- Order:
- Duration: 4:43
- Updated: 10 May 2013
- published: 29 Oct 2009
- views: 33118386
- author: Avenged Sevenfold
Hey my son I dreamed for you
one world, one world pacific and green
that smell peace until the end of the time
that smell peace until the end of the time
until the end of the time
until the end of the time
until the end of the time
Sorry, sorry, sorry, my son the world,
your world is not like I dreamed
when you open your eyes
you will see that lies and hate
are controlling the world
the world, the world
I don't wanna suffer in this world
I don't wanna suffer in this world
I help you, you help me
I'm not gonna cry in this world
I'm not gonna cry in this world
I smile at you, you smile to me
I'm not gonna suffer in this world
I'm not gonna suffer in this world
I love to you, you love me, son!
sorry...
Hey my son I dreamed for you
one world, one world pacific and green
that smell peace until the end of the time
that smell peace until the end of the time
until the end of the time
until the end of the time
until the end of the time
Asa mo yano okuni kiroi kotori,
Tsuka mae tatokino sonna omokage,
Amaete mo irarezuni,
Sore nari ni otona ni natte,
Hito iki mo tsuka nakerya,
Sorya taku mashiku datte naru wa,
Saikin denwa mo shitenai kedo,
Genki de ima suka?,
Kyo kono goro,
Amaete mo irarezuni,
Sekken ni mo soko soko mo mare,
Nige dashite shimai sou de,
Aitakatta zuibun matta,
Kyori wo shitta atashi,
Itsuma demo kodomo no tsumoriga,
Mou sugu hatachi warito hayai mono de,
Jidanda fundeta atashi ga,
Ware tagara kawaiku omotte mo kurundesu,
Honto mo kimochi sae,
Kakushi tsutsu egau tsukutte,
Ikina ito ikenai nante,
Shiranakatta otona ni natta?,
Sonna mondai janai,
Itsuma demo kodomo no tsumoriga,
Mou sugu hatachi honto hayai mono de,
Mofu nanka okutte kuru kara,
Kibishii fuyu mo dou ni kakoshita janai?,
Itsumade mo mimamotte itene,
Anata no koto ga daisukina,
Come on man
We’ve all known
We’ve all known for over a year
We’ve all known
We’ve all known what was coming
What was coming
What was here
All these lies
This is weird
I’ve been here as long as you
You let us down
You had to always lie
I hope you can see that this it’s just not me
Everyone knows how much you had to take on
This is the time where we have to come clean
There’s no more being friends
If you’re just going to run around
Creating heartaches where they don’t belong
Is this really happening
Can you give up
On your life
On your dreams
Just let’em go
I do believe I’ve let my life lead me the right way
Following my dreams
And following my friends
I can create the a life full of love
Full of my own happiness
It’s not for me to do alone
I have my friends
But I won’t sacrifice it all
Not for just one girl
So if you and me disagree
I’ll be the one smiling
And I’ll look back
I’ll look back and think of how you must be at home crying
Wishing you had not given up
You’re going to miss out on life
I hope it was all worth it
If this is all you can give
You a failure
This is the time
I don’t need , special lines to read,
Just to explain, the one who has changed me,
This is more personal than love, this is one book you
can’t judge,
You make me feel perfect, you make me feel good,
You make me feel like you will, if you could,
Mmmm, it’s just something about you,
Maybe even the little things,
You are so beautiful , so full of love,
You make me feel so brand new,
Every piece of love that you bring, I can feel coming
into me,
You are so beautiful, so full of love,
You make me feel so brand new, ooohh,
I’m on cloud nine, just know that,
That you’re mine,
& I want the world to know,
That I’m forever yours,
It’s just something about you, maybe even the little
things,
You are so beautiful, so full of love,
You make me feel so brand new,
Every piece of love that you bring,
You are soo beautiful, so full of love,
Look up dear in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Dear or Dears or some variant thereof can represent many things.
Dear may refer to:
Dears may refer to:
This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. |
Dan Bull | |
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Dan Bull at the Digital Economy Bill demonstrations in London, 24 March 2010 |
|
Background information | |
Birth name | Daniel Bull |
Also known as | Douglby, Dan Bull |
Born | Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England |
March 27, 1986
Origin | Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England |
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupations | Rapper, songwriter |
Years active | 2006–present |
Labels | Unsigned |
Website | itsdanbull.com |
Dan Bull is an English rapper and songwriter known for his politically orientated lyrics and specific addressing of high profile figures in his music. His music has been featured in the British press as part of attempts to save BBC Radio 6,[1][2] campaign against the Digital Economy Bill,[3] and protest in favour of filesharing.[4]
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Dan Bull has released songs on subjects such as digital rights, the music industry, and gaming.[5][6][7] Bull's actions have gained attention, specifically from the TalkTalk Group who requested to team up with him against the Digital Economy Bill.[8]
Dan has acquired many of his fans through the creation of gaming raps. He has created songs about Grand Theft Auto V, Minecraft, Assassin's Creed, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Modern Warfare, Mass Effect, League of Legends, and Skyrim. The Epic Skyrim Rap is his most popular video, with over 4.5 million views.
Safe tells the story of a young man who attempts suicide at the same time as a global thermonuclear holocaust and awakens in a new, ambiguous nirvana. Along the way, Dan Bull covers such topics as summer sunshine, friendship, love and loss, alienation, politics, death, religion, suicide and insanity.[9][unreliable source?]
Bull announced via his blog that the upcoming album would be available in early 2011. Stating that: "It’s going to be a continuation of the narrative of my first album, but will have a very different feel and mood overall."[10] The album focuses on topics such as medical recovery, war, love, Asperger's syndrome, alcoholism, and pride. Face was released in December 2011. The 12-track album includes ten brand new songs as well as the 2010 tracks America and John Lennon.
Dan Bull announced via his website that he was aiming to get into the UK and Global charts with his new track "Sharing is caring." He offered it on iTunes, Play.com, Amazon and on torrent via The Pirate Bay. To people who bought all 10 versions of his track, they would be thanked in a music video of his, given that they notify him with sufficient proof. The lyrical content in the different versions of his track were targeted at popular social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter. and Google+. He also offered the instrumental by itself, voice only versions, and remixes of each track.[11] The Animal Circus remix reached the top of the Reggae charts on Amazon UK, and second place in the World category.[12]
Lily Allen | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Lily Rose Beatrice Allen |
Born | Hammersmith, London, England |
2 May 1985
Genres | Pop |
Occupations | Musician, songwriter, presenter, actress |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar[1] |
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels | London, Regal, Capitol |
Website | lilyallenmusic.com |
Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper[2] (born 2 May 1985), better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist, actress and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative. Allen abandoned school and concentrated on improving her performing and compositional skills. Afterwards, she created several demo songs and, near the end of 2005, she created a profile on MySpace where she made some of her recordings public.
A contract was signed with the label Regal Recordings, as the views on MySpace rose to tens of thousands. In 2006, she began to work on completing what would be her first studio album and its first mainstream single "Smile" reached the top position on the UK Singles Chart in July 2006.[3] Her debut record, Alright, Still, was well received on the international market, selling over 2.6 million copies and brought Allen a nomination at the Grammy Awards, BRIT Awards and MTV Video Music Awards. She then began hosting her own talk-show, Lily Allen and Friends, on BBC Three.
Her second major album release, It's Not Me, It's You, saw a genre shift for her, having more of an electropop feel, rather than the ska and reggae influences of the first one. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and the Australian ARIA Charts and was appreciated by the critics, noting the singer's musical evolution and maturity. It spawned the hit singles "The Fear" and "Fuck You", popular mostly in Europe. Allen and Amy Winehouse have been credited with starting a process that led to the media-proclaimed "year of the women" in 2009 that has seen five female artists making music of "experimentalism and fearlessness" nominated for the Mercury Prize.[4]
During the autumn of 2010, Allen opened a fashion rental shop "Lucy in Disguise" with her sister Sarah,[5][6] followed by the 2011 launching of her own record label.[7]
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Allen was born in Hammersmith, west London, daughter of Welsh-born comedian and actor Keith Allen and English, Portsmouth-born, film producer Alison Owen.[8] She has an older sister, Sarah; a younger brother, Alfie Owen-Allen (who was the subject of her song "Alfie"); and a younger sister Rebecca.[citation needed] She has a number of half-siblings. At the age of three, Allen appeared on The Comic Strip Presents... episode "The Yob",[9] which her father had co-written.[10] When Allen was four years old, her father left the family.[11] Allen grew up with her mother living on a council estate during her early childhood.[12][13] Her family settled in the North London borough of Islington. Allen lived for a while with comedian Harry Enfield while her mother dated him. She is the god-daughter of Wild Colonials vocalist Angela McCluskey.[14] The late Clash singer and guitarist Joe Strummer was close to Allen. Allen has fond memories of the week and a half they would spend together at Glastonbury Festival as part of a regular collective centred on Strummer and her father. Strummer's musical past would not come into focus for Allen until after his death.[15]
She attended some of the UK's most expensive fee-paying public schools; Allen attended 13 schools in all, including Prince Charles's junior alma mater, Hill House School, Millfield, Bedales School[11] and was expelled from several of them for drinking and smoking.[13][16] When Allen was 11, former University of Victoria music student Rachel Santesso overheard Allen singing Wonderwall by Oasis in the school's playground; impressed, Santesso, who later became an award-winning soprano and composer, called Allen into her office the next day and started giving her lunchtime singing lessons. This would lead to Allen singing Baby Mine from Disney's Dumbo at a school concert.[17] Allen would tell Loveline that the audience was "brought to tears at the sight of a troubled young girl doing something good". At that point Allen said she knew that music was something she needed to do either as a lifelong vocation or to get it out of her system. Allen played piano to grade 5 standard and achieved Grade 8 in singing. She also played violin, guitar and trumpet as well as being a member of a chamber choir. Her first solo was "In the Bleak Midwinter."[15] Allen made an appearance as a lady-in-waiting in the 1998 film Elizabeth, which was co-produced by her mother.[18] She dropped out of school at age fifteen, not wanting to "spend a third of her life preparing to work for the next third of her life, to set herself up with a pension for the next third of her life."[19]
When her family went to Ibiza on holiday, Allen told her mother that she was staying with friends but remained in Sant Antoni de Portmany instead. She earned money by working at a Plastic Fantastic record store and dealing ecstasy.[19] Allen met her first manager, George Lamb in Ibiza.[19][20] She was rejected by several labels, which she attributed to her drinking and being the daughter of Keith Allen.[20] However, she eventually used her father's connections to get signed to London Records in 2002.[21] When the executive who had signed her left, the label lost interest and she left without releasing the folk songs[which?] many of which were written by her father.[15][21][22] She then studied horticulture to become a florist, but changed her mind and returned to music. Allen began writing songs, while her manager introduced her to production duo Future Cut in 2004. They worked in a small studio in the basement of an office building.[22]
In 2005, Allen was signed to Regal Recordings; they gave her £25,000 to produce an album, though they were unable to provide much support for it due to their preoccupation with other releases such as X&Y (Coldplay) and Demon Days (Gorillaz).[23] Allen then created an account on MySpace and began posting demos that she recorded in November 2005.[23] The demos attracted thousands of listeners, and 500 limited edition 7" vinyl singles of "LDN" were rush-released, reselling for as much as £40.[19][23] Allen also produced two mixtapes — My First Mixtape and My Second Mixtape — to promote her work. As she accumulated tens of thousands of MySpace friends, The Observer Music Monthly (OMM), a magazine published in The Observer, took interest in March 2006.[19] Few people outside of her label's A&R department knew who she was, so the label was slow in responding to publications wanting to report about her.[23] She received her first major mainstream coverage, appearing in the magazine's cover story two months later.
