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 Saturday of the following week.

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 titles that are sold exclusively by specific retail outlets (such as Wal-Mart and Starbucks) ineligible for charting, was reversed on November 7, 2007, and took effect in the issue dated November 17.^[1]

The current number-one album (as of the issue dated May 12, 2012) on the Billboard 200 is Blunderbuss by Jack White.^[2]

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 May 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.^[3] 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.^[4]

[edit] Holiday albums

Billboard has adjusted its policies for Christmas^[5] and holiday^[5] 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.

[edit] Nielsen SoundScan

Since May 25, 1991, the Billboard 200's positions have been derived from Nielsen SoundScan sales data, as of 2008^[update] 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).

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Artist milestones

[edit] Most top-ten albums^[6]

• The Rolling Stones (36)
• Frank Sinatra (33)
• The Beatles (30)
• Barbra Streisand (30)
• Elvis Presley (27)

[edit] Most number-one albums^[7]

• The Beatles (19)
• Jay-Z (12)
• Elvis Presley (10) (tie)
• Bruce Springsteen (10) (tie)
• The Rolling Stones (9) (tie)
• Barbra Streisand (9) (tie)

[edit] Most consecutive number-one albums^[8]

• The Beatles (8)
• Eminem (5)
• Elton John (5) (tie)
• Madonna (5) (tie)
• U2 (5) (tie)
• Wings (5) (tie)

[edit] 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)

[edit] Album milestones

[edit] Most weeks at number one

• (54 weeks) West Side Story – Soundtrack (1962–63; including combined weeks at number one on the separate mono and stereo album charts that existed at the time)
• (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: The Original Movie Sound Track – Bee Gees/Soundtrack (1978)
• (24 weeks) Purple Rain – Prince and the Revolution (1984–85)
• (23 weeks) 21 – Adele (2011-12)
• (21 weeks) Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em – MC Hammer (1990)
• (20 weeks) The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album – Whitney Houston/Soundtrack (1992–93)
• (20 weeks) Blue Hawaii – Elvis Presley (1961–62)

[edit] Most weeks on the chart

Note that totals are for the main albums chart only, catalog chart totals are not factored in.

• (797^[9] 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

[edit] 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 – Barry Sadler (March 12, 1966)

[edit] Biggest drops from number-one

• (1-37) Light Grenades – Incubus (December 23, 2006)
• (1-26) Mission Bell — Amos Lee^[10] (February 19, 2011)
• (1-25) Showroom of Compassion — Cake^[11] (February 5, 2011)
• (1-24) Christmas – Michael Bublé^[12] (January 14, 2012)
• (1-24) Blue Slide Park - Mac Miller (December 3, 2011)
• (1-21) The Golden Age of Grotesque – Marilyn Manson (June 7, 2003)
• (1-19) The Circle – Bon Jovi (December 5, 2009)
• (1-18) The Inspiration – Young Jeezy (January 6, 2007)
• (1-16) The Fragile – Nine Inch Nails (October 16, 1999)
• (1-15) Greatest Hits – The Notorious B.I.G. (March 31, 2007)

