly, albums at the peak of their popularity at the time of the November/December chart-year cutoff many times end up ranked lower than one would expect on a year-end tally, yet are ranked on the following year's chart as well, as their cumulative points are split between the two chart-years.

Uses

The ''Billboard 200'' can be helpful to radio stations as an indication of the types of music listeners are interested in hearing. Retailers can also find it useful as a way to determine which recordings should be given the most prominent display in a store. Other outlets, such as airline music services, also employ the ''Billboard'' charts to determine their programming.

Limitations

The chart omits unit sales for listed albums and total recorded sales, making it impossible to determine, for example, if the number one album this week sold as well as the number one from the same period in the prior year. It is also impossible to determine the relative success of albums on a single chart; there is no indication of whether the number one album sold thousands more copies than number 50, or only dozens more. All music genres are combined, but there are separate ''Billboard'' charts for individual market segments. The complete sales data broken down by location is made available, but only in the form of separate SoundScan subscriptions. Declining CD sales and the widespread sale of singles via the internet further reduce the relevance of the Billboard 200.

Artist milestones

Most top-ten albums

The Rolling Stones (36)

Frank Sinatra (33)

The Beatles (30)

Barbra Streisand (30)

Elvis Presley (27)

Most number-one albums

The Beatles (19)

Jay-Z (12)

Elvis Presley (10)

The Rolling Stones (9) (tie)

Bruce Springsteen (9) (tie)

Barbra Streisand (9) (tie)

Most cumulative weeks at number one

The Beatles (132)

Elvis Presley (67)

Michael Jackson (51) (tie)

Garth Brooks (51) (tie)

Whitney Houston (46) (tie)

The Kingston Trio (46) (tie)

Album milestones

Most weeks at number one

(54 weeks) ''West Side Story'' – Soundtrack (1962–63)

(37 weeks) ''Thriller'' – Michael Jackson (1983–84)

(31 weeks) ''Calypso'' – Harry Belafonte (1956–57)

(31 weeks) ''South Pacific'' – Soundtrack (1958–59)

(31 weeks) ''Rumours'' – Fleetwood Mac (1977–78)

(24 weeks) ''Saturday Night Fever'' – Bee Gees/Soundtrack (1978)

(24 weeks) ''Purple Rain'' – Prince and the Revolution (1984–85)

(21 weeks) ''Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em'' – MC Hammer (1990)

(20 weeks) ''The Bodyguard'' – Whitney Houston/Soundtrack (1992–93)

(20 weeks) ''Blue Hawaii'' – Elvis Presley (1961–62)

Most weeks on the chart

:''Note that totals are for the main albums chart only, catalog chart totals are not factored in. (780 weeks) ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' – Pink Floyd

(490 weeks) ''Johnny's Greatest Hits'' – Johnny Mathis

(482 weeks) ''My Fair Lady'' – Original Cast

(331 weeks) ''Highlights from the Phantom of the Opera'' – Original Cast

(306 weeks) ''Tapestry'' – Carole King

(295 weeks) ''Heavenly'' – Johnny Mathis

(283 weeks) ''Oklahoma!'' – Soundtrack

(282 weeks) ''MCMXC a.D.'' – Enigma

(282 weeks) ''Metallica'' – Metallica

(277 weeks) ''The King and I'' – Soundtrack

(277 weeks) ''Hymns'' – Tennessee Ernie Ford

Biggest jumps to number-one

(176-1) ''Life After Death'' – The Notorious B.I.G. (April 12, 1997)

(173-1) ''Vitalogy'' – Pearl Jam (December 24, 1994)

(156-1) ''In Rainbows'' – Radiohead (January 19, 2008)

(137-1) ''Ghetto D'' – Master P (September 20, 1997)

(122-1) ''More Of The Monkees'' – The Monkees (February 11, 1967)

(112-1) ''MP Da Last Don'' – Master P (June 20, 1998)

(98-1) ''Beatles '65'' – The Beatles (January 9, 1965)

(61-1) ''Help!'' – The Beatles (September 11, 1965)

(60-1) ''Rubber Soul'' – The Beatles (January 8, 1966)

(53-1) ''Ballad of the Green Berets'' – SSgt. Barry Sadler (March 12, 1966)

Biggest drops from number-one

(1-37) ''Light Grenades'' – Incubus

(1-26) ''Mission Bell'' — Amos Lee (1-25) ''Showroom of Compassion'' — Cake

(1-21) ''The Golden Age of Grotesque'' – Marilyn Manson

(1-19) ''The Circle'' – Bon Jovi

(1-18) ''The Inspiration'' – Young Jeezy

(1-16) ''The Fragile'' – Nine Inch Nails

(1-15) ''Greatest Hits'' – The Notorious B.I.G.

(1-14) ''Born Again'' – The Notorious B.I.G.

(1-13) ''Faceless'' – Godsmack

(1-13) ''Loyal to the Game'' – 2Pac

(1-13) ''Doctor's Advocate'' – The Game

(1-13) ''Battle Studies'' – John Mayer

Additional milestones

The first number one album of the SoundScan era (1991 to present) is ''Time, Love & Tenderness'' by Michael Bolton.

The only album to attain the pole position before and after the May 25, 1991 introduction of SoundScan is R.E.M.'s album ''Out of Time''.

The first album to debut at number one was ''Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy'' by Elton John. John repeated the same feat with the album ''Rock of the Westies'' – the second album to debut at number one – making John the first artist to have two consecutive studio albums debut at number one. Whitney Houston's second album ''Whitney'' was the first album by a female artist to debut at number one.