The success convinced her label to allow her more creative control over the album and to use some of the songs that she had written instead of forcing her to work with mainstream producers. Allen decided to work with producers Greg Kurstin and Mark Ronson, finishing the rest of the album in two weeks.[23] Allen's debut album, Alright, Still, was released in July 2006. Most of the tracks had been previewed on her MySpace page,[24] including the singles "Smile", "LDN", "Knock 'Em Out", and "Alfie". In September 2006, "Smile" was made available on the United States version of iTunes Store. By December 2006, her music video for Smile had been played on various music channels as well as the song getting a little airplay. Entertainment Weekly named Alright, Still as one of the top 10 albums of 2006 despite the fact that it had not yet been released in the U.S. Allen also did several promotional ads for MTV as their Discover and Download artist of the month for January 2007. The album was released in the United States on 30 January 2007, landing at 20 on the Billboard Album Charts.[25] By January 2009, the album had sold 960,000 copies in the United Kingdom and 520,000 copies in the United States.[26]
In 2007, she played the newly launched Park Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, replacing M.I.A. who had cancelled.[27] During the festival she reunited two members of The Specials an act that guitarist Lynval Golding claimed played a "massive part" in the group's 2009 reunion.[28] She also sang the vocals on the top ten single, "Oh My God", a cover of the Kaiser Chiefs song by Mark Ronson. The single, "Littlest Things" from Allen's album produced by Ronson, helped earn him a "Producer of the Year – Non Classical" 2008 Grammy Award.[29] She also provided background vocals to a couple of songs on the Kaiser Chief's third album in 2008. Allen won a 2008 BMI songwriting award for "Smile".[30] Allen began dating musician Ed Simons of the Chemical Brothers in September 2007, and in December, Allen announced that she and Simons were expecting a child.[31] Allen suffered a miscarriage in January 2008.[32]
Due to her outspokenness, Allen was the subject of many controversies early in her career. Disparaging remarks about musicians Luke Pritchard of The Kooks, Bob Geldof,[33] Amy Winehouse,[34] Kylie Minogue,[35] and Katy Perry[36] have all garnered minor press attention. She later said that making fun of other pop stars was a result of a lack of confidence, saying "I felt like 'Oh God, I'm short, fat, ugly and I hate all these people who flaunt their beauty.'"[37] On 28 June 2007, Allen was arrested in London for allegedly assaulting photographer Kevin Rush while she was leaving a nightclub in London's West End. Prior to this, she had expressed discomfort with attention from the paparazzi on her MySpace blog.[38] By February 2009 she had stopped addressing controversies about herself on her blog because she found it "boring when people just pick stuff up and write about it. People get hurt, people get upset."[39] In September 2009, she shut down her MySpace account and stopped social networking completely in December due to the abuse she was taking.[40]
Allen signed a one series contract to present her own BBC Three TV show entitled Lily Allen and Friends based on the social networking phenomenon that helped to launch her music career.[41][42][43] Guests included Mark Ronson, Joanna Page, James Corden, Lauren Laverne, Roisin Murphy, Louis Walsh, and Danny Dyer.[44][45] The show received a 2% share of the total multi-channel audience share despite a high-profile nationwide marketing campaign.[46] Allen was quoted in a British tabloid as rating the show "probably five out of 10" and said "I made a lot of money out of it".[47] Citing Allen's rapid development as a TV host and her popularity among its target audience BBC Three announced it was renewing Lily Allen and Friends for a second season.[48] BBC Three controller Danny Cohen later said that the show will not air in the Spring of 2009 as originally scheduled because of music commitments.[49]
Allen performed at a benefit concert for War Child, an international child protection agency that works with children affected by war. Backed by Keane, Allen sang "Smile" and "Everybody’s Changing".[50] Although the singer is a staunch supporter of the Labour Party,[51] she has been credited with helping inspire a parliamentary rebellion against Prime Minister Gordon Brown when she wrote to all Members of Parliament asking them to back an amendment to an energy bill.[52] She has since confirmed her support for the UK Labour Party and for Prime Minister Gordon Brown in particular.[53]
After the release of her first album, her parent record company, EMI, was taken over by Terra Firma.[54] She also changed her management company from Empire Artist Management to Twenty-First Artists, although her core team remained in place. At the urging of her record company, Allen tried unsuccessfully to create the album with several writers and producers. Allen eventually returned to Greg Kurstin who had written three songs for Alright, Still.[15] The album was produced by Kurstin at Eagle Rock Studios in Los Angeles.[55] Before returning to Kus, Allen co-wrote the songs for the album with Kurstin who played piano on it. This is a change from her earlier work in which she wrote lyrics for finished tracks.[56] Allen released a statement saying "We decided to try and make bigger sounding, more ethereal songs, real songs ... I wanted to work with one person from start to finish to make it one body of work. I wanted it to feel like it had some sort of integrity. I think I've grown up a bit as a person and I hope it reflects that."[55] She posted two new song demos on her MySpace page and planned to release a mixtape to give her fans an idea of what the new direction was.[57][58][59][60][61][62]
Allen cancelled a scheduled appearance at the 2008 Isle of Wight Festival telling festival promoter John Giddings the reason for the cancellation was that her album was behind schedule. Giddings said that the reason given was not acceptable and possibly a lie. Giddings decided not to sue her.[63] Photos of her drunk and topless in the Cannes Film Festival were also widely covered in the press.[64][65] Her appearance at the 2008 Glamour Awards also generated criticism, as she showed up intoxicated wearing a dress covered in decapitated Bambi figures, and had an on-stage, expletive-laced exchange with Elton John.[66][67][68] On 29 June 2008, Allen performed at the Glastonbury Festival alongside producer Mark Ronson. An emotional Allen dedicated her performance of "Littlest Things" to her grandmother who died the night before.[69] It's Not Me, It's You was first scheduled for an early 2008 release, but her miscarriage and creative issues delayed the release date to the autumn. During autumn 2008, EMI was undergoing restructuring. Due to this environment, a decision was made to move the album's eventual release date.[26][70] An online game, Escape the Fear, was created by Matmi as part of the viral marketing campaign targeted at people unaware of Allen or the album.[71] Since its release, "The Game" has topped the worldwide viral charts three times, including the week of Christmas—a highly contested time of the year. By 18 February 2009, "The Game" had been played over two million times.[72] The singer and The Clash guitarist Mick Jones performed The Clash’s song "Straight to Hell" on an album for the charity Heroes.[73]
It's Not Me, It's You was released in February 2009. It debuted at the number 1 position in the UK, Canada, and Australia and the number 5 position in the United States.[74][75][55][76][77] The album has been certified platinum in the United Kingdom.[78] The release of the album was a factor in EMI’s more than trebling its earnings.[79] The first single from the album, "The Fear", was number 1 for the first four weeks in the UK after its release.[80][81] The second single released from the album, "Not Fair", reached the number 9 position.[82] She began her It's Not Me, It's You World Tour in March, touring throughout the next two years until September 2010. Her work on this album with Greg Kurstin earned her the Songwriters of the Year at the 2010 Ivor Novello Awards. In addition, she won with Kurstin Best Song Musically and Lyrically and Most Performed Work for "The Fear". Allen appeared overwhelmed by this recognition from what she considered "real awards".[83] In October 2010, Allen won her second BMI Pop Song Award by the United States music licensing organization Broadcast Music Incorporated for extensive United States radio airplay of her song, "The Fear".[84][85] Allen has been named the face of the National Portrait Gallery as part of the gallery's marketing campaign.[86] The picture was photographed by Nadav Kander emblazoned with the words, "Vocalist, Lyricist, Florist" .[87] Allen and Jamie Hince, guitarist for The Kills, raised £48,350 for the children’s charity The Hoping Foundation. The pair sang "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" at a karaoke auction fundraiser.[88] Karl Lagerfeld, the head designer for Chanel personally hired and photographed Allen for a campaign to promote a luxury line of handbags due to launch in September 2009.[89][90]
In May 2009, French football magazine So Foot published a fake interview in which Allen was quoted as making derogatory remarks about David and Victoria Beckham and Ashley and Cheryl Cole. Some of the material was reprinted in the British tabloid The Sun. Both publications later apologized and paid damages to Allen.[91]
Allen began dating Sam Cooper, the owner of a building company, in the summer of 2009. In September 2009, Allen announced that she was considering a career in acting and that she would not renew her record contract. Allen additionally stated that she has "no plans" to make another record.[92]
After the British government's plans to implement a three strikes policy for file sharing copyright infringement, Lily Allen came out in support for disconnecting repeat offenders.[93][94] Creating a blog entitled "It's Not Alright" against file sharing, it subsequently came to light that she had copied text directly from the Techdirt website of an interview with 50 Cent, without attribution.[95] This led to an exchange on the Internet, which culminated in accusations being made that Allen had infringed on other artists' copyrights by creating mix tapes early in her career, that she then made available via her website.[96][97] A group of supporters of filesharing launched a denial of service attack dubbed Operation Payback that shut down Allen's website and targeted other critics.[98]
On 1 October 2009, Allen and several other musicians released the world's first digital musical petition aimed at pressuring world leaders attending the December 2009 climate change summit in Copenhagen. The petition included a cover of the song "Beds are Burning" by Midnight Oil.[99] She featured on the UK top five single, "Just Be Good to Green" by Professor Green in June 2010.