[edit] 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 by The Beatles multiple times. They did this twice in 1964 with Meet The Beatles! and Introducing... The Beatles, and then with A Hard Day's Night and Something New, followed in 1969 with the album The Beatles (commonly known as The White Album) and the soundtrack for the film Yellow Submarine. In 1991, Guns N' Roses held the top two with Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, and in 2004, Nelly's Suit and Sweat.
• As a musician, Paul McCartney has the most #1 albums, with 26. This includes 19 albums from his work with The Beatles (referenced earlier in this article), 2 solo albums, and 5 albums as a part of his 1970s group Wings (band). John Lennon is in second place with 22, including 19 albums with The Beatles, 2 solo albums, and 1 album credited to him and his wife Yoko Ono.
• McCartney also has the most top 10 albums, with 48. This includes 30 with The Beatles (referenced earlier in this article), 9 albums with the group Wings, 1 album credited to him and his first wife Linda McCartney, and 8 solo albums.
• 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).
• Tapestry by Carole King 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, also by Tapestry. ^[13].
• 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 Live's 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 EPs 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.^[14] Elvis Presley,^[15] The Kingston Trio,^[16] 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,^{[16] [17]} 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.^{[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]}
• The only artist in history to have his first five studio albums debut at number one is DMX.
• The only artists to have five consecutive studio albums debut at number one are Dave Matthews Band, Jay-Z, DMX and Metallica.
• In 2001, Britney Spears became the first female artist in the chart's history to have their first three albums debut at number one. She broke this record two years later with a fourth number one debut.^[25] 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.^[26] She later beat the record when her 7th studio album, Femme Fatale debuted at number one on April, 2011.
• The first UK solo artist to debut at number one with a debut album is Leona Lewis on April 26, 2008 with the album Spirit.^[27] The first UK group to debut at number one with a debut album is One Direction on March 31, 2012 with the album Up All Night.^[28]
• Oldest male to debut at # 1: Tony Bennett on October 8, 2011 (85 years, 2 months, and 5 days old) with the album Duets II. He was born August 3, 1926.
• 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.^[29][30]
• With 23 weeks at #1 for her album 21, Adele holds the record for the longest time for a solo album by a female to remain at the top of the Billboard 200. This run was concurrent with her three number one singles on the Hot 100. During this run, Adele also appeared on 4 of the top 5 albums: in addition to her own two top five albums, her songs were included on the 2012 Grammy Nominees album and the Now ! 41 album.
• There have been 16 albums released on an independent label to reach #1 on the Billboard 200.^[31]
• 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., Pantera, Makaveli (alter-ego of 2Pac), Bob Carlisle, Slipknot, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, and Amos Lee.^[32]

[edit] See also

• List of number-one albums (United States)

[edit] Sources

• Joel Whitburn Presents the Billboard Albums, 6th edition, ISBN 0-89820-166-7
• Whitburn, Joel (1991). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Albums (Revised and enlarged 2nd ed.). Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-7534-6 
• Additional information obtained can be verified within Billboard's online archive services and print editions of the magazine.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Current Billboard 200
• Billboard methodology

Taylor Swift
Swift performing during the Australian leg of her Speak Now Tour in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Taylor Alison Swift
Born	(1989-12-13) December 13, 1989 (age 22) Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Country pop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actress
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, ganjo, piano,[1] ukulele[2]
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Big Machine
Website	TaylorSwift.com

Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 14 to pursue a career in country music. She signed to independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by Sony/ATV Music Publishing. She released her self-titled debut album in 2006. The record spawned five singles: "Tim McGraw", "Picture to Burn", "Teardrops on My Guitar", "Our Song" and "Should've Said No". Swift wrote three of the album's songs alone, including two singles, and co-wrote the remaining eight. As part of the album's promotion, Swift opened on tour for Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. She received a Best New Artist nomination at the 50th Grammy Awards.

In 2008, Swift released her second album, Fearless, which became a crossover commercial success. Five singles were released: "Love Story", "White Horse", "You Belong with Me", "Fifteen" and "Fearless". Swift wrote seven of the album's songs alone, including two singles, and co-wrote the remaining six. The record won four Grammy Awards, with Swift becoming the youngest ever Album of the Year winner. Fearless also received Album of the Year plaudits at the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and Country Music Association Awards, making it the most awarded album in country music history. Swift conducted a 105-date Fearless world tour in support of the album. Billboard named her Artist of the Year in 2009.

In 2010, Swift released her third album, Speak Now, which sold over one million copies in its first week. Written and composed entirely by Swift, the record spawned six singles—"Mine", "Back to December", "Mean", "The Story of Us", "Sparks Fly" and "Ours". "Mean" was awarded Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards. The 111-date Speak Now World Tour was attended by over 1.7 million fans and has become one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. In 2011, Billboard named Swift Woman of the Year. She is currently recording her fourth album, due for release in the fall of 2012.

Swift's work has earned her numerous accolades, including six Grammy Awards, ten AMAs, seven CMAs, six ACMs and 13 BMI Awards. She has sold over 20 million albums and 41.8 million digital tracks worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Swift has endorsement deals with Target, CoverGirl, Sony, Elizabeth Arden, Walmart and American Greetings. She is considered by Forbes to be one of the wealthiest recording artists working today. In addition to her music career, Swift has appeared as an actress in the crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2009), the romantic comedy Valentine's Day (2010) and the animated film The Lorax (2012).