In the early 1960s, Bob Newhart had the accomplishment of having the number one and number two albums simultaneously on the Billboard 200, with ''The Button-Down Mind'' and ''The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!'' This feat was equaled in 1991, with Guns N' Roses ''Use Your Illusion I'' and ''Use Your Illusion II'', and in 2004, with Nelly's ''Suit'' and ''Sweat''.

As of 2008, Pink Floyd's ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' has been on the charts for over 1,630 weeks, or approximately thirty-one years. Consecutively, the album spent a record 773 weeks on the Billboard 200. The other weeks were spent on the ''Top Pop Catalog Albums'' chart. Its closest rival is Bob Marley's ''Legend'', checking in at over 975 weeks (''Billboard 200'' and ''Top Pop Catalog Albums'' combined).

With 15 weeks at #1 for her album ''Tapestry'', Carole King holds the record for the longest time for a solo album by a female to remain at the top of the ''Billboard 200''. Additionally, she holds the record for the longest time for an album by a female solo artist to remain on the ''Billboard 200'', with nearly six years. King also holds the record for most consecutive weeks at #1 on the ''Billboard 200'' for any one album by a female solo artist with 15 weeks. All records are for her ''Tapestry'' album.

''Forever Your Girl'' by Paula Abdul spent sixty-four consecutive weeks on the ''Billboard 200'' before hitting number one, making it the longest time for an album to reach the number one spot, while Lives Throwing Copper took 52 weeks to reach number one in 1995 making it the longest run since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales.

At one point in early 1980s, all nine studio albums released to that date by Led Zeppelin were on the ''Billboard 200'' chart, and is the most studio albums by a single artist to chart at the same time.

The only EP's to reach number one on the chart are Alice in Chains's ''Jar of Flies'' in 1994, Linkin Park and Jay-Z's collaboration EP, ''Collision Course'' in 2004, the cast of the television series ''Glee'' with ''Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna'' and ''Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals'' in 2010, and Bad Meets Evil's Hell: The Sequel.

The Monkees are only band to have had four number one albums in the same year. Elvis Presley, The Kingston Trio, The Beatles, and the cast of the television series ''Glee'' had three different albums hit number one in the same year. Nine artists have had two different albums hit number one in the same year: The Kingston Trio in 1959, Led Zeppelin, DMX, Jay-Z, Garth Brooks, 2Pac, System of a Down, Eminem and Susan Boyle. The Kingston Trio is the only artist to have four albums simultaneously in the Top Ten, which occurred for five consecutive weeks in November and December 1959.

The only artist in history to have his first five albums debut at number one is DMX.

The only artists to have five consecutive albums debut at number one are Dave Matthews Band, Jay-Z, DMX and Metallica.

The most consecutive albums to debut at number one by a solo artist is Eminem, with six. The Beatles have the most consecutive number one albums with eight. In 2001, Britney Spears became the first female artist in the charts history to have their first three albums debut at number one. She broke this record two years later with a fourth number one debut. With the number one debut of her ''Circus'' album in 2008, Spears also became the youngest female artist in history to have five number one albums. She later beat the record when her 7th studio album, ''Femme Fatale'' debuted at number one on April, 2011.

Oldest male to debut at # 1: Bob Dylan on May 16, 2009 (67 years, 11 months, and 22 days old) with the album ''Together Through Life''. He was born May 24, 1941.

Oldest female to debut at # 1: Barbra Streisand on October 17, 2009 (67 years, 5 months, and 23 days old) with the album ''Love Is the Answer''. She was born April 24, 1942.

The issue dated July 11, 2009 was the first time any catalog album outsold the number-one album on the ''Billboard 200''. Three of Michael Jackson's albums (''Number Ones'', ''The Essential Michael Jackson'' and ''Thriller'') claimed positions 1-3 respectively on ''Top Pop Catalog Albums'' and ''Top Comprehensive Albums'' in the week following Jackson's death. There have been 16 albums released on an independent label to reach #1 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Only seventeen artists have topped the ''Billboard 200'' without having had any single appear in the ''Hot 100'': Van Cliburn, Bob Newhart, Judy Garland (who had hit singles which predated the Hot 100), Frank Fontaine, Blind Faith, N.W.A., Soundgarden, Pantera, Makaveli (alter-ego of 2Pac), Bob Carlisle, Slipknot, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, and Amos Lee.

See also

List of number-one albums (United States)

Sources

''Joel Whitburn Presents the Billboard Albums, 6th edition'', ISBN 0-89820-166-7

Additional information obtained can be verified within ''Billboard's'' online archive services and print editions of the magazine.

References

External links

Current Billboard 200

Billboard methodology

Predict the Billboard 200 Weekly Game

Category:Billboard charts

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Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
Name	Wilson Phillips
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genre	Pop rock, Adult contemporary
Years active	1989–19932004–present
Label	SBK RecordsColumbia RecordsSony Masterworks
Website	http://www.wilsonphillipsmusic.com/
Current members	Chynna Phillips Carnie Wilson Wendy Wilson
Past members	}}

Wilson Phillips is an American vocal group consisting of Carnie Wilson, Wendy Wilson and Chynna Phillips.

Their 1990 self-titled debut album sold over 10 million copies worldwide and scored three number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, making the trio the best-selling female group at the time. In 1990, the group won the Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year for "Hold On", and in addition was nominated for four Grammy Awards and two American Music Awards.

Early life

The Wilson sisters and Phillips grew up together in Southern California in the 1970s and 1980s. The three shared a love of music and songwriting, and developed their own style of vocal harmonies. In 1989, the trio signed with SBK Records.

The group is also known for being the offspring of prominent musicians; the Wilsons are the daughters of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, while Phillips' parents are John Phillips and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas.