In August she began a musical hiatus following a performance at the Big Chill Festival in Herefordshire, England.[100] On 5 August 2010, Allen announced that she was pregnant with her and Cooper's first child,[101] later confirmed to be a boy[102] due early in 2011.[103] Allen and her sister opened their own clothing store entitled "Lucy in Disguise" on 15 September 2010. Allen's pregnancy involved early complications, including "about a week and a half of really heavy bleeding."[104] Six months into her pregnancy, Allen contracted a viral infection which caused her to suffer a pre-term delivery.[105] On 6 November, Allen was rushed to the hospital, where she responded well to treatment for the blood poisoning condition septicaemia.[106][107]
Citing invasion of privacy and copyright infringement, in November 2010 Allen took legal action against Associated Newspapers, the parent company of the Daily Mail after the Daily Mail published photographs of Allen's home.[108] Allen and Cooper became engaged over the Christmas holidays in December 2010 while vacationing in Bali.[109] In January 2011, Allen launched her own record label In the Name Of, financially backed by Sony Music. The first act signed to the label was New York noise pop duo Cults.[7] In February 2011, Allen started penning songs for the musical version of Bridget Jones's Diary which is scheduled to open in London's West End in 2012.[110] Allen and Cooper wed on 11 June 2011 at St. James church in Cranham, Gloucestershire, England. The designer of Allen's wedding dress confirmed she was several months pregnant on the wedding day.[111] Allen gave birth to a daughter, Ethel Mary,[112] on 25 November 2011.[113][114]
On 8 April 2012, it was reported that Allen was planning a musical comeback. Wanting to record a third album later this year and release as early as next year.[115][116][117]
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The first song released as a single, featuring ska influence and a sample of "Reggae Merengue."
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Problems listening to this file? See media help. |
Allen's early released songs saw her take on a thick Cockney accent while singing against retro productions.[26] Her music was used as part of an exhibition at the British Library tracing the history of Cockney English.[118] Her songs also featured other elements, such as the ska influence on second single, "LDN". She was also noted for her liberal use of crude words in her lyrics.[119] Allen has said she cringes now when listening to tracks from Alright, Still, as it reminds her that she was a "sort of over-excitable teenager who desperately wanted attention" when she wrote it.[15] Wanting to move on from the retro sound that many other artists had adapted since her debut, Allen ventured in a new direction sonically and lyrically in her second studio album, It's Not Me, It's You. "The Fear", the first single from the album, is an electro-pop track denouncing consumerism.[120][121][122] While Allen did not set out to make a revolutionary record, her new music direction and willingness to write lyrics that tackled less common subjects were lauded by critics.[77][123] Allen's song Who'd Have Known was sampled in T-Pain's single 5 O'clock because of her accent.[124][125]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1998 | The Comic Strip Presents... | Child in Promo | "The Yob" (Season 4, Episode 4) |
1998 | Elizabeth | Lady in Waiting | |
2007 | Saturday Night Live | Musical Guest (Herself) | "Drew Barrymore/Lily Allen" (Season 32, Episode 12) |
2008 | Lily Allen and Friends | Host (Herself) | Talk show |
2011 | Lily Allen: From Riches to Rags | Herself | TV series documentary |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Lily Allen |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lily Allen |
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Taylor Swift | |
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Swift performing during the Australian leg of her Speak Now Tour in 2012 |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Taylor Alison Swift |
Born | Reading, Pennsylvania, United States |
December 13, 1989
Genres | Country-pop, pop, country, alternative rock |
Occupations | Singer-songwriter, actress |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, banjo, ukulele, piano |
Years active | 2006–present |
Labels | Big Machine |
Website | TaylorSwift.com |
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of fourteen to pursue a career in country music. She signed to the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. The release of Swift's self-titled debut album in 2006 established her as a country music star. "Our Song", her third single, made her the youngest sole writer and singer of a number one song on the country chart. She received a Best New Artist nomination at the 50th Grammy Awards.
Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in late 2008. Buoyed by the chart success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", Fearless attracted a crossover audience and became the top-selling album of 2009. 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. In 2010, Swift released her third album, Speak Now, which sold over one million copies in its first week. She then embarked on the 111-date Speak Now World Tour, which was attended by over 1.6 million fans and has become one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. The album's third single, "Mean", won two Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. Swift is currently recording her fourth studio 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 22 million albums and 50 million song downloads 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. As a philanthropist, Swift has placed particular emphasis on arts education, children's literacy and natural disaster relief funds. 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).
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Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania.[1] She is the daughter of Scott Swift, a Merrill Lynch financial adviser,[2][3] and Andrea (née Gardner), a homemaker who previously worked as a mutual fund marketing executive.[1][4] Swift was named after singer James Taylor; her mother believed a gender-neutral name would help her forge a successful business career.[5][6] She has a younger brother, Austin, who attends Vanderbilt University.[7] She spent the early years of her life on an eleven-acre Christmas tree farm in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and was educated at the fee-paying Wyndcroft School.[8] When Swift was nine years old, the family moved to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania,[9][10] where she attended Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School.[11] Swift spent her summers at her parent's vacation home in Stone Harbor, New Jersey[12] and has described it as the place "where most of my childhood memories were formed".[10]
Swift's first hobby was English horse riding. Her mother Andrea put her in a saddle when Swift was nine months old and she later competed in horse shows.[13][14] Her family owned several Quarter horses and a Shetland pony.[14] At the age of nine, Swift turned her attention to musical theatre and performed in Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions of Grease, Annie, Bye Bye Birdie and The Sound of Music.[15][8] 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 became interested in country music.[16] She was inspired by LeAnn Rimes's Blue[17] and her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, an opera singer.[8] 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,[19] 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.[20][4] This interest in country music isolated Swift from her middle school peers.[21][22]
After watching a Behind the Music episode about Faith Hill,[23] Swift recorded a demo of karaoke covers, and travelled with her mother to Nashville, Tennessee for spring break to leave a copy of the demo with record labels along Music Row. She received label rejections and realized that "everyone in that town wanted to do what I wanted to do. So, I kept thinking to myself, I need to figure out a way to be different".[23] Swift began performing the "The Star Spangled Banner" at many sporting events, hoping she would be offered a recording contract. On one occasion, an eleven-year-old Swift high-fived Jay-Z after singing the national anthem at a 76ers game in Philadelphia.[24] At the age of twelve, Swift was shown by a computer repairman how to play three chords on a guitar, inspiring her to write her first song, "Lucky You".[25][26] 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.[27] Swift's second demo then 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.[28]
When Swift was fourteen, her father transferred to the Nashville office of Merrill Lynch and the family relocated to a lake-shore house in Hendersonville, Tennessee.[1] Swift has said her parents "presented it as a move to a nice community" rather than as her chance to become a star.[29] 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."[30] In Tennessee, Swift attended Hendersonville High School for her freshman and sophomore years.[31] 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.[32]
Swift moved to Nashville at the age of fourteen, having secured an artist development deal with RCA Records. Her musical influences included the Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill,[29] Tom Petty,[33] Sheryl Crow,[34] Melissa Etheridge, Pat Benatar,[35] Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks,[36] Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.[37] Swift had writing sessions with experienced songwriters such as Troy Verges, Brett Beavers, Brett James, Mac McAnally and the Warren Brothers,[38][39] but eventually formed a lasting working relationship with Liz Rose.[40] Swift saw Rose performing at an RCA songwriter event and suggested that they write together.[41] They began meeting for two-hour writing sessions every Tuesday afternoon after school.[42] 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".[43][42] Swift also began recording demos with producer Nathan Chapman.[41] After performing at a BMI Songwriter's Circle showcase at The Bitter End, New York,[39] Swift became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Tree publishing house.[44]
Swift left RCA Records when she was fifteeen; the company wanted her to record the work of other songwriters and wait until she was eighteen to release an album, but she felt ready to launch her career with her own material.[45][19] She also parted ways with manager Dan Dymtrow, who later took legal action against Swift and her parents.[28] 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.[40] Swift was one of the new label's first signings.[40] As an introduction to the country music business, Borchetta arranged for Swift to intern at the CMA Music Festival; she acted as the artist escort for Darryl Worley.[46][47]
Swift began working on her self-titled debut album shortly after signing her record deal. After experimenting with veteran Nashville producers, Swift persuaded Big Machine to hire her demo producer Nathan Chapman.[19] It was his first time to record a studio album but Swift felt they had the right "chemistry".[19] In the end, Chapman produced all but one of the tracks on Taylor Swift.[19] She has described the album as the "diary" of her early teens[48] and most songs were written during her freshman year of high school.[19] As a result, the songs describe coming of age experiences such as insecurity, young love, and teenage angst.[19] She has said that, although "it sounds like I've had 500 boyfriends", a lot of the songs are observational.[19] Swift wrote three of the album's songs alone, including two singles, and co-wrote the remaining eight with writers such as Liz Rose, Robert Ellis Orrall and Angelo Petraglia.[49] Musically, the album has been described as "a mix of trad-country instruments and spry rock guitars".[50]
Taylor Swift was released in October 2006 and received generally positive reviews from music critics.[51] PopMatters hoped Swift would be "able to find an accomodation between the country tradition and her very obvious pop sensibilities, because Taylor Swift suggests she has much to offer".[52] The New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones described Swift as a "prodigy". She noted that "Our Song" "stop[ed] me in my tracks" and praised the lyrics: “He’s got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel, the other on my heart".[53] Country Weekly felt Swift demonstrated "an honesty, intelligence and idealism with which listeners of any age will be able to connect" and noted that "the more thoughtful material suggests a talent poised to last well past high school".[54] AllMusic stated that, while listening to the album, it was "never in doubt" that "Swift is a talent to be reckoned with".[55] Rolling Stone described Swift as "bright-eyed but remarkably seasoned", and admired "Our Song"'s "insanely hooky sing-song melody that's as Britney as it is Patsy".[50]