[edit] Early life

Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania,^[3] the daughter of Scott Kingsley Swift, a Merrill Lynch financial adviser,^[4][5] and Andrea (née Gardner), a homemaker who previously worked as a mutual fund marketing executive.^[3][6] Swift was named after singer James Taylor; her mother believed a gender-neutral name would help her forge a successful business career.^[7][8] She has a younger brother, Austin, who attends Vanderbilt University.^[9] She spent the early years of her life on an 11-acre Christmas tree farm near Pottstown, Pennsylvania and was educated at the fee-paying Wyndcroft School.^[10] When Swift was nine, her family moved to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania,^[11][12] where she attended Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School.^[13] Swift spent her summers at her parent's vacation home in Stone Harbor, New Jersey^[14] and has described it as the place "where most of my childhood memories were formed".^[12]

At the age of nine, Swift developed an interest in theatre and performed in Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions of Grease, Annie, Bye Bye Birdie and The Sound of Music.^[15][10] She travelled regularly to Broadway, New York for vocal and acting lessons. However, "after a few years of auditioning in New York and not getting anything”, Swift turned her attention to country music.^[16] She was inspired by LeAnn Rimes's Blue^[17] and her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, an opera singer.^[10] When she was in fourth grade, Swift won a national poetry contest with a three-page poem, "Monster in My Closet".^[18] At the age of eleven, after many attempts, Swift won a local talent competition by singing a rendition of LeAnn Rimes’s “Big Deal”, and was given the opportunity to appear as the opening act for Charlie Daniels at a Strausstown amphitheater.^[15] She spent her weekends performing at local festivals, fairs, coffeehouses, karaoke contests, garden clubs and Boy Scout meetings.^[19][6] Swift recorded a demo of karaoke covers, and travelled with her mother to Nashville, Tennessee for spring break, leaving a copy of the demo with record labels along Music Row. She received label rejections and realised that "I needed to know how to do something more than just sing a song".^[15]

Swift began performing the "The Star Spangled Banner" at many sporting events, hoping she would be offered a recording contract. On one occasion, an 11-year-old Swift high-fived Jay-Z after singing the national anthem at a 76ers game in Philadelphia.^[20] At the age of 12, Swift was shown by a computer repairman how to play three chords on a guitar, inspiring her to write her first song, "Lucky You".^[21][22] She then recorded a second demo of original songs.^[15] In 2003, Swift and her parents began working with music manager Dan Dymtrow, after he spotted her singing at the US Open.^[23] Swift's second demo caught the attention of RCA Records, who offered the eight-grader an artist development deal. In 2004, Swift modelled for Abercrombie and Fitch as part of their "Rising Stars" campaign and had an original song included in a Maybelline Cosmetics compilation CD.^[24]

When Swift was 14, her father transferred to the Nashville office of Merrill Lynch and the family relocated to a lake-shore house in Hendersonville, Tennessee.^[3] Swift has said her parents "presented it as a move to a nice community" rather than as her chance to become a star.^[25] Her mother has said, "We've always told her that this is not about putting food on our table or making our dreams come true."^[26] In Tennessee, Swift attended Hendersonville High School for her freshman and sophomore year.^[27] Later, to accommodate her touring schedule, Swift transferred to the Aaron Academy, a private Christian school which offered homeschooling services, and earned her high school diploma in 2008.^[28]

[edit] Music career

[edit] 2004–2005: Move to Nashville

Swift moved to Nashville at the age of 14, having secured an artist development deal with RCA Records. Her musical influences included the Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill,^[25] Sheryl Crow,^[29] Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.^[30] Swift had writing sessions with experienced songwriters such as Troy Verges, Brett Beavers, and the Warren Brothers,^[31] but eventually formed a lasting working relationship with Liz Rose.^[32] Swift saw Rose performing at an RCA songwriter event and suggested that they write together.^[33] They began meeting for two-hour writing sessions every Tuesday afternoon after school.^[34] Rose has said that the sessions were "some of the easiest I've ever done. Basically, I was just her editor. She'd write about what happened in school that day. She had such a clear vision of what she was trying to say. And she'd come in with the most incredible hooks".^[35][34] Swift also began recording demos with producer Nathan Chapman.^[33] After performing at a BMI Songwriter's Circle showcase at The Bitter End, New York,^[31] Swift became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Tree publishing house.^[36]