Chart success

Wilson Phillips released their debut album, ''Wilson Phillips'', in 1990. Their debut single, "Hold On", hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 9, 1990, bumping Madonna's "Vogue" off the top spot. The single was also #1 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary and became a worldwide hit, peaking at #2 in Australia, #6 in the UK, #7 in Ireland, #10 in Sweden, and at #15 in the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland. The single also won Wilson Phillips the Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year for 1990.

The second and fourth singles from the album also became number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100: "Release Me" (2 weeks) and "You're in Love" (1 week). The singles "Impulsive" and "The Dream Is Still Alive", peaked at #4 and #12, respectively, on the Hot 100.

In 1992, Wilson Phillips also made history as Billboard declared their debut album the best selling album of all time by an all female group, peaking at #2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart, and selling over 5 million copies in the US and over 10 million copies worldwide, which also made Wilson Phillips, at the time, the best selling female group of all time for a single album, breaking the previous record set by The Supremes.

In June 1992, Wilson Phillips released their second album, ''Shadows and Light''. The album was deeply personal and adopted a more serious tone, with tracks exploring issues such as child abuse ("Where Are You") and their estrangement from their fathers ("Flesh and Blood", "All the Way From New York"). The first single, "You Won't See Me Cry" peaked at #20 in the US and #18 in the UK, the first time they had a higher-ranking single in the UK than in the US. The album peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum.

Shortly after the release of ''Shadows and Light,'' Chynna Phillips announced plans for a solo career, and the group decided to disband.

1993-2003

During the next decade, the group went their separate ways. In 1993, Wendy and Carnie Wilson released the Christmas holiday themed album, ''Hey Santa!'', a collection of classic holiday themes with an original song (the title track). In 1995, Chynna Phillips released a solo album, ''Naked and Sacred''. The same year, Carnie went on to host her own short-lived syndicated television talk show entitled, ''Carnie!''. In 1997, Carnie and Wendy, along with their father, Brian Wilson released ''The Wilsons'' and the single, "Monday Without You".

A ''Greatest Hits'' album was released in 2000, although the group did not officially reunite for the release. On March 29, 2001, they reunited to perform the Beach Boys' song "You're So Good to Me" at a tribute show to Brian Wilson held at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Chynna Phillips dedicated the performance to her own father John Phillips who had died a few days earlier.

Reunion

Wilson Phillips reunited in 2004 to release ''California,'' an album of cover songs. A single, "Go Your Own Way," a song originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac, peaked at #13 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The album debuted at #35 on the charts with 31,000 copies sold.

In New Zealand, the album was a surprise hit, reaching the top 10 and amassing gold sales after "Go Your Own Way" topped the country's adult contemporary radio chart for several weeks.

Chynna Phillips, Carnie and Wendy Wilson have stated they are reuniting in 2010 and planning a Christmas album to be released come October.

Chynna Phillips says:

"I'm thrilled that the Wilson Phillips family is coming back together again. We've known each other for more than 20 years. We're like family. I'm excited about working with the Wilson sisters again."

Carnie Wilson stated:

"Christmas is a special time for all of us, especially because we now all have kids. That's why this is a perfect album for us."

2004-present

In November 2008, Wilson Phillips reunited on stage for two shows in California. The shows were not publicized heavily, but were very well received by the audiences. Songs from a new album to be released in 2010 were performed. These 90-minute shows were the longest the group have ever performed, and featured tracks from throughout their career, as well as some covers of Beach Boys and ABBA classics.

The trio performed at the 79th General Meeting of the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors in San Antonio, TX on May 5, 2010.National Board "Bulletin" - Summer 2010 - pp. 10-14

On August 21, 2010, Wilson Phillips announced a new Christmas album ''Christmas in Harmony'', which was released on October 12, 2010. The album yielded a single, "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday," a cover of the popular seasonal tune that first was a hit in 1973 for English glam-rock band Wizzard.

The band appeared in a cameo and performed "Hold On" in the 2011 film Bridesmaids.

Discography

Artist	Wilson Phillips
Studio	4
Compilation	3
Singles	12
Option	3
Option name	No. 1 Singles (Overall)
Option color	orange
References	No }}

Studio albums

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Album details ! colspan="9"| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"| Certifications(sales threshold) |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="35"| US ! width="35"| UK ! width="35"| NZ ! width="35"| AUS ! width="35"| SWE ! width="35"| AUT ! width="35"| SWI ! width="35"| NOR ! width="35"| CAN |- | 1990 | align="left"| ''Wilson Phillips''

Released: May 8, 1990

Label: SBK

| 2 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 27 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 1 | align="left"| US: 5× Multi-Platinum CAN: 7× Platinum |- | 1992 | align="left"| ''Shadows and Light''

Released: June 2, 1992

Label: SBK

| 4 | 6 | 19 | 30 | 20 | 34 | 3 | 18 | 8 | align="left"| US: Platinum CAN: 2× Platinum |- | 2004 | align="left"| ''California''

Released: May 25, 2004

Label: Columbia

| 35 | 197 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | 2010 | align="left"| ''Christmas in Harmony''

Released: October 12, 2010

Label: Sony

| 135 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | colspan="12" style="font-size: 8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |- |}

Compilation albums

! Year	! Album details
1998		* Released: May 26, 1998	* Label: Amw
2000	align="left"	* Released: May 23, 2000	Capitol Records>Capitol
2005		* Released: August 2, 2005	* Label: Capitol

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions							Album
		! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"
	align="left"	1	1	6	2	15	3	1		US">Music recording sales certification	Album
! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"
	align="left"	1	1	6	2	15	3	1		US: Gold
align="left"	1	1	36	57	—	1	1		* US: Gold
align="left"	4	2	42	—	30	1	1
	align="left"	1	1	29	—	—	3	1
	12	4	—	—	—	11	4
align="left"	—	7	—	—	—	26	7		align="left"
		20	4	18	31	11	1	3
align="left"	30	12	36	—	—	16	11
	115	17	—	—	—	33	12
	align="left"	—	13	—	—	—	—	—
align="left"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
align="left"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Other charted songs