Big Machine Records was still in its infancy upon the release of the lead single "Tim McGraw" in June 2006, and Swift and her mother helped "stuff the CD singles into envelopes to send to radio".[30] She spent much of 2006 promoting Taylor Swift in a radio tour and later commented, "Radio tours for most artists last six weeks. Mine lasted six months."[19] Swift painted canvases (inspired by Jackson Pollock) to gift to radio station managers who played her music.[56] She took part in "GAC Short Cuts", a part-documentary, part-music-video series designed to introduce her to country music fans.[57][58] She also made television appearances on Good Morning America,[59] The Megan Mullally Show,[59] America's Got Talent,[60] and TRL.[61] Swift, a self-described "kid of the internet",[62] used MySpace to build a fanbase. She wrote her own blog posts, left comments on her fans' accounts and personally respond to the messages that were sent to her.[63] This was, at the time, "revolutionary in country music".[64][57] Borchetta has said that his decision to sign a sixteen year old singer-songwriter initially raised eyebrows among his record industry peers[57] but Swift tapped into a previously unknown market: teenage girls who listen to country music.[1][57]
Following "Tim McGraw", four further singles were released throughout 2007 and 2008: "Teardrops on My Guitar", "Our Song", "Picture to Burn" and "Should've Said No". All were highly successful on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, with "Our Song" and "Should've Said No" both reaching number one. "Our Song" made Swift the youngest sole writer and singer of a number one country song.[65] "Teardrops on My Guitar" became a minor pop hit; it reached number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100.[66][67] The album sold 39,000 copies during its first week[68] and, as of March 2011, has sold over 5.5 million copies worldwide.[69] Swift also released a holiday album, Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, in October 2007 and an EP, Beautiful Eyes, in July 2008.[70][71]
Swift toured extensively in support of Taylor Swift. In addition to festival and theater dates, Swift performed as an opening act for several country artists' concert tours. She opened for Rascal Flatts on several dates in late 2006.[59][72] In 2007, she served as the opening act on twenty dates for George Strait's 2007 United States tour,[73] several dates on Kenny Chesney's tour[74] and selected dates on Brad Paisley's Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour.[75][76] Also in 2007, Swift appeared as the opening act on several dates for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's joint Soul2Soul II Tour.[77] Swift again opened for Flatts for their Still Feels Good Tour in 2008.[78] In addition to performing her own material, Swift played covers of songs by Beyoncé and Rihanna.[79] She conducted meet-and-greet sessions with fans before and after her concerts; these lasted for up to four hours.[80][81]
In 2007, Swift and Alan Jackson were jointly named the Nashville Songwriters Association's "Songwriter/Artists of the Year". Swift was the youngest person ever to be honored with the title.[82] She also won the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award for Best New Artist.[83] In 2008, she won Top New Female Vocalist at the Academy of Country Music Awards[84] and Favorite Country Female Artist at the American Music Awards.[85] She won seven BMI Awards for songs featured on Taylor Swift.[86] Swift was also nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award in the category of Best New Artist, but lost to Amy Winehouse.[87]
Swift's second studio album, Fearless, was released in November 2008.[88] She wrote seven of the album's songs alone, including two singles, and co-wrote the remaining six with songwriters Liz Rose, John Rich, Colbie Caillat and Hillary Lindsey.[49] While Swift wrote many of the songs on tour, she made a conscious effort not to include "road songs": "As a 16-year-old girl, I could never relate to those songs about playing a different city every night. I want to write about feelings and love and the lack of love".[89] She has said that the album title "means you’re afraid of a lot of things, but you jump anyway".[90] She co-produced the album with Nathan Chapman.[49] Musically, the record is characterized by "loud, lean guitars and rousing choruses", with the occasional "bit of fiddle and banjo tucked into the mix".[91]
Fearless received generally positive reviews from music critics.[92] 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".[93] The Village Voice felt she displayed "preternatural wisdom and inclusiveness", "masterfully avoiding the typical diarist's pitfalls of trite banality and pseudo-profound bullshit".[94] Rolling Stone described her as "a songwriting savant with an intuitive gift for verse-chorus-bridge architecture" whose "squirmingly intimate and true" songs seemed to be "literally ripped from a suburban girl's diary".[95] USA Today found it "a pleasure to hear a gifted teenager who sounds like a gifted teenager, rather than a mouthpiece for a bunch of older pros' collective notion of adolescent yearning."[96] The New Yorker described it as an album "without a bad track", adding that "the album’s finest effort, "Fifteen", will feature in yearbook quotes for years".[97] Entertainment Weekly noted that the album would appeal mainly to young girls – "she sounds like a real teen, not some manufactured vixen-Lolita" – but predicted it would be "exciting to watch her precocious talent grow".[98] Music critic Robert Christgau described Swift as "an uncommonly-to-impossibly strong and gifted teenage girl".[99]
Swift promoted Fearless heavily upon its release. An episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show was dedicated to the album launch[57] and Swift appeared on many other chat shows.[100] She communicated with fans using social media platforms such as twitter and personal video blogs.[57] In October 2008, she appeared at the CMT Giants: Alan Jackson event, performing a cover of Jackson's "Drive (For Daddy Gene)".[101] In November 2008, Swift took part in a joint, televised concert with rock band Def Leppard in Nashville.[102][103] She performed her song "Fifteen" with Miley Cyrus at the 51st Grammy Awards in February 2009.[104] In April 2009, she performed a cover of George Strait's "Run" at a televised ACM event honoring Strait as Artist of the Decade.[105] Swift hosted and appeared as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live in November 2009.[106] The lead single from the album, "Love Story", was released in September 2008 and became the second best-selling country single of all time, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[67][107] Four more singles were released throughout 2008 and 2009: "White Horse", "You Belong with Me", "Fifteen" and "Fearless". "You Belong with Me" was the album's highest-charting single, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.[108] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with sales of 592,304 and has since sold over 8.6 million copies worldwide.[109][110] It was the top-selling album of 2009 and brought Swift much crossover success.[111]
Swift carried out her first headlining tour from April 2009 to June 2010. As part of the 105-date Fearless Tour, Swift played 90 dates in North America, six dates in Europe, eight dates in Australia and one date in Asia.[112] The stage show included multiple costume changes, dancers and a fairy-tale castle set.[113] She sang a cover of Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around... Comes Around" nightly, intertwined with her own "You're Not Sorry".[114] Swift invited John Mayer, Faith Hill and Katy Perry to perform one-off duets with her at various dates during the North American tour.[115][116][117] Justin Bieber, Kelly Pickler and Gloriana were the support acts.[118] The tour was attended by more than 1.1 million fans and has grossed over $63 million.[119] Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless, a concert film, was aired on television and later released on DVD and Blu-ray.[120] Also in 2009, Swift performed as a supporting act for Keith Urban.[121]
In September 2009, Swift became the first country music artist to win an MTV Video Music Award when "You Belong with Me" was named Best Female Video.[122] Her acceptance speech was interrupted by rapper Kanye West, who had been involved in a number of other award show incidents.[123] West declared Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", nominated in the same category, to be "one of the best videos of all time." Many audience members booed West,[124][125] prompting him to flip off the crowd.[126][124] He then handed the microphone back to a speechless Swift.[124][127] Backstage, Swift was seen "hysterically crying".[124] According to Rolling Stone, when Swift's mother confronted West, he gave "a half-hearted apology in which he added he still thought Beyoncé's video was superior".[128] West was removed from the event.[124][126][129] When Beyoncé later won the award for Video of the Year, she invited Swift onstage to finish her speech.[124][130] In the event's press room, Swift, who in 2008 had expressed a desire to sing a hook on a Kanye West rap song,[131] was asked if she had "any hard feelings" towards West: "I don’t know him, and I’ve never met him, so... I don’t want to start anything because I had a great night tonight."[128][132]
The incident received much media attention and inspired many Internet memes.[133] President Barack Obama, in an "off the record" comment, called West a "jackass".[134] Former US President Jimmy Carter said West's interruption was "completely uncalled for".[135] West's behavior was criticized by celebrities, including Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Lady Gaga.[126][136][137][128] The following day, West apologized for his verbal outburst both in a blog entry and during an appearance on The Jay Leno Show.[124][125] He maintained that, while Swift was "very talented", "Beyoncé's video was the best of this decade!!!! ... I gave my awards to Outkast when they deserved it over me ... I'm not crazy y'all, I'm just real."[138] Two days after the VMAs, Swift told an interviewer that West had not spoken to her since the ceremony.[139] West then contacted her to offer a personal apology, which Swift accepted: "Kanye did call me, and he was very sincere in his apology."[122][139] It has been said that the incident and subsequent media attention turned Swift into "a bona-fide mainstream celebrity".[140]
Swift released a cover of Tom Petty's "American Girl", exclusively through Rhapsody in June 2009[141] and continues to make her stage entrance to Petty's recording of the song.[142] Swift contributed backing vocals to John Mayer's "Half of My Heart", featured on his fourth album, in November 2009.[143] Mayer wrote the song as a tribute to Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac: "I thought, 'Well, if this is going to be my love letter to that style of music, who's going to be the Stevie Nicks in this equation?' And I thought, 'This Taylor Swift girl is going to be around for a long time."[144] The song received positive reviews from music critics.[145][146][147] Swift and Mayer performed the song live at Madison Square Garden, New York in December 2009.[148] It was released as the album's third single in June 2010 and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.[149] Swift collaborated with a number of other artists in 2008 and 2009. She co-wrote and recorded "Best Days of Your Life" with Kelly Pickler.[150] She co-wrote two songs for the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack – "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" and "Crazier" – with Martin Johnson and Robert Ellis Orrall, respectively.[151] Swift also provided vocals for Boys Like Girls's "Two Is Better Than One", written by Martin Johnson.[152][153][154][155] In January 2010, Swift contributed two songs – including "Today Was a Fairytale" – to the Valentine's Day soundtrack[156] and recorded a cover of Better Than Ezra's "Breathless" for the Hope for Haiti Now album.[157]
In November 2009, Swift became the youngest ever artist, and one of only six women, to be named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association.[158] Fearless also won the Association's Album of the Year award.[158] The album won many other accolades and has become the most awarded album in country music history.[159] Swift was the youngest ever artist to win the Academy of Country Music's Album of the Year honor.[160] The American Music Awards honored Swift with Artist of the Year and Favorite Country Album plaudits.[161] She was awarded the Hal David Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame[162] and was named Songwriter/Artists of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association.[163] She won four BMI Awards.[164] Billboard named her 2009's Artist of the Year.[165] Swift was included in Time's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in 2010.[166]
In January 2010, Swift won four Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, Best Country Album, Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song, from a total of eight nominations.[167][168] She was the youngest ever artist to win Album of the Year.[169] During the ceremony, Swift sang "Rhiannon" and "You Belong with Me" with Stevie Nicks. Her vocal performance received negative reviews and sparked a widespread media backlash.[140][170] Her vocals were described variously as "badly off-key", "strikingly bad" and "incredibly wretched".[171][172] While The New York Times found it "refreshing to see someone so gifted make the occasional flub" and described Swift as "the most important new pop star of the past few years",[169] music critic Bob Lefsetz predicted that her career would end "overnight".[173][174] In April 2010, Stevie Nicks, writing in Time, defended the singer: "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."[166]