Swift left RCA Records when she was 15; the company wanted her to record the work of other songwriters and wait until she was 18 to release an album, but she felt ready to launch her career with her own material.^[37] She also parted ways with manager Dan Dymtrow, who later took legal action against Swift and her parents.^[24] At an industry showcase at Nashville's The Bluebird Café in 2005, Swift caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, a Dreamworks Records executive who was preparing to form his own independent record label, Big Machine Records.^[32] Swift was one of the new label's first signings.^[32] She also joined talent agency CAA.^[24]

[edit] 2006–2008: Taylor Swift

Swift performing at a café with a koa wood guitar in June 2006. Swift continues to perform with custom-made Taylor guitars

Swift began her career by building a strong MySpace presence, using the site to get feedback about her demos.^[38] She released her debut single, "Tim McGraw", in mid-2006, reaching No.6 on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Songs chart.^[39] Big Machine Records was still in its infancy and Swift and her mother "came in to help stuff the CD singles into envelopes to send to radio. We sat out on the floor and did it because there wasn't furniture at the label yet".^[26] Her self-titled debut album was later released on October 24, 2006.^[40] Debuting high on the Billboard 200, the album sold 39,000 copies during its first week.^[41] It peaked at No.1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums and No.5 on the Billboard 200.^[42] Her debut album spent eight consecutive weeks at the top of the Top Country Albums charts^[43] and remained at the top for 24 out of 91 weeks.^[44] The music video for "Tim McGraw" won Swift an award for Breakthrough Video of the Year at the 2007 CMT Music Awards.^[45] 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.^[46] On May 15, 2007, Swift performed "Tim McGraw" at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Swift appeared as an opening act for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, George Strait, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts.^[47]

Swift performing at Yahoo HQ in 2007

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.^[48] 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. "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.^[49] 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.^[50] 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.^[51]

[edit] 2008–2010: Fearless

Swift performing as the headlining act at the 2010 Cavendish Beach Music Festival in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Swift's second studio album, Fearless, was released in the United States on November 11, 2008.^[52] The album debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with sales of 592,304, making it the largest opening U.S. sales week in 2008 by a female artist in all genres of music, and the fourth biggest overall.^[53] During the first week of release, more than 129,000 of Swift's sales were sold digitally, giving Swift the best online start for any country album in history.^[54] "Change", a song from the album, was selected as part of a soundtrack supporting Team USA's efforts in the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[55] 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. It 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.^[56] The second single from Fearless, "White Horse", was released on December 8, 2008. 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.^[57] 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.^[58] 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. Swift is Billboard's Top Country Artist and Hot Country Songwriter of 2008; she is also country music's best-selling artist of 2008.^[59] Swift ranked seventh on Nielsen SoundScan Canada's top-10 selling artists across all genres in 2008.

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.^[60] In the same month, Swift made her first musical guest appearance on Saturday Night Live.^[61][62] 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.^[63][64]

Since the release of Fearless, she 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, the worldwide crossover success of her No.1 single "Love Story" and Swift's contribution to helping country music attract a younger audience.^[65] As of late April 2009, Swift has sold more than 14 million downloads.^[66] 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.^[67] 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. She became the first country music artist to win an MTV Video Music Award.^[68] 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.^[69][70] He handed the microphone back to a stunned and reportedly upset Swift, who did not finish her acceptance speech.^[69][71] 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.^[69][72] Following the awards show, West apologized for his verbal outburst in a blog entry (which was subsequently removed).^[69] He was criticized by various celebrities for the outburst,^{[70][73][74][75][76]} and even by President Barack Obama who called West a "jackass" in an "off the record" comment.^[77][78][79] 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.^[70] 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.^[80][81] She said West had not spoken to her following the incident.^[81] Following her appearance on The View, West contacted her to apologize personally; Swift said she accepted his apology.^[68][81] 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 downplay the perception of disrespect it created.^[82][83]

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 Association's highest honor.^[84] "Fifteen" reached No.38 on the chart week of November 21, 2009l.^[85] "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. 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, with "You Belong With Me" and "Love Story", respectively.^[86]