Year	Single	Peak positions	Album
		! width="50"
		22
	13
	14

Awards and nominations

Year !! Award
1990	Billboard Music Award Win for Hot 100 Single of the Year ("Hold On")
1990	Grammy Award nomination for Song of the Year ("Hold On")
1990	Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year (''Wilson Phillips'')
1990	Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist
1990	Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ("Hold On")
1990	American Music Award nomination for Favorite Single - Pop / Rock ("Hold On")
1990	American Music Award nomination for Favorite New Artist - Pop / Rock
1991	Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group ("You're in Love")

References

External links

The Wilsons Official Site

Category:Musical trios Category:American vocal groups Category:American girl groups Category:Musical groups from Los Angeles, California Category:Musical groups established in 1989

cs:Wilson Phillips de:Wilson Phillips hr:Wilson Phillips it:Wilson Phillips ja:ウィルソン・フィリップス pl:Wilson Phillips pt:Wilson Phillips ru:Wilson Phillips sk:Wilson Phillips th:วิลสันฟิลลิปส์ tr:Wilson Phillips

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
Name	Taylor Swift
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Taylor Alison Swift
Birth date	December 13, 1989
Birth place	Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, ganjo, piano, ukulele
Genre	Country pop, pop, country, dance-pop
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, actress
Years active	2006–present
Label	Big Machine
Associated acts	Nathan Chapman, Liz Rose
Website	150pxTaylor Swift's signature }}

Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.

In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. In November 2008, Swift released her second album, ''Fearless'', and the recording earned Swift four Grammy Awards, including the Album of the Year, at the 52nd Grammy Awards. ''Fearless'' and ''Taylor Swift'' finished 2008 at number-three and number-six respectively, with sales of 2.1 and 1.5 million. ''Fearless'' topped the ''Billboard'' 200 for 11 non-consecutive weeks. Swift was named ''Artist of the Year'' by ''Billboard'' Magazine in 2009. Swift released her third album ''Speak Now'' on October 25, 2010, which sold 1,047,000 copies in its first week.

In 2008, her albums sold a combined four million copies, making her the best-selling musician of the year in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. ''Forbes'' ranked Swift 2009's 69th-most powerful celebrity with earnings of $18 million, 2010's 12th-most powerful celebrity with earnings of $45 million and 2011's 7th-most powerful celebrity with earnings of $45 million, too. Swift was ranked the 38th Best Artist of the 2000s by ''Billboard''. In January 2010 Nielsen SoundScan listed Swift as the most successful digital artist in music history with over 34.3 million digital tracks sold. On June 2011, renowned site The Boot named Swift and Carrie Underwood ''The Country Royalty'', as they were the only female country artists to be ranked on ''Rolling Stone'' Queens of Pop list. , she has sold over 20 million albums and 34.3 million singles worldwide. She has been listed in the 2012 ''Guinness Book Of World Records'' as the Fastest Selling Digital Album by a Female Artist for her album ''Speak Now'', and Most Simultaneous U.S. Hot 100 Hits by a Female Artist. In 2011, ''Billboard'' named her woman of the year.

Early life

Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania, and raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. She is the daughter of Andrea Gardner (née Finlay), a homemaker who previously worked in finance, and Scott Kingsley Swift, a stockbroker. Her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay (née Moehlenkamp), was an opera singer. Swift has a younger brother, Austin. She grew up on a Christmas-tree farm.

When Swift was in fourth grade, she won a national poetry contest with a three-page poem, "Monster in My Closet". At the age of ten, a computer repairman showed her how to play three chords on a guitar, sparking her interest in learning the instrument. Afterwards, Swift wrote her first song, "Lucky You". When Swift was 12, she devoted an entire summer to writing a 350-page novel, which remains unpublished. She began writing songs regularly and used it as an outlet to help her with her pain from not fitting in at school. Swift was a victim of bullying, and spent her time writing songs to express her emotions. She also started performing at local karaoke contests, festivals, and fairs.

Swift began to regularly visit Nashville, Tennessee, and work with local songwriters. When she was 14, her family relocated to Nashville. Her first major show was a well-received performance at the Bloomsburg Fair. In Tennessee, Swift attended Hendersonville High School, but was subsequently homeschooled for her junior and senior years. In 2008, she earned her high school diploma.

Swift's greatest musical influence is Shania Twain. Her other influences include LeAnn Rimes, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, and Swift's grandmother. Although her grandmother was a professional opera singer, Swift's tastes always leaned more toward country music. In her younger years, she developed a love for Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton. She also credits the Dixie Chicks for demonstrating the impact that one can have by "stretching boundaries".

Music career

2000–2005: musical beginnings

At age 11, Swift made her first trip to Nashville, hoping to obtain a record deal by distributing a demo tape of her singing with karaoke songs. She gave a copy to every label in town, but was rejected. After Swift returned to Pennsylvania, she was asked to sing at the US Open tennis tournament, where her rendition of the national anthem received much attention.

When Swift was 15, she rejected RCA Records because the company wanted to keep her on an artist development deal. After performing at Nashville's songwriters' venue, The Bluebird Café, she caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, who signed her to his newly formed record label, Big Machine Records. At age 14, she became the youngest staff songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Tree publishing house.