Swift released her third studio album, Speak Now, in October 2010.[175] She wrote all twelve songs alone: "I'd get my best ideas at 3 a.m. in Arkansas and I didn't have a co-writer around."[176] Album recording sessions took place in California, Tennessee and Kentucky over a two year period.[177][178] Swift, who co-produced the record with longtime collaborator Nathan Chapman,[179] has described it as "a collection of confessions—things I wish I had said when I was in the moment".[180] She originally intended to call the album Enchanted but Scott Borchetta, her record label's CEO, felt the title did not reflect the album's more adult themes: "She had played me a bunch of the new songs. I looked at her and I'm like, 'Taylor, this record isn't about fairy tales and high school anymore. That's not where you're at'".[181] Musically, it has been said that the album "expands beyond country-pop to border both alternative rock and dirty bubblegum pop".[182]
Speak Now received generally positive reviews from music critics.[183] USA Today felt that Swift's songwriting skills would remind listeners "what all the fuss was about in the first place", with the album capturing "the sweet ache of becoming an adult".[184] The Los Angeles Times praised her ability as a songwriter to "hit on common experiences that feel unique".[182] The New York Times described the album as savage, musically diverse and "excellent too, possibly her best".[179] The Village Voice found that the album demanded "a true appreciation of Swift's talent, which is not confessional, but dramatic: Like a procession of country songwriters before her, she creates characters and situations—some from life—and finds potent ways to describe them."[185] Entertainment Weekly noted that while love may confound her, "the art of expert songcraft clearly doesn't".[186] Music critic John Christgau found the album's songs "overlong and overworked" but remarked that "they evince an effort that bears a remarkable resemblance to care—that is, to caring in the best, broadest, and most emotional sense".[99] Rolling Stone described Swift as one of the best songwriters in "pop, rock or country": "Swift might be a clever Nashville pro who knows all the hitmaking tricks, but she's also a high-strung, hyper-romantic gal with a melodramatic streak the size of the Atchafalaya Swamp".[187]
Swift carried out an extensive promotional campaign prior to Speak Now's release.[188] She appeared on various talk shows and morning shows, and gave free mini-concerts in unusual locations, including an open-decker bus on Hollywood Boulevard and a departure lounge at JFK airport.[189][190] She took part in a "guitar pull" alongside Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill and Lionel Ritchie at LA's Club Nokia; the musicians shared the stage and took turns introducing and playing acoutic versions of their songs to raise money for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.[191][192] The album's lead single, "Mine", was released in August 2010 and five further singles were released throughout 2010 and 2011: "Back to December", "Mean", "The Story of Us", "Sparks Fly" and "Ours".[193] Speak Now was a major commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Its sales of 1,047,000 copies made it the sixteenth album in United States history to sell one million copies in a single week.[194] As of February 2012, Speak Now has sold over four million copies in the US[195] and over 5.7 million copies worldwide.[196][197] In her career, as of May 2012, Swift has sold over 22 million albums[198] and 50 million digital tracks worldwide.[199]
In September 2010, Kanye West's 2009 VMA interruption once again became newsworthy when West used his twitter account to apologize to Swift, referring to her as "just a lil girl with dreams like the rest of us": ""I wrote a song for Taylor Swift that's so beautiful and I want her to have it. If she won't take it then I'll perform it for her." Later that month, both artists performed at the 2010 VMAs. Swift sang "Innocent", a song widely believed to be about West, which The Washington Post has described as "a small masterpiece of passive aggressiveness, a vivisection dressed up as a peace offering".[200] Music critics found Swift's performance overly serious and "petty".[201][202] Speaking in November 2010, West said he failed to see what was "so arrogant about that moment" and described his actions as "selfless". He added that "if it was the other way around" and Swift were an established artist who had "made the video of her career, do you think she would have lost to a brand new artist? Hell no!"[203][204] Also that month, he claimed that, "If I wasn't drunk, I would have been on stage longer ... Taylor never came to my defense at any interview. And rode the waves and rode it and rode it".[205][206] At the Costume Institute Gala in May 2011, Swift and West came face-to-face on the red carpet. West was observed to hold "a hand out, and the two exchanged a studiedly casual, “down low” high five".[1]
Swift toured throughout 2011 and early 2012 in support of Speak Now. As part of the thirteen-month, 111-date world tour, Swift played seven shows in Asia, twelve shows in Europe, 80 shows in North America and twelve shows in Australasia.[207] Three dates on the US tour were rescheduled after Swift fell ill with bronchitis.[208] The stage show was inspired by Broadway musical theatre, with choreographed routines, elaborate set-pieces, pyrotechnics and numerous costume changes.[209][210] Swift invited many musicians to join her for one-off duets during the North American tour. Appearances were made by James Taylor, Jason Mraz, Shawn Colvin, Johnny Rzeznik, Andy Grammer, Tal Bachman, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Nicki Minaj, Nelly, B.o.B., Usher, Flo Rida, T.I., Jon Foreman, Jim Adkins, Hayley Williams, Hot Chelle Rae, Ronnie Dunn, Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney.[211][212] The tour was attended by over 1.6 million fans and has grossed over $123 million, becoming one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time.[207] Swift's first live album, Speak Now World Tour: Live, featuring all seventeen performances from the North American leg of the tour, was released in November 2011.[213]
During the North American and Australasian tour legs, Swift wrote different song lyrics on her left arm for each performance. She has said that the lyrics should be viewed as a nightly "mood ring"[214] and The New Yorker has cited the practice as an example of Swift's "keen understanding of what fuels fan obsession in the first place: a desire for intimacy between singer and listener".[1] Artists quoted include Tom Petty, Carole King, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Ryan Adams, Patty Griffin, Band of Horses, Jimmy Eat World, Death Cab For Cutie, Alanis Morrissette, Rachael Yamagata, Erin McCarley, Mindy Smith and Martina McBride.[215][216] Swift also performed many acoustic cover versions during her North American tour. In each city, she paid tribute to a homegrown artist.[217] She has said the cover versions allowed her to be "spontaneous" in an otherwise well-rehearsed show: "You'll have a lot of people who will come to more than one show, and I want them to get a different experience every time."[218] Artists covered include Justin Timberlake, Tori Amos, TLC, Pink, Fall Out Boy, Dave Matthews Band, Michelle Branch, Jordin Sparks, Maroon 5, Train, John Mellencamp, Kim Carnes, Avril Lavigne, The Jackson 5, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Gwen Stefani, All American Rejects, Britney Spears and Eminem.[219]
At the 54th Grammy Awards in February 2012, Swift's song "Mean" won Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.[220] She also performed "Mean" during the ceremony. The song is believed to be a rebuttal to Bob Lefsetz, one of the most vocal critics of her 2010 Grammy performance.[174] Lefsetz had previously been a supporter of the singer's career,[221] and Swift and Lefsetz had corresponded occasionally by email and telephone.[174] Time felt she "delivered her comeback on-key and with a vengeance"[222] while USA Today remarked that the criticism in 2010 seemed to have "made her a better songwriter and live performer".[223]
Swift was named Songwriter/Artist of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association in both 2010 and 2011. During the 2011 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,[224] who later thanked Swift in his speech for "the prettiest version I've ever heard".[225] Swift won various other awards for Speak Now. She was named Entertainer of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in both 2011 and 2012[226] and was named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2011.[227] Swift was the American Music Awards's Artist of the Year in 2011, and Speak Now was named Favorite Country Album.[228] She was also the recipient of two BMI Awards.[229] Billboard named Swift 2011's Woman of the Year.[230] Also that year, Billboard ranked her at number 15 in a list of the Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters 2000–2011; she was the second highest ranking woman.[231] Swift was ranked second on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 16 "Queen Of Pops" of the decade.[232]
Swift contributed two original songs to The Hunger Games soundtrack album in March 2012. "Safe & Sound" was co-written and recorded with The Civil Wars and T-Bone Burnett.[233] John Paul White has said working with Swift was "a revelation. She had some great ideas. We had complete freedom. It truly was a collaboration. We brought the melancholy and the darker angle. Taylor was bringing the melody and the chords."[234] Rolling Stone described the song as "Swift's prettiest ballad" and wondered whether the alt-country folk song was "a one-off novelty, a trial balloon cred-move, or the stirrings of a "grown-up" style".[235] Swift and The Civil Wars debuted a live version of the song at the Ryman Auditorium, Nashville in January 2012.[236] It was released as the album's lead single and, as of April 2012, has sold 970,000 copies in the United States.[237] Swift's second contribution to the album, "Eyes Open", was written solely by the singer and produced by Nathan Chapman.[238] In May 2012, Swift contributed vocals to "Both of Us", a Dr. Luke-produced song on B.o.B's second album Strange Clouds.[239][240][241][242]
Swift is currently working on her fourth album with producer Nathan Chapman.[243][244] It is scheduled for release in the fall of 2012.[245] Swift intends to keep writing and recording throughout 2012 "because I'm having so much fun".[246] After writing her third album alone, Swift is now collaborating with people "from all different places in music",[246] including songwriters Lori McKenna,[247][248] Butch Walker,[249][250] Ed Sheeran,[251] and Dan Wilson.[252] The album will detail "the rise and fall of a relationship",[253] as well as the resulting "absolute crash-and-burn heartbreak".[254] She has described the album's mood as "sad, if I'm being honest."[255]
Swift has said she writes songs as an "open letter".[256] She has said songwriting is "is a way of verbalizing those things that I feel that I can’t say".[47] Swift has said she is "very interested in any writing from a child's perspective" and has cited To Kill a Mockingbird as one of her favorite books.[257] Neil Young has described Swift as "a great writer" and follows her career.[258][259] Kris Kristofferson has said that "she blows me away. It's amazing to me that someone so young is writing such great songs. She's got a great career ahead of her".[260][261] Dolly Parton has said her songs are "great" and that she has "the qualities that could last a long time".[262] Stevie Nicks has said Swift writes "songs that make the whole world sing, like Neil Diamond or Elton John".[166]
In studio recordings, the Los Angeles Times identifies Swift's "defining" vocal gesture as "the line that slides down like a contented sigh or up like a raised eyebrow, giving her beloved girl-time hits their air of easy intimacy".[182] In a review of Speak Now, The Village Voice noted that her phrasing was previously "bland and muddled, but that's changed. She can still sound strained and thin, and often strays into a pitch that drives some people crazy; but she's learned how to make words sound like what they mean".[185] Slate, reviewing Speak Now, described Swift as "a technically poor singer": "Though she does vary her phrasing in ways that attempt to mask her limited voice (the way she sneers, "She looks at me like I'm a trend/And she's so over it," on "Better Than Revenge" is especially effective), Swift is still noticeably off-pitch at least once on every song on the album".[263]
In an interview with The New Yorker, Swift characterized herself primarily as a songwriter: “I write songs, and my voice is just a way to get those lyrics across”.[1] "I'm not trying to go out there and do vocal acrobatics. I'm just trying to write good songs".[264] However, her vocal presence is something that concerns her and she has "put a lot of work" into improving it.[265] She has said that she only feels nervous performing "if I'm not sure what the audience thinks of me, like at award shows".[266]
Swift has been described as "America's sweetheart" and "a role model".[267][268] The singer considers it her "responsibility" to be conscious of her influence on young fans.[269] 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".[270] 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".[270] She refuses to take part in overly sexualised photo-shoots.[9] The lyrical content of her songs is regarded as appropriate for young audiences. A New Yorker journalist who attended a Swift concert recounted watching "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!"[1]