Swift released the track "Today Was a Fairytale" as a digital download on iTunes on January 19, 2010.^[87] It sold more than 325,000 copies in its first week.^[88] In February 2010, Swift brought her Fearless Tour to 5 cities in Australia. Opening acts included Gloriana.^[89]

In January 2010, Swift won four awards for Album of the Year, Best Country Album, Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song at the 52nd Grammy Awards, from a total of eight nominations.^[90][91] During the ceremony, she performed a duet with Stevie Nicks. Her vocal performance received a negative critical response and was described variously as "tinny and rhythmically flat-footed", "badly off-key", "strikingly bad" and "incredibly wretched".^[92][93]

[edit] 2010–2012: Speak Now

Swift performing on Speak Now tour in July 2011

On Wednesday, August 4, 2010, the lead single from Swift's third 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.^[94] Speak Now was released on October 25, 2010.^[95] She wrote the album completely by herself in Arkansas, New York, Boston and Nashville with Nathan Chapman serving as co-producer.

In 2011, Swift visited Singapore as the first stop of the Asian leg of her first world tour.^[96] After the last stop of the Speak Now World Tour in Hong Kong, Swift began the European and American leg.^[97] Swift's first live album, Speak Now World Tour: Live, featuring all seventeen performances from the North American leg of her concert tour, was released on November 21, 2011.^[98] Three dates on the Speak Now World Tour were cancelled because Swift fell ill with bronchitis.^[99] Swift invited many stars to duet with her during the US tour, including singer-songwriters such as James Taylor, Jason Mraz and Shawn Colvin,^[100] pop stars such as Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, rappers such as Nicki Minaj, Usher, Flo Rida and T.I., rock stars such as Jim Adkins and Hayley Williams, and country singers such as Ronnie Dunn, Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney.^[101]

In October 2011, Swift was named Songwriter/Artist of the Year by Nashville Songwriters Association International. During the ceremony, she played an acoustic version of "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" in honor of Alan Jackson, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee.^[102] When making his induction speech, Jackson praised Swift for "the prettiest version I've ever heard".^[103] In December 2011, Swift released "Safe & Sound", co-written and co-recorded with The Civil Wars. The single featured on The Hunger Games soundtrack, which also featured a second Swift song, "Eyes Open".^[104]

At the 54th Grammy Awards on February 12, 2012, Swift's song "Mean" won Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.^[105] She performed the song during the ceremony; her first Grammy performance since her widely criticized 2010 appearance. She received positive reviews. Time felt she "delivered her comeback on-key and with a vengeance"^[106] while USA Today remarked that the criticism in 2010 seemed to have "made her a better songwriter and live performer".^[107]

On April 1, 2012, she won the award for "Entertainer of the Year" for the second time running at the Academy of Country Music Awards. She was also was nominated for "Female Vocalist" and "Video of the Year" for "Mean". Swift has sold over 20 million albums worldwide.^[108] She holds the new record for Fastest Selling Digital Album by a Female Artist, for her latest CD, 'Speak Now,' as well as the Most Simultaneous U.S. Hot 100 Hits by a Female Artist, with 11 charting back-to-back singles in the Guiness Book of World Records 2012.^[109] On January 8, 2012, Swift was elected the fifth top artist (fourth female top artist) of all-time with the best-selling digital music tracks. Swift has sold 41,821,000 digital tracks as of the end of 2011 according to Nielsen SoundScan.^[110] Swift sold approximately 4,470,000 albums in the US in 2010 (more than any other artist) and sold 9.9 million digital tracks.^[111]

[edit] 2012–present: Untitled fourth album

Swift is currently working on her fourth album with producer Nathan Chapman.^[112][113] It is scheduled for release in the fall of 2012.^[114] 25 songs have already been completed^[114] but Swift intends to keep writing and recording throughout 2012 "because I'm having so much fun".^[115] After writing her third album alone, Swift is now collaborating with people "from all different places in music",^[115] including songwriter Lori McKenna.^[116][117] The album will detail "the rise and fall of a relationship",^[118] as well as the resulting "absolute crash-and-burn heartbreak".^[119] She has described the album's mood as "sad, if I'm being honest."^[120] There has been media speculation that it will focus on Swift's relationship with actor Jake Gyllenhaal.^[119]