2006–2008: ''Taylor Swift''

Swift released her debut single, "Tim McGraw", in mid-2006, reaching No.6 on ''Billboard'' magazine's Hot Country Songs chart. Her self-titled debut album was later released on October 24, 2006. Debuting high on the ''Billboard'' 200, the album sold 39,000 copies during its first week. It peaked at No.1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums and No.5 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Her debut album spent eight consecutive weeks at the top of the Top Country Albums charts and remained at the top for 24 out of 91 weeks. The only other country artists this decade to achieve the number-one sales position for 20 weeks or more are The Dixie Chicks and Carrie Underwood. The music video for "Tim McGraw" won Swift an award for Breakthrough Video of the Year at the 2007 CMT Music Awards. Her pursuit of country music stardom was the subject of "GAC Short Cuts", a part-documentary, part-music-video series airing since the summer of 2006. On May 15, 2007, Swift performed "Tim McGraw" at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Swift has been an opening act for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill on their Soul2Soul 2007 tour. She has opened in the past for George Strait, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts as well. The second single from the ''Taylor Swift'' album, "Teardrops on My Guitar", was released February 24, 2007. In mid-2007, the song peaked at No.2 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and No.33 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was re-released with a pop remix that brought "Teardrops on My Guitar" to No.13 on the Hot 100 and No.11 on the Pop 100. In October 2007, Swift was awarded Songwriter/Artist of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Assn. Intl., making her the youngest artist ever to win the award. Her third song off her debut album, "Our Song" spent six weeks at No.1 on the Country charts, peaked at No.16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and rose to No.24 on the ''Billboard'' Pop 100. Swift recorded a holiday album, ''Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection,'' which was released exclusively at Target in late 2007. Swift was nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award in the category of Best New Artist, but lost to Amy Winehouse. Swift's successful single, "Picture to Burn", was the fourth single from her debut album. The song debuted and soon peaked at No.3 on the Billboard Country chart in spring 2008. left|upright|thumb|Swift performing at Yahoo HQ in 2007 "Should've Said No" became Swift's second No.1 single. In Summer 2008, Swift released ''Beautiful Eyes'', an EP sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. In its first week of release, the album sold 45,000 copies, debuting at No.1 on ''Billboard'''s Top Country Albums chart and No.9 on the ''Billboard'' 200. With her self-titled debut album sitting at No.2 during the same week, Swift became the first artist since 1997 to hold the Top 2 positions of the Top Country Albums chart. In October 2008, Swift performed a duet with best selling rock band Def Leppard in a taped show in Nashville, Tennessee, and their collaboration was up for both Performance of the Year and Wide Open Country Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards in 2009.

2008–2010: ''Fearless'' and MTV VMA incident

Swift's second studio album, ''Fearless'', was released in the United States on November 11, 2008. The album debuted at No.1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 Album Chart. Its sales of 592,304 were the highest debut of any country artist in 2008. This is also the largest opening U.S. sales week in 2008 by a female artist in all genres of music, and the fourth biggest overall behind Lil Wayne, AC/DC and Coldplay. Its lead single "Love Story" became a hit on both the country and pop charts. During the first week of release, more than 129,000 of Swift's sales were sold digitally. This gives Swift the best online start for any country album in history. It also makes Swift the fourth biggest week for a digital album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking them in 2004. Through its eighth week of release, ''Fearless'' has sold more than 338,467 downloads, making it the bestselling country album in digital history. In second place is Swift's debut ''Taylor Swift'' with sales of 236,046 downloads as of April 18, 2009. In its debut week, seven songs in total on ''Fearless'' were charted on ''Billboard'' Hot 100, tying Swift with Miley Cyrus for the most by a female artist in a single week. With "White Horse" charted at #13, this gave Swift her sixth top 20 debut of 2008, a calendar year record for any artist in the history of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Of the 13 tracks on ''Fearless'', 11 have already spent time on the Hot 100. "Change", a song from the album, was selected as part of a soundtrack supporting Team USA's efforts in the 2008 Summer Olympics. The song was also featured as part of the soundtrack of NBC's broadcast package of the Olympics. The lead single from the album, "Love Story", was released on September 12, 2008. The Fearless album includes the "Love Story" music video which is based on ''Romeo and Juliet''. The song has reached No.2 on iTunes Store Top Downloaded Songs and No.4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Fifteen weeks after being added to pop radio, "Love Story" also became the first country crossover recording to hit number one on the Nielsen BDS CHR/Top 40 chart in the 16-year-history of the list, as well as number one on the Mediabase Top 40 Chart. The second single from ''Fearless'', "White Horse", was released on December 8, 2008. The music video for the song premiered on CMT on February 7, 2009. Though it missed the No.1 spot on Billboard's Hot Country Songs as of the week April 11, 2009, "White Horse" claimed the No.1 spot atop the USA Today/Country Aircheck chart (powered by Mediabase) in that week. "Forever & Always", another song from the album, was based on Swift's relationship with singer Joe Jonas. She was the first artist in the history of Nielsen SoundScan to have two different albums in the Top 10 on the year end album chart. It also was the first album by a female artist in country music history to log eight weeks at No.1 on The ''Billboard'' 200. In mid-January 2009, Swift became the first country artist to top the 2 million mark in paid downloads with three different songs. Swift is ''Billboard'''s Top Country Artist and Hot Country Songwriter of 2008; she is also country music's best-selling artist of 2008. Swift ranked seventh on Nielsen SoundScan Canada's top-10 selling artists across all genres in 2008. ''Fearless'' and ''Taylor Swift'' took the No.1 and No.2 slots on 2008 Year-End Canadian Country Albums Chart. Swift sang the Star-Spangled Banner at game three of the World Series in Philadelphia on October 25, 2008. In January 2009, Swift announced her North American Fearless Tour planned for 52 cities in 38 states and provinces in the US and Canada over the span of 6 months. The tour kicked off April 23 in Evansville, Indiana. In the same month, Swift made her first musical guest appearance on ''Saturday Night Live''. On February 8, 2009, Swift performed her song "Fifteen" with Miley Cyrus at the 51st Grammy Awards. As of the week ending February 8, 2009, Swift's single "Love Story" became the country song with the most paid downloads in history. Since the release of Swift's second album, ''Fearless'', she has released one new song "Crazier" for the soundtrack of the feature film ''Hannah Montana: The Movie''. At the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Swift picked up Album of the Year honors as a performer and producer for ''Fearless''. Swift is the youngest artist in history to win the ACM ''Album of the Year'' award. The Academy lauded her for career achievements including selling more albums in 2008 than any other artist in any genre of music, the breakthrough success of her debut album, and the worldwide crossover success of her No.1 single "Love Story". The Academy also cited Swift's contribution to helping country music attract a younger audience. As of late April 2009, Swift has sold more than 14 million downloads, as well as three Gold Mobile Ringtones. On April 28, 2009, Swift gave a free, private concert to students at Bishop Ireton High School, a small Catholic school in Alexandria, Virginia after the school won a national "TXT 2 WIN" contest from Verizon Wireless. The students sent over 19,000 text messages to Verizon during a roughly one month long contest. Swift played for about an hour during the school's field day, an annual day-long recess with games and activities. On October 8, 2009 Swift's official website announced that her sold-out Fearless Tour would return to North America for 37 additional dates in 2010.