A Rolling Stone journalist who profiled Swift in 2009 remarked upon her polite manners: "If this is Swift's game face, it must be tattooed on because it never drops".[271] 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".[272] Grantland.com describes Swift as "talkative and openly neurotic in a way you'd never see from a blonde country princess like Faith Hill or Carrie Underwood. She is more like Diane Keaton in Annie Hall: overly gracious and eager to please but full of a nonstop, nervous, fluttering energy".[273]
There has been much media commentary about Swift's reactions when she is recognized at award ceremonies.[274] In 2011, The Hollywood Reporter remarked that she "seems to be consistently shocked and wonderstruck by each awards win, despite racking up an ever-growing collection of Grammys, CMAs, MTV Moonmen and AMAs".[275] Kristen Wiig parodied Swift's surprised facial expressions during a Saturday Night Live sketch in February 2012.[276] Swift later said she had seen the sketch: “I was laughing the entire time and then I realized that, as I was watching it, I was making the face she was making”.[277] At the Academy of Country Music Awards in April 2012, the ceremony's host Blake Shelton joked in his opening monologue that Swift should release a perfume called "I can't believe I smell this good". When Swift later presented Shelton with the Academy's Best Male Vocalist award, "the two faced off, showing each other their ultra-surprised looks".[278][279]
The merits of Swift as a feminist have been widely discussed.[280] 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".[281] 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".[282] 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)."[282]
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".[283] 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."[284] 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."[283]
When asked by The New York Times in 2010 whether she considered herself a feminist, Swift replied, "I have never really thought about that".[285] In December 2011, Billboard's Tom Roland 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 play 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."[286]
In September 2010, Swift donated $75,000 to Nashville's Hendersonville High School to help refurbish the school auditorium's sound and lighting systems.[287] In May 2012, she pledged $4 million to fund a new education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. The two-storey, 7,500-square foot space will have its own exterior entrance and museum officials have decided to name it The Taylor Swift Education Center.[288] It will feature three classrooms and a children's exhibit gallery, and will house interactive activities such as a musical petting zoo and a “wet” classroom space to make concert posters and other art projects. New programs and workshops for teenagers and senior citizens will also be accommodated within the space. The Center is scheduled to open in early 2014 and Swift will be involved in an advisory capacity.[289]
In December 2009, Swift donated $250,000 to various schools around the country that she had either attended or had other associations with. The money was used to buy books, fund educational programs and pay teachers' salaries.[290] In October 2010, she took part in a live webcast, Read Now! with Taylor Swift, broadcast exclusively in US schools to celebrate Scholastic's Read Every Day campaign.[291][292] In October 2011, Swift donated 6,000 Scholastic books to Reading Public Library, Pennsylvania[293] and, in February 2012, she donated 14,000 books to Nashville Public Library, Tennessee.[294] Most of the books were placed in circulation; the rest were gifted to children from low-income families, preschools and daycare centers.[294] In March 2012, she co-chaired the National Education Association's Read Across America campaign and recorded a PSA encouraging children to read.[295][296]
In June 2008, Swift donated all the proceeds from her merchandise sales at the 2008 Country Music Festival to the Red Cross's disaster relief fund.[297] Swift donated $100,000 to the Red Cross in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to help the victims of the Iowa flood of 2008.[298] Swift lent her support to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal by joining the lineup at Sydney's Sound Relief concert,[299] reportedly making the biggest contribution of any artist playing at Sound Relief to the Australian Red Cross.[300]
In response to the May 2010 Tennessee floods, Swift donated $500,000 during a flood relief telethon hosted by WSMV, a Nashville television station.[301] In August 2010, she donated $100,000 to help rebuild a playground in Hendersonville, Tennessee, which was damaged by floodwater.[302] In May 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, raising more than $750,000 from proceeds from ticket sales, merchandise and other facets of the show.[303] The benefit concert for tornado relief was subsequently honored at the 2011 Do Something Awards.[304] 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.[305] In April 2012, Swift donated $1,500 to a fund to help a man left permanently paralyzed by the tornado to make his house wheelchair-accessible.[306]
In September 2007, Swift helped launch a campaign to protect children from online predators, in partnership with the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.[307] In January 2008, Swift donated a pink Chevy pick-up truck given to her by her record label to the Victory Junction Gang Camp.[308] Swift has teamed up with Sound Matters to make listeners aware of listening "responsibly".[309] 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.[310] She appeared in a Got Milk campaign in July 2010.[311]
Swift donated her prom dress, which raised $1,200 for charity, to DonateMyDress.org.[312] In November 2009, after a live performance on BBC's Children in Need night, she donated $20,000 to the cause.[313] Swift donated a pair of her shoes to the Wish Upon a Hero Foundation's Hero in Heels fundraiser for auction to raise money to benefit women with cancer. In June 2011, as the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year, Swift donated $25,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Tennessee. This figure was matched by the Academy.[314]
Swift made her acting debut in a 2009 episode of CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, playing a rebellious teenager.[315] The New York Times noted that the character allowed Swift to be "a little bit naughty, and credibly so".[316] Rolling Stone felt she "held her own" and "does a good job with the script"[317] while the Chicago Tribune said she "acquits herself well".[318] Later that year, Swift both hosted and performed as the musical guest for an episode of Saturday Night Live.[319] Entertainment Weekly described her as "this season’s best Saturday Night Live host so far", noting that she "was always up for the challenge, seemed to be having fun, and helped the rest of the cast nail the punchlines". Proving "admirably resilient in a wide variety of sketch roles", "Swift inspired more of a female, girly-in-the-best-sense sensibility in SNL than it’s shown since the Tina Fey-Amy Poehler days".[320]
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.[321] In 2012, she voiced the character of Audrey in the animated film The Lorax.[322] Swift is in talks to star as Joni Mitchell in the film adaptation of Sheila Weller's Girls Like Us, which follows the careers of Mitchell, Carly Simon and Carole King.[323]
Jakks Pacific released a celebrity doll of Swift in late 2008.[324] Swift was the face of L.E.I. jeans in 2008.[325] In 2007, Swift launched a line of sundresses at Wal-Mart.[326][327] In 2009, Swift became the National Hockey League's newest celebrity spokesperson and appears in commercials for the Nashville Predators.[328] In 2011, Swift partnered with Elizabeth Arden to launch a fragrance, "Wonderstruck".[329] Swift works with American Greetings, Inc.[330] She also has endorsement deals with companies including Target, CoverGirl and Sony.[331]
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.[332] 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.[333][334][335]
Swift's main residence is a duplex penthouse in Midtown Nashville, Tennessee.[336][1] She also owns a house in Beverly Hills, California.[337][338] According to Forbes, Swift earned $18 million in 2009,[339] $45 million in 2010,[340] $45 million in 2011[341] and $57 million so far in 2012.[342]
Swift writes autobiographical songs and has said that, "I've never been shy or secretive with the fact that if you walk into my life, you may be walking onto a record".[343] Listening to music as a child, Swift felt confused "when I knew something was going on in someone’s personal life and they didn’t address it in their music".[344]
Swift dated singer Joe Jonas from July to October 2008.[345][346] She dated actor Taylor Lautner from October to December 2009.[347][348] She was romantically linked to musician John Mayer from late 2009 until June 2010.[349][350] They first met in 2008 and recorded a duet, "Half of My Heart", in late 2009.[351][352] Swift dated actor Jake Gyllenhaal from October 2010 to December 2010.[353][354][355][356][357] On December 9, 2011, Gyllenhaal called the LAPD for assistance, after a large number of photographers followed the couple's car in Los Angeles.[358] Following their break-up, they were seen together in January and February 2011.[359][360]
On her eighteenth birthday, "the first thing" Swift did was register to vote.[361][362] After casting her vote in the 2008 US presidential election, Swift declined to inform journalists which candidate she had supported.[363] 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."[364] In 2009, after Swift's MTV 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."[365] Former US President Jimmy Carter said West's interruption was "completely uncalled for".[366]
In 2010, former U.S. President George H. W. Bush attended the taping of a Swift television special in Kennebunkport, Maine,[367] and later described Swift as "unspoiled" and "very nice".[368] 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".[369] Swift later described the First Lady as "a role model".[370]
Swift is an admirer of the Kennedy family and has spent time with Rory, Caroline and, particularly, Ethel Kennedy.[371] When asked about her friendship with Swift, Ethel replied, "Oh, she is amazing! Such good company."[372] 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".[372] In January 2012, Swift travelled to Utah to attend the Sundance premiere of the HBO documentary Ethel.[373]
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".[374]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience | Herself | Cameo |
2009 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Haley Jones | Episode: "Turn, Turn, Turn" |
2009 | Hannah Montana: The Movie | Herself | Cameo |
2009 | Saturday Night Live | Host | Also appeared as the Musical Guest |
2010 | Valentine's Day | Felicia | Movie acting debut |
2012 | The Lorax | Audrey | Voice only |
Swift has won 109 awards from a total of 162 nominations. She has been the recipient of ten American Music Awards, six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, six Academy of Country Music Awards and 13 BMI Awards.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Taylor Swift |
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Jay-Z | |
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Jay-Z at the Shawn Carter Foundation Carnival in September 2011. |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Shawn Corey Carter |
Born | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
December 4, 1969
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupations | Rapper |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 1989–present |
Labels | Roc Nation |
Associated acts | Memphis Bleek, Foxy Brown, Big Jaz, The Notorious B.I.G., Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kanye West, Linkin Park, R. Kelly, Big L |
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969),[1] better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2011.[2][3]He has sold approximately 50 million albums worldwide, while receiving fourteen Grammy Awards for his musical work, and numerous additional nominations.[4][5] He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest rappers of all-time. He was ranked #1 by MTV in their list of The Greatest MCs of All-Time in 2006. Two of his albums, Reasonable Doubt (1996) and The Blueprint (2001) are considered landmarks in the genre with both of them being ranked in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Blender included the former on their 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die.[6]
Jay-Z co-owns the 40/40 Club, is part-owner of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets and is also the creator of the line Rocawear.[7] He is the former CEO of Def Jam Recordings, one of the three founders of Roc-A-Fella Records, and the founder of Roc Nation.[8] As an artist, he holds the record for most number one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 with eleven.[9] Jay-Z also has had four number ones on the Billboard Hot 100, one as lead artist.