Swift also appeared on a song called "Both of Us" from B.o.B's second album Strange Clouds, which was released May 1st, 2012.^[121]

[edit] Songwriting style

Swift's lyrics are highly autobiographical; she has said that "If you listen to my albums, it’s like reading my diary."^[122] 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."^[123] 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."^[124] 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.^[125]

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."^[126] 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."^[127] 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".^[128]

[edit] Other work

[edit] Acting

Swift made her primetime television acting debut in 2009 in an episode of CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The episode was watched by 20.8 million viewers.^[129] Swift both hosted and performed as the musical guest for the November 7, 2009 episode of Saturday Night Live.^[130] In 2010, Swift made her feature film acting debut in the romantic comedy Valentine's Day and won the Teen Choice Award for Movie Female Breakout.^[131] In 2012, she voiced the character of Audrey in the animated film The Lorax.^[132] Swift is in talks to star as Joni Mitchell in the film adaptation of in Sheila Weller's Girls Like Us, which follows the careers of Mitchell, Carly Simon and Carole King.^[133]

[edit] Philanthropy

On September 21, 2007, Swift helped launch a campaign to protect children from online predators.^[134] She has teamed up with Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen to combat internet sex crimes.^[134] 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.^[134] 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.^[135]

Swift donated $100,000 to the Red Cross in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to help the victims of the Iowa flood of 2008.^[136] Swift has teamed up with Sound Matters to make listeners aware of listening "responsibly".^[137] 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.^[138] Swift lent her support to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal by joining the lineup at Sydney's Sound Relief concert,^[139] reportedly making the biggest contribution of any artist playing at Sound Relief to the Australian Red Cross.^[140] Swift donated her prom dress, which raised $1,200 for charity, to DonateMyDress.org.^[141] 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.^[142]

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.^[143] 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.^[144] On May 23, 2011, 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.^[145] The benefit concert for tornado relief was subsequently honored at the 2011 Do Something Awards.^[146] In July 2011, Swift further aided 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.^[147]

[edit] Product endorsements

Jakks Pacific released a celebrity doll of Swift in late 2008.^[148] Swift has been the face of L.E.I. Jeans (Life Energy Intelligence) since 2008.^[149] 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.^[150] 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."^[151] In 2009, Swift became the National Hockey League's newest celebrity spokesperson. She appears in commercials for the Nashville Predators.^[152]

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.^[153] 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.^{[154][155][156]} 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.^{[dated info]} The fragrance's name, "Wonderstruck", is a reference to the song "Enchanted" featured on her Speak Now album.^[157] Swift is also working with American Greetings, Inc.^[158] She has endorsement deals with companies including Target, CoverGirl, Sony, Elizabeth Arden, Walmart and American Greetings.^[159]

[edit] In the media

[edit] Position as a role model

Swift has been described as a role model.^[160] The singer considers it "my responsibility" to be "conscious" of her influence on young fans.^[161] However, she insists that "I don't live by all these rigid, weird rules that make me feel all fenced in. I just like the way that I feel like, and that makes me feel very free."^[162] Swift does not drink alcohol because she worries that "I might come off in a way that I can't control. Maybe I should just lighten up!" "It's not like I judge people who [drink] or that I don't hang out with people who drink."^[162] She refuses to take part in overly sexualised photo-shoots: "I like trying out new styles but I don’t feel comfortable taking my clothes off."^[11] A 2012 Vogue cover story described Swift as "clever and funny and occasionally downright bawdy" in person, but noted that she "asks if her cursing can be off the record".^[163] The lyrical content of her songs is regarded as appropriate for young audiences; a New Yorker journalist who attended a Swift concert recounted watching "six sixteen-year-old girls holding hands and swaying, and a girl in a hijab sobbing as she sang the words. It was hard not to be a little moved, and not to feel relieved that the words being sung were, more or less, safe ... One can attend a concert by Katy Perry and listen to a stadium full of thirteen-year-olds chant along with the song “Peacock” which goes, “I want to see your peacock-cock-cock! Your peacock-cock!"^[3]