Scheduled to perform on September 13, 2009, Swift attended the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. This was her first VMA performance, where she became the first country music artist to win an MTV Video Music Award. During the show, as Swift was on stage accepting the award for Best Female Video for "You Belong with Me," singer/rapper Kanye West came on stage and took the microphone from Swift, saying that Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", nominated for the same award, was "one of the best videos of all time," an action that caused the many audience members to boo West. He handed the microphone back to a stunned and reportedly upset Swift, who did not finish her acceptance speech. When Beyoncé later won the award for Best Video of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", she called Swift up on stage so that she could finish her acceptance speech. Following the awards show, West apologized for his verbal outburst in a blog entry (which was subsequently removed). He was criticized by various celebrities for the outburst, and even by President Barack Obama who called West a "jackass" in an "off the record" comment. He later posted a second apology on his blog and made his first public apology one day after the incident on the debut episode of ''The Jay Leno Show''. On September 15, 2009, Swift talked about the matter on ''The View'', where she said she was at first excited to see West on stage and then disappointed once he acted out. She said West had not spoken to her following the incident. Following her appearance on ''The View'', West contacted her to apologize personally; Swift said she accepted his apology. However, on November 8, 2010, in an interview with a Minnesota radio station, West seemed to recant a bit of his past apologies by attempting to describe the act at the 2009 awards show as "selfless" and downgrade the perception of disrespect it created. Swift would later perform a song at the 2010 VMA called "Innocent" which is about the incident and in the song she absolves West of his actions. On November 11, 2009, Swift became the youngest artist ever to win the Country Music Association Award for Entertainer of the year, and is one of only six women to win the Country Music Association's highest honor. On the chart week of November 14, 2009, Swift set a record for the most songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 by a female artist at the same time with eight singles from the re-release of her 2008 album ''Fearless'' namely five debut new songs in the top 30: "Jump Then Fall" at #10, "Untouchable" at #19, "The Other Side of the Door" at #22, "Superstar" at No.27 and "Come in With the Rain" at No.30 and three already-charted songs that were released as singles—"You Belong with Me" (#14), "Forever & Always" which re-entered the chart at #34, and "Fifteen" (#46). In addition, the song "Two Is Better Than One" by Boys Like Girls which features Swift, debuted at No.80 in the same issue. This gives Swift six debuts in one week, the biggest number of debuts by any female artist of all time. It also lifts the number of her simultaneously-charting songs to nine, setting another record for the biggest number of charting songs by the same female artist in the same week. When "Fifteen" reached No.38 on the chart week of November 21, 2009, Swift became the female artist with the most Top 40 singles this decade, surpassing Beyoncé. "Fifteen" became Swift's twentieth Top 40 single overall. "Two Is Better Than One" by Boys Like Girls and John Mayer's "Half of My Heart" both featured Swift, peaking at No.40 and No.25 respectively. The two songs are her 21st and 22nd Top 40 singles. ''Fearless'' was the best-selling album of 2009 in the US with more than 3.2 millions copies sold in that year. Swift claimed both the No.1 and No.2 positions atop Nielsen's BDS Top 10 Most Played Songs chart (all genres), with "You Belong With Me" and "Love Story," respectively. She also topped the all format 2009 Top 10 Artist Airplay chart with over 1.29 million song detections, and the Top 10 Artist Internet Streams chart with more than 46 million song plays.

2010–present: ''Speak Now''