He married American R&B superstar Beyoncé Knowles on April 4, 2008.[10] On December 11, 2009, Jay-Z was ranked as the 10th most successful artist of 2000s by Billboard and ranking as the 5th top solo male artist and as the 4th top rapper behind Eminem, Nelly, and 50 Cent.[11]
Originally from Marcy Houses, a housing project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City,[12] the future "Jay-Z" then known as Shawn Carter, was abandoned by his father and in 1982, he shot his brother in the shoulder for stealing his jewelry.[13][14] Carter attended Eli Whitney High School in Brooklyn, along with future rapper AZ, until it was closed down. After that he attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Downtown Brooklyn, with fellow future rappers The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes, and Trenton Central High School in Trenton, New Jersey, but did not graduate.[15] In his music he refers to having been involved in selling crack cocaine.[14]
According to his mother, Gloria Carter, her son Shawn used to wake his siblings up at night banging out drum patterns on the kitchen table. Eventually, she bought him a boom box for his birthday, sparking his interest in music. He began freestyling, writing lyrics, and followed the music of many artists popular at the time.[16] In his neighborhood, Carter was known as "Jazzy", a nickname that eventually developed into his showbiz/stage name, "Jay-Z". The moniker is also an homage to his musical mentor, Jaz-O, as well as to the J/Z subway lines that have a stop at Marcy Avenue in Brooklyn.[12]
Jay-Z can briefly be heard on several of Jaz-O's early recordings in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including "The Originators" and "Hawaiian Sophie".[17] Jay-Z was also involved in and won several battles with rapper LL Cool J in the early 90's as part of a plan to get a sought-after record deal.[18] He first became known to a wide audience by being featured on the posse cut "Show and Prove" on the 1994 Big Daddy Kane album Daddy's Home. Jay-Z has been referred to as Big Daddy Kane's hype man during this period,[19] though Kane explains that he didn't fill the traditional hype man role, instead Jay-Z "basically made cameo appearances on stage. When I would leave the stage to go change outfits, I would bring out Jay-Z and Positive K and let them freestyle until I came back to the stage".[20][21] He made an appearance on a popular song by Big L, "Da Graveyard", and on Mic Geronimo's "Time to Build", which also featured early appearances by DMX, and Ja Rule in 1995. His first official rap single was called "I Can't Get With That", for which he released a music video.[22]
From the beginning of his professional recording career, when no major label gave him a record deal, Jay-Z, Damon Dash, and Kareem Biggs created Roc-A-Fella Records as their own independent label in 1995. After striking a deal with Priority to distribute his material, Jay-Z released his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt with beats from acclaimed producers such as DJ Premier and Super DJ Clark Kent and a notable appearance by The Notorious B.I.G.. The album reached number 23 on the Billboard 200, and was well-received by critics.[12] This album would later be included in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" as No.248 and eventually reach platinum status.[23]
After reaching a new distribution deal with Def Jam in 1997, Jay-Z released his follow-up In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Executively produced by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, it sold better than his previous effort. Jay-Z later explained that the album was made during one of the worst periods of his life, he was reeling from the death of his close friend The Notorious B.I.G. The album was a personal revelation for Jay-Z as he spun the tale of his hard knock upbringing.[24] The album's glossy production stood as a contrast to his first release, and some dedicated fans felt he had "sold out". However, the album did feature some beats from producers who had worked with him on Reasonable Doubt, namely DJ Premier and Ski. Like its predecessor, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 earned Platinum status in the United States.[23]
In 1998, Jay-Z released Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life which spawned the biggest hit of his career at the time, "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". He relied more on flow and wordplay, and he continued with his penchant for mining beats from the popular producers of the day such as Swizz Beatz, an upstart in-house producer for Ruff Ryders, and Timbaland. Other producers included DJ Premier, Erick Sermon, The 45 King, and Kid Capri. Charting hits from this album included "Can I Get A...", featuring Ja Rule and Amil, and "Nigga What, Nigga Who", also featuring Amil. Vol. 2 would eventually become Jay-Z's most commercially successful album; it was certified 5× Platinum in the United States and has to date sold over five million copies.[23] The album went on to win a Grammy Award, although Jay-Z boycotted the ceremony protesting DMX's failure to garner a Grammy nomination.[25] In 1999, Jay-Z dueted with Mariah Carey on "Heartbreaker", a song from her seventh album, Rainbow. In that same year, Jay-Z released Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter, the album proved to be successful and sold over 3 million records.[23] Vol. 3's most successful single was "Big Pimpin'", featuring UGK. Around the same time, Jay-Z was accused of stabbing record executive Lance "Un" Rivera for what Jay-Z perceived was Rivera's bootlegging of Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter. The stabbing allegedly occurred at the record release party for Q-Tip's debut solo album Amplified at the Kit Kat Klub, a now defunct night club in Times Square, New York City, on December 9. Jay-Z's associates at the party were accused of causing a commotion within the club, which Jay-Z allegedly used as cover when he supposedly stabbed Rivera in the stomach with a five-inch (127 mm) blade.[26] In his book Decoded, Jay-Z addresses his assault case. While he didn't apologize for his actions, he did express regret that the incident happened and attributed it to a loss of control, saying that there was no reason for him to get into a situation that put him and people who depended on him at risk. He also vowed to never get involved in a similar situation again.[citation needed]
Jay-Z initially denied the incident and pleaded not guilty when a grand jury returned the indictment. Jay-Z and his lawyers contended he was nowhere around Rivera during the incident and they had witnesses and videotape evidence from the club that showed Jay-Z's whereabouts during the disturbance. Nevertheless, he later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge that resulted in a sentence of three years probation.[27] In 2000, Jay-Z released The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, which was originally intended to become a compilation album for Roc-A-Fella artists but somehow turned into a Jay-Z album.[28] The album helped to introduce newcomer producers The Neptunes, Just Blaze, Kanye West and Bink, which have all gone on to achieve notable success. This is also the first album where Jay-Z utilizes a more soulful sound than his previous albums. The Dynasty sold over two million units in the U.S. alone.[23]
In 2001, Jay-Z spoke out against Prodigy after he took an issue with a Jay-Z line from "Money, Cash, Hoes" that he felt were subliminal shots at Mobb Deep and referenced Mobb Deep's beef with Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and Death Row Records. He later performed the song "Takeover", at Summer Jam 2001, which initially attacked Prodigy and revealed photos of Prodigy dressed like Michael Jackson.[29] A line at the end of "Takeover" referenced Nas, who criticized him on "We Will Survive".[30] Nas responded with a diss track called "Ether" and almost instantly, Jay-Z added a verse to "Takeover" which dissed Nas and would start a feud between the two rappers. Jay-Z later released his sixth studio album The Blueprint which was later considered by many to be one of hip hop's "classic" albums, receiving the coveted 5 mic review from The Source magazine. Released during the wake of September 11 attacks, the album managed to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, selling more than 427,000 units;[31] the album's success was overshadowed by the tragic event. The Blueprint has been certified 2x Platinum in the United States.[23] The Blueprint was applauded for its production and the balance of "mainstream" and "hardcore" rap, receiving recognition from both audiences. The Blueprint was written in only two days.[32] Eminem was the only guest rapper on the album, producing and rapping on the song "Renegade". Four of the thirteen tracks on the album were produced by Kanye West and represents one of West's first major breaks in the industry. The Blueprint includes the popular songs "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)", "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Jigga That Nigga" and "Song Cry".
Jay-Z's next solo album was 2002's The Blueprint2: The Gift & the Curse, a double-album. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number one, selling over 3 million units in the U.S. alone[23] and surpassing The Blueprint.[33] It was later reissued in a single-disc version, The Blueprint 2.1, which retained half of the tracks from the original. The album spawned two massive hit singles, "Excuse Me Miss" and "'03 Bonnie & Clyde", which featured Jay-Z's future wife Beyoncé Knowles. "Guns & Roses", a track featuring rock musician Lenny Kravitz, and "Hovi Baby" were two successful radio singles as well. The album also contained the tracks "A Dream", featuring Faith Evans and the late The Notorious B.I.G.; and "The Bounce", featuring Kanye West. The Blueprint 2.1 featured tracks that do not appear on The Blueprint2: The Gift & the Curse, such as "Stop", "La La La (Excuse Me Again)", "What They Gonna Do, Part II" and "Beware" produced by and featuring Panjabi MC.[34]
After returning from a trip in the south of France,[35] Jay-Z announced work on his 8th studio album The Black Album at the opening of the first the 40/40 Club.[36] He worked with several producers including Just Blaze, The Neptunes, Kanye West, Timbaland, Eminem, DJ Quik, 9th Wonder and Rick Rubin. Notable songs on the album included "What More Can I Say", "Dirt Off Your Shoulder", "Change Clothes", and "99 Problems". The Black Album has sold 3 million copies in the US.[23] Jay-Z collaborated with R. Kelly and released a collaborative studio album, The Best of Both Worlds.
On November 25, 2003, Jay-Z held a concert at Madison Square Garden, which would later be the focus of his film Fade to Black. This concert was his "retirement party". All proceeds went to charity. Other performers included collaborators like The Roots (in the form of his backing band), Missy Elliott, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Siegel, Freeway, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, Twista, Ghostface Killah, Foxy Brown, Pharrell and R. Kelly with special appearances by Voletta Wallace and Afeni Shakur, the mothers of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur respectively.[citation needed] While Jay-Z had attested to a retirement from making new studio albums, various side projects and appearances soon followed. Included in these were a greatest hits record, as well as the release and tour of Unfinished Business, the second collaborative album between Jay-Z and R. Kelly.