[edit] Feminist discussion

Swift at the premiere of Hannah Montana: The Movie, April 2009

The merits of Swift as a feminist have been widely discussed.^[164] She has been described by Jezebel as "a feminist's nightmare": "Her image of being good and pure plays right into how much the patriarchy fetishizes virginity, loves purity, and celebrates women who know their place as delicate flowers".^[165] However, a Village Voice music critic dismissed this criticism as "shallow and gross, in that special way that things get gross when you cram shaded and living work through an ideological sieve like you're mechanically separating chicken".^[166] He continued: "Criticisms include: She's a conformist stooge of the patriarchy (she's now had two hits about defying fathers); she idolizes chastity (she's coy about sex, but only the willful could miss the fucking in the new "Sparks Fly," which includes the line "Gimme something that'll haunt me when you're not around"); and she sells girls corrupt and shallow fairy-tale notions of romance (one of the two fairy-tale songs on Fearless mocked a guy for trying to white-knight her, and the only mention of such things on Speak Now is "I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you"—note the tense)."^[166]

The song Fifteen has been the subject of particular scrutiny. It has been said that the song contains a "feminist message" in the lyrics "Back then I swore I was gonna marry him some day, but I realized some bigger dreams of mine” and "In your life you'll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team".^[167] Feminist critics claim the use of the word "everything" in the lyric "Abigail gave everything she had to a boy, who changed his mind, and we both cried" is a reference to virginity: "Songs like "Fifteen" dig up the ancient Puritan ideal that girls can only access power by confidently and heterosexually denying access to their pants."^[168] However, others interpret “everything” as trust: "Abigail trusted and opened up to a boy for the first time, only to be let down. Maybe that includes sex, maybe it doesn’t."^[167]

When asked by The New York Times in 2010 whether she considered herself a feminist, Swift replied, "I have never really thought about that".^[169] In 2012, Billboard asked Swift whether the marginalization of women in country music, prevalent in the 1950s, was still an issue: "I was fortunate enough to come about in a time when I didn't feel that kind of energy at all, and it was always my theory that if you want to pay in the same ballgame as the boys, you've got to work as hard as them. I was always playing just as many shows as they were and playing on the same shows as they were. I was willing to pay my dues as an opening act, playing in clubs and bars and playing in tiny venues. The new male artists were doing the same thing, so I never saw an issue there".^[170]

[edit] Criticism of vocal abilities

Swift's vocal performance during a duet with Stevie Nicks at the 2010 Grammy Awards was widely criticized as "badly off-key", "strikingly bad" and "incredibly wretched".^[92] Music critic Bob Lefsetz was particularly vocal in his criticism. He argued that, while "Taylor’s too young and dumb to understand the mistake she made", she killed her career "overnight". "In one fell swoop, Taylor Swift consigned herself to the dustbin of teen phenoms".^[93] Lefsetz had previously been a supporter of the singer's career,^[171] and Swift and Lefsetz had corresponded occasionally by email and telephone.^[172] Wired has described "the Swift attack" as "one of the most personal tracts Lefsetz had ever written. You got the sense that he felt duped, that he really believed in her. Which, for Lefsetz, doesn’t happen a whole lot anymore".^[172]

Swift's song "Mean" is believed to a rebuttal to Lefsetz.^[172] In the album liner notes, Swift wrote, “I thought you got me", and Lefsetz has said she told him “You get me” on several occasions.^[172] In response to the song, Lefsetz wrote that, while Swift had "captured the teen zeitgeist better than anyone in this century", it was now time for her to "be a woman singing about womanly issues". "Joni Mitchell ultimately sang about the human condition, contemplating suicide in "Song For Sharon". Is Taylor Swift gonna grow or keep on fighting these petty wars?"^[173] "She still can’t sing," he concluded. "And if this song is really about me, I wish it were better".^[173] Swift performed "Mean" at the 2012 Grammy Awards and won two awards for the song. In her acceptance speech, Swift said, "There's really no feeling quite like writing a song about someone who's really mean to you ... and then winning a Grammy for it."^[174]

In an interview with The New Yorker, Swift refused to defend her singing voice: “I write songs, and my voice is just a way to get those lyrics across”.^[3] "I'm not trying to go out there and do vocal acrobatics. I'm just trying to write good songs".^[175] She has said that she only feels nervous performing "if I'm not sure what the audience thinks of me, like at award shows".^[176]

[edit] Industry polls

Swift at the 2010 Time 100 Gala, where she was honored.