Swift released the track "Today Was a Fairytale" as a digital download on iTunes on January 19, 2010. The song was featured on the soundtrack for the film ''Valentine's Day'', in which she made her feature-film acting debut. The song debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at No. 2, becoming her sixth Top 10 and 23rd Top 40 single on that chart. According to Nielsen SoundScan, with sales of "Today Was a Fairytale" more than 325,000 in its first week, Swift has broken the record for first-week download sales by a female artist. The song also debuted at number one on the Canadian Hot 100, making it Swift's first number one hit in Canada. In February 2010, Swift brought her Fearless Tour to 5 cities in Australia. Opening acts included Gloriana. In mid-July 2010, ''Billboard'' revealed that Swift's new album is called ''Speak Now''. It was released on October 25, 2010. She has written the album completely by herself in Arkansas, New York, Boston and Nashville with Nathan Chapman serving as co-producer. On Wednesday, August 4, 2010, the lead single from the album, "Mine," was leaked onto the internet. Big Machine Records decided to rush the release of the song to counteract the leak. Swift appeared at the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on November 10, 2010. In 2011, Swift visited Singapore as the first stop of the Asian leg of her first world tour. Hong Kong is the last stop of the Speak Now World Tour and Swift will begin the European and American leg afterwards. Swift's first live album, ''Speak Now World Tour: Live'', featuring all seventeen performances from the North American leg of her concert tour, is scheduled for a November 21, 2011 release. Many dates on the Speak Now World Tour were cancelled due to Swift suffering from bronchitis and was told she is unable to perform. Swift sold approximately 4,470,000 albums in the US in 2010 (more than any other artist) and sold 9.9 million digital tracks. She was ranked second on ''Rolling Stone'''s lists of Top 16 "Queen Of Pops" of the decade. Swift appeared on the ''Hamish & Andy'' show where she performed a new song called "Chaperone Dads", which is dedicated to a select group of her fans. The week following the release of her "Sparks Fly" video Swift jumped from nineteen to ten on the ''Billboard'''s Social 50. Swift has revealed that she has already written 25 songs for an untitled follow-up album to ''Speak Now'', set to release in the later part of 2012. She commented on them, "They’re sad. If I'm being honest."

On December 23, 2011, Taylor announced via Twitter, "Something I've been VERY excited about for a VERY long time is going to be happening VERY soon." Several hours later, Taylor announced that she is featured on ''The Hunger Games'' Official Movie Soundtrack. Her song, entitled "Safe & Sound", was the first track released from the album. The song was co-written by The Civil Wars, who also co-recorded the song with Taylor. On January 8, 2012, Taylor was elected the fifth top artist (fourth female top artist) of all-time with the best-selling digital music tracks. Taylor has sold 41,821,000 million digital tracks as of the end of 2011 according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Songwriting style

Swift's lyrics are highly autobiographical; she has said that "If you listen to my albums, it’s like reading my diary." For example, the song "Forever & Always" was inspired by her relationship with Joe Jonas, while the song "Hey Stephen" was written about a boy whom she toured with in the past. "Fifteen" was written about her freshman year of high school. It has been said that her lyrics "can be tinged with acid: the quiet loner girl getting one over on the cheerleaders, or a caustic payback for the boy who dumped her." She has also indicated that she tries to write so her fans can relate to the lyrics, saying "My goal is to never write songs that my fans can't relate to." She parodied her confrontational style of songwriting during her appearance on ''Saturday Night Live''; during her opening monologue, she performed an original song that featured lines such as "You might think I'd bring up Joe, that guy who broke up with me on the phone/ Hey, Joe, I'm doing real well, tonight I'm hosting 'SNL'" referring to her highly publicized relationship with Joe Jonas.

The intensely personal nature of the songs has drawn her attention in the music industry. Swift once said, "I thought people might find them hard to relate to, but it turned out that the more personal my songs were, the more closely people could relate to them." Due to the autobiographical nature of her songs, some fans have researched the songs' origins. Swift once said, "Every single one of the guys that I’ve written songs about has been tracked down on MySpace by my fans." ''The New York Times'' described Swift as "one of pop's finest songwriters, country’s foremost pragmatist and more in touch with her inner life than most adults".

Other work

Acting

In 2008, Swift made her acting debut in Brad Paisley's music video "Online". In that same year Swift filmed a documentary for MTV entitled ''MTV's Once Upon a Prom'' and a documentary with Def Leppard for CMT entitled ''CMT Crossroads'', which premiered on November 7, 2008. Swift collaborated with the Jonas Brothers in their 3D Concert Film, ''Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience''. The film was released on February 27, 2009 in North America and brought in $12.7 million on its opening weekend. Swift made her primetime television acting debut on CBS's ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' "Turn, Turn, Turn" as Haley Jones on March 5, 2009 in the U.S. and Canada. The episode was watched by 20.8 million viewers. Swift made a cameo appearance in Kellie Pickler's music video "Best Days of Your Life". Swift also appeared in ''Hannah Montana: The Movie'' credited as herself. The film was released on April 10, 2009 in North America. The television show Dateline NBC showcased an hour on Swift on May 31, 2009. The episode titled ''Dateline NBC: On Tour With Taylor Swift'' included scenes from her tour bus, concert footage, and rehearsals. Swift both hosted and performed as the musical guest for the November 7, 2009 episode of ''Saturday Night Live''. In 2010, Swift made her feature film acting debut as Felicia in the film ''Valentine's Day''. For this role she won the Teen Choice Award for Movie Female Breakout. She has been cast to voice the role of Audrey in the animated film ''The Lorax'', set to be released in 2012. In January 2012, Swift was offered the role of Eponine in the film adaptation of the musical, ''Les Misérables''.

Cover model and recognition

Swift has been featured on the cover of a number of magazines. She has been a cover girl for ''Blender'', for which she was one of two country artists during the magazine’s fifteen year run to be a cover subject. She was included in ''People'''s annual "100 Most Beautiful People" 2008, 2009, and 2010 lists. Additionally, she was named number fifty-seven on ''Maxim's'' sexiest women of 2008, number fifty on the 2009 list and number thirty-one on the 2010 list. ''CosmoGirl'' voted Swift as the "2008 Girl of the Year". Swift was named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as one of "The RS 100: Agents of Change". She was nominated as a candidate for ''TIME''s "2009 The Time 100 Finalists" list, which is determined by online voting. ''People'' magazine named Swift one of 25 Most Intriguing People of 2009.