In 2004, Jay-Z collaborated with rock group Linkin Park, in which they released their collaborative remix EP Collision Course, which featured mashups of both artists' songs, as well as a concert DVD. The album's only single, "Numb/Encore", went on to win a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and was performed with Linkin Park live at the Grammys, with a special appearance by Paul McCartney, who added verses from the song "Yesterday". The EP sold over 1 million copies in the US.[23] Jay-Z was the executive producer of The Rising Tied, the debut album of Fort Minor, the hip hop side project of Linkin Park rapper Mike Shinoda.
Later in 2004, Jay-Z was named president of Def Jam Records, which led to Jay-Z, Dash and Biggs selling their remaining interests in Roc-A-Fella Records and Jay-Z taking control of both of the companies.[37] Reportedly this major industry move was prompted by disagreements between Jay-Z and Dash as to what direction Roc-A-Fella could undertake.[38] The publicized split between Jay-Z, Dash and Biggs led to the former partners sending jabs at each other in interviews.[39]
On October 27, 2005, Jay-Z headlined New York's Power 105.1 annual concert, Powerhouse. The concert was entitled the "I Declare War" concert leading to intense speculation in the weeks preceding the event on whom exactly Jay-Z would declare war. As he had previously "declared war" on other artists taking lyrical shots at him at other events, many believed that the Powerhouse show would represent an all-out assault by Jay-Z upon his rivals.[40] The theme of the concert was Jay-Z's position as President and CEO of Def Jam, complete with an on-stage mock-up of the Oval Office. Many artists made appearances such as the old roster of Roc-A-Fella records artists, as well as Ne-Yo, Teairra Mari, T.I., Young Jeezy, Akon, Kanye West, Paul Wall, The LOX, and Diddy.[41]
At the conclusion of the concert, Jay-Z put many arguments to rest to the surprise of hip hop fans. The most significant development in this show was closure to the infamous hip hop rivalry between Jay-Z and Nas. The two former rivals shook hands and shared the stage together to perform Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents" blended with Nas's song "The World is Yours".[42]
Jay-Z returned with his comeback album on November 21, 2006 titled Kingdom Come.[43] Jay-Z's comeback single, "Show Me What You Got", was leaked on the Internet in early October 2006, scheduled to be released later on that month, received heavy air-play after its leak, causing the FBI to step in and investigate.[44] Jay-Z worked with video director Hype Williams, and the single's video was directed by F. Gary Gray. The album features producers such as Just Blaze, Pharrell, Kanye West, Dr. Dre and Coldplay's Chris Martin (single entitled "Beach Chair").[45][46] The first week saw 680,000 sales of the CD, which Entertainment Weekly said was "the highest single-week total in Jay's decade long career".[47] This album has sold 2 million copies in the US.[23]
Jay-Z released his tenth album entitled American Gangster on November 6, 2007. After viewing the Ridley Scott film of the same name, he was heavily inspired to create a new "concept" album that depicts his experiences as a street-hustler.[48] The album is not the film's official soundtrack, although it was distributed by Def Jam.[49] Jay-Z's American Gangster depicts his life in correlation to the movie American Gangster. At the start of the album's first single, "Blue Magic", Jay-Z offers a dealer's manifesto while making references to political figures of the late 1980s with the lyric: "Blame Reagan for making me to into a monster, blame Oliver North and Iran-Contra, I ran contraband that they sponsored, before this rhymin' stuff we was in concert."[50] Also notable about the "Blue Magic" music video was Jay-Z flashing 500 euro notes, in what Harvard Business School professor Rawi Abdelal has called a "turning point in American pop culture's response to globalization." The album has sold 1 million copies in the US.[23] On December 24, 2007, Jay-Z stated that he would not remain at Def Jam as the company's President, and vacated the position effective of January 1, 2008.[51]
It was announced on February 2, 2008 that Jay-Z would headline the 2008 Glastonbury Festival, becoming the first major hip hop artist to headline the British festival.[52][53] Tickets sold out before the opening of the festival. One of the more outspoken critics of his selection was Noel Gallagher of Oasis fame, who criticized the organizers of the festival for scheduling Jay-Z as a headliner for the traditionally guitar-driven festival, stating "I'm sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music and even when they throw the odd curve ball in on a Sunday night you go 'Kylie Minogue?' I don't know about it. But I'm not having hip hop at Glastonbury. It's wrong."[54]
Controversy ensued in the months leading up to the event with artists, promoters and fans weighing in both for and against. Jay-Z responded to this saying, "We don't play guitars, Noel, but hip hop has put in its work like any other form of music. This headline show is just a natural progression. Rap music is still evolving. We have to respect each other's genre of music and move forward."[55] In response to Gallagher's criticism, Jay-Z opened his Glastonbury set with a tongue-in-cheek cover of Oasis's iconic song "Wonderwall".[56] His Glastonbury performance was heralded as a successful response to pre-festival criticism.[57]
He also headlined many other summer festivals in 2008, including Roskilde Festival in Denmark,[58] Hove Festival in Norway[59] and O2 Wireless Festival in London.[60] During Kanye West's August 6, 2008 concert at Madison Square Garden, Jay-Z came out to perform a new song and he and Kanye proclaimed that it was to be on The Blueprint 3.[61] On May 21, 2009, Jay-Z announced he would be parting ways with Def Jam, and had struck a multi-million dollar deal to sign with Live Nation, with whom he would start his Roc Nation imprint which would serve as a record label, talent/management agency, and music publishing company[62] and also partnered up with production team Stargate to start a record label called StarRoc.[63][64] Jay-Z's 11th studio album The Blueprint 3 was originally to be released on September 11, 2009[65] but was instead released in North America on September 8, 2009 due to increasing anticipation.[66] Its international release followed on September 14.[67] It is his 11th album to reach No.1 on the Billboard 200[68] and has surpassed Elvis Presley's previous record, making him the current record holder.[9]
On October 9, 2009, Jay-Z kicked off his tour for The Blueprint 3, during which he supported his new album in North America. In a Shave Magazine review of his performance at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Jake Tomlinson expressed that "It was the type of smooth performance you would expect from the hip-hop superstar." The review gave this performance 4 stars. His North American tour continued until November 22, 2009.[69] At his concert on November 8, 2009 at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion, Rihanna joined him on stage and performed "Hard" for the very first time, then performed "Run This Town" with Jay-Z.[70] Among his success, Jay-Z has ventured into producing Broadway shows. Along with Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, Jay-Z helped produced the play Fela!, a musical celebrating the work of the late Nigerian star Fela Kuti.[71] Jay-Z said he was inspired by the power of Kuti's work and his life story, which resulted in his interest to help produce the musical.[71] Fela! is a story about an African pioneer and political activist who made his first moves on the scene during the 1970s.[71]
On January 23, 2010, Jay-Z released a track, "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)", with Rihanna, and U2's Bono and The Edge, as well as performing it at the Hope For Haiti Now telethon.[72] In June 2010, Eminem and Jay-Z announced they would perform together in a pair of concerts in Detroit and New York. The event was dubbed The Home & Home Tour. The first two concerts rapidly sold out, prompting the scheduling of an additional show at each venue.[73] Jay-Z was the supporting act for U2 on the Australian and New Zealand leg of their U2 360° Tour, beginning in Auckland, New Zealand in November 2010, followed by Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in December.[74] He also appeared on stage during U2 performances of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", and in Auckland also joined the band for a performance of "Scarlet", singing some lines of his song, "History". In August 2010, it was revealed that Jay-Z and Kanye West would be collaborating on a five-track EP entitled Watch the Throne. Although, it was later revealed by West that the project had become a full-length LP. Recording sessions for the album took place at various recording locations and began in November 2010. The first single released for the project was "H•A•M". The track was co-produced by Lex Luger and West himself. The track ended up being on the deluxe edition of the album. The follow-up to that was the second single "Otis", which premiered on Funkmaster Flex's Hot 97 radio show, and was later released to the iTunes Store eleven days later. The song's existence, along with several other tracks from the album, was confirmed during a listening session hosted by Jay-Z. The album was first released on the iTunes Store, five days prior to it being released in physical format, a strategy Jay-Z later said was used to block an internet leak. It debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes Store in 23 countries. It also broke Coldplay's record for most albums sold in one week on the online retailer, selling 290,000 copies on iTunes alone. It held that record, until Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV was released twenty-one days later, selling only 10,000 copies more. It debuted on the US Billboard 200 chart at No. 1, selling 436,000 copies in its first week. The album received generally positive reviews. Jay-Z and West later gave a surprise performance of "Otis" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. In April 2011, Jay-Z launched a blog-like, lifestyle website by the name of Life + Times. It covers everything from music, to fashion, to technology, to sports. The site is curated based on Jay-Z's interests, and he himself works with a small staff to produce every single piece of content.
Jay-Z collaborated with M.I.A. on the single "XXXO", which achieved a fair level of success and went on to become remixed by several producers worldwide. On September 23, 2010, Q-Tip confirmed working on Jay-Z's follow up album to The Blueprint 3, saying the album was to hit stores by spring 2011.[75] The album has not yet been released; it has been confirmed 3 songs have been recorded and one of which features Frank Ocean. In May 2012 it was reported that Jay-Z is working on new music with Roc Nation producer Jahlil Beats. In a interview with XXL , Beats stated: "Me and Jay-Z been going back and forth. He picked a couple of my joints that he’s working on. I don’t even wanna say too much about Jay, but we definitely working on some stuff. I haven’t even sent him a bunch of beats. I sent him my favorite stuff. He hit me right back like, ‘Yo, I’ma go in on this,’ or, ‘I like this.’” [76] The same month, Jay-Z and Mayor Micheal A. Nutter announced that Jay-Z will be the curator and the headliner for the first annual "Budweiser Made in America" festival at Fairmont Park in Philadelphia on September 1st and September 2nd, 2012. The performance will be produced by Live Nation and will assemble an eclectic lineup of “rock, hip hop, R&B, latin music and dance” musicians. [77] It was also reported that Jay-Z and Rihanna will be the headlining acts for BBC Radio 1's 2012 Hackney Weekend music festival on June 23 to June 24. [78]
Jay