Swift was included in People's annual "100 Most Beautiful People" 2008, 2009, and 2010 lists.^[177][178] Additionally, she was named 57th on Maxim's sexiest women of 2008, 50th on the 2009 list^[179] and 31st on the 2010 list.^[180] CosmoGirl voted Swift as the "2008 Girl of the Year".^[181] Swift was named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of "The RS 100: Agents of Change".^[182] People magazine named Swift one of 25 Most Intriguing People of 2009.^[183]

She was nominated as a candidate for Time's "2009 The Time 100 Finalists" list, which is determined by online voting.^[184] In April 2010, Swift was included in Time's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People. Swift's entry was written by Stevie Nicks, who said that "Taylor reminds me of myself in her determination and her childlike nature. It's an innocence that's so special and so rare. This girl writes the songs that make the whole world sing, like Neil Diamond or Elton John [...] The female rock-'n'-roll-country-pop songwriter is back, and her name is Taylor Swift. And it's women like her who are going to save the music business."^[185] She was ranked second on Rolling Stone's lists of Top 16 "Queen Of Pops" of the decade.^[186]

[edit] Personal life

Swift's main residence is a duplex penthouse in midtown Nashville, Tennessee.^[187][3] She also owns a house in Beverly Hills, California.^[188][189]

[edit] Relationships

Swift dated singer Joe Jonas from July to October 2008.^{[190][191][192][193][194]} She dated actor Taylor Lautner from October to December 2009.^{[195][196][197]} Swift was romantically linked to musician John Mayer from late 2009 until June 2010.^{[198][199][200]} They first met in 2008^[201] and recorded a duet, "Half of My Heart", in late 2009.^{[202][203][194]}

Swift dated actor Jake Gyllenhaal from October 2010 to December 2010.^{[204][205][206][207][208][209][210][211]} On December 9, 2011, Gyllenhaal called the LAPD for assistance, after a large number of photographers followed the couple's car in Los Angeles.^[212][213] Following their break-up, they were seen together in January and February 2011.^[214][215]

[edit] Politics

After casting her vote in the 2008 US presidential election, Swift declined to inform journalists which candidate she had supported.^[216] However, following Barack Obama's inauguration, she told Rolling Stone: "I've never seen this country so happy about a political decision in my entire time of being alive. I'm so glad this was my first election."^[217] In 2009, after Swift's VMA acceptance speech was interrupted by Kanye West, President Obama described West's behaviour as "really inappropriate. The young lady seems like a perfectly nice person. She’s getting her award. What is he doing up there? He’s a jackass."^[218]

In 2010, former U.S. President George H. W. Bush attended the taping of a Swift television special in Kennebunkport, Maine,^[219] and later described Swift as "unspoiled" and "very nice".^[220] In 2012, Swift was presented with a Kids' Choice Award in recognition of her charitable work by Michelle Obama, who praised her as someone who "has rocketed to the top of the music industry but still keeps her feet on the ground, someone who has shattered every expectation of what a 22-year old can accomplish".^[221] Swift later described the First Lady as "a role model".^[222]

Swift is an admirer of the Kennedy family and has spent time with Rory, Caroline and, particularly, Ethel Kennedy.^[223] When asked about her friendship with Swift, Ethel replied, "Oh, she is amazing! Such good company."^[224] Rory has said, "There is a mutual admiration society between my mother and Taylor Swift and I just love it! I think it says so much about Taylor - she has that ability to connect and cross generations ... She's terrific and such a great role model for young girls, as well as for all women, really. ... She's just so curious and interested".^[224] In January 2012, Swift travelled to Utah to attend the Sundance premiere of the HBO documentary Ethel.^[225]

In a 2012 interview, Swift remarked that she was "very cautious" about using her public profile to address political issues, adding that she hoped to "gradually" become more outspoken: "I don't feel that I am in a place to sing about politics or anything like that. I don't know enough at this point".^[226]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

• Taylor Swift (2006)
• Fearless (2008)
• Speak Now (2010)

[edit] Tours

• Fearless Tour (2009–10)
• Speak Now World Tour (2011–12)

[edit] Awards and nominations

[edit] References