Merchandise

Jakks Pacific released a celebrity doll of Swift in late 2008. Swift has been the face of L.E.I. Jeans (Life Energy Intelligence) since 2008. Swift and the L.e.i. Clothing Line made a deal to create a line based on Swift's style of dressing, which will appear in Wal-Mart in the coming months. However, Swift said she does not want to be called a designer. Instead, she says she will inspire the clothing company's dress line based on her own style. "I don't look at it like I'm branching out as a designer... It's not the Taylor Swift designer line." In 2009, Swift became the National Hockey League's newest celebrity spokesperson. She appears in commercials for the Nashville Predators.

In May 2009, Swift filed a lawsuit (kept sealed until August 2010) against numerous sellers of unauthorized counterfeit merchandise bearing her name, likeness, and trademarks, where she demanded a trial by jury, sought a judgement for compensatory damages, punitive damages, three times the actual damages sustained, and statutory damages, and sought for recovery of her attorney's fees and prejudgement interest. Nashville's U.S. District Court granted an injunction and judgment against the sellers, who had been identified at Swift's concerts in several states. The court ordered merchandise seized from the defendants to be destroyed. On July 15, 2011, Swift's official website announced that she had partnered with Elizabeth Arden to launch a fragrance, which is to be released in October 2011. The fragrance's name, "Wonderstruck", is a reference to the song "Enchanted" featured on her ''Speak Now'' album. Swift is also working with American Greetings, Inc.

Philanthropy

On September 21, 2007, Swift helped launch a campaign to protect children from online predators. She has teamed up with Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen to combat internet sex crimes. The year-long campaign, in partnership with the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, will distribute Internet safety information and materials to parents and students across the state. In early 2008, Swift donated the pink Chevy pick-up truck given to her by her record label to the children’s charity, the ''Victory Junction Gang''; in June 2008, Swift donated all the proceeds from her merchandise sales at the 2008 Country Music Festival to Red Cross, the ''Nashville Area Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund'' and the ''National American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund''.

Swift donated $100,000 to the Red Cross in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to help the victims of the Iowa flood of 2008. Swift has teamed up with Sound Matters to make listeners aware of listening "responsibly". Swift supports @15, a teen-led social change platform underwritten by Best Buy to give teens opportunities to direct the company's philanthropy through the newly-created @15 Fund. Swift's song, "Fifteen", is featured in this campaign. Swift lent her support to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal by joining the lineup at Sydney's Sound Relief concert, reportedly making the biggest contribution of any artist playing at Sound Relief to the Australian Red Cross. Swift donated her prom dress, which raised $1,200 for charity, to DonateMyDress.org. On November 20, 2009 after a live performance on BBC's Children in Need night Swift announced to Sir Terry Wogan she would donate £13,000 of her own money to the cause.

On December 13, Swift's own birthday, she donated $250,000 to various schools around the country which she had either attended or been involved with. Swift has donated a pair of her shoes – a gently-worn pair of black Betsey Johnson heels with her autograph on the sole – to the Wish Upon a Hero Foundation's Hero in Heels fundraiser for auction to raise money to benefit women with cancer.

In response to the May 2010 Tennessee floods, Swift donated $500,000 during a flood relief telethon hosted by WSMV, a Nashville television station.

On May 23, 2011, Taylor Swift transformed what was to have been the final dress rehearsal for the North American leg of her Speak Now tour into a benefit concert for victims of recent tornadoes in the United States southeast region. The concert in Nashville drew more than 13,000 people and raised more than $750,000 from proceeds from ticket sales, merchandise and other facets of the show. The benefit concert for tornado relief was subsequently honored at the 2011 Do Something Awards. In July 2011, Swift further aided to the cause by donating $250,000 to Alabama football coach Nick Saban's charity Nick's Kids to aid in the tornado relief efforts of West Alabama.

Personal life

In addition to her relationship with Joe Jonas, which ended in October 2008, Swift's dating history has included other celebrities: Taylor Lautner, for three months in 2009; and Jake Gyllenhaal, from late 2010 to early 2011. Swift has also been romantically linked to John Mayer. There has been speculation that the songs "Dear John" and "The Story of Us" from her album ''Speak Now'' are about Mayer. In October 2011, she revealed to Ellen Degeneres on her show ''Ellen'' that, "I don't even have, like, kind of a boyfriend. I don't have someone that I'm texting that is a guy that someday might be my boyfriend. There's like nothing going on right now."

In November 2011, Taylor adopted a Scottish fold kitten. She named her Meredith after the character Meredith Grey from the popular ABC drama ''Grey's Anatomy''. The kitten appeared in the official music video for Taylor's song ''Ours'' alongside Taylor and ''Friday Night Lights'' star Zach Gilford.

Filmography

>

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2007		Herself	Guest; Episode: Season 2 Finale
2008	''CMT Crossroads''	Herself	Episode: "Taylor Swift and Def Leppard"
2009	''Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience''	Herself
2009	''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''	Haley Jones
2009	''Hannah Montana: The Movie''	Herself	Cameo
2009	''Saturday Night Live''	Herself	Host/Musical Guest
2009		Herself	Guest; Episode: Week 6 results
2010		Felicia	Movie acting debut
2010	''Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless''	Herself	Main Role
2010		Herself	Guest; Episode: 200th episode
2012	''''	Audrey
2012	''Bruno the Robot''	Various

Discography

Albums

''Taylor Swift'' (2006)

''Fearless'' (2008)

''Speak Now'' (2010)

Awards and nominations

Tours

Fearless Tour (2009–10)

Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012)

References

External links

Category:1989 births Category:American child singers Category:American country banjoists Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American female guitarists Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American pianists Category:American pop singers Category:American television actors Category:Big Machine Records artists Category:Child pop musicians Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Pennsylvania Category:People from Reading, Pennsylvania Category:People from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania Category:Ukulele players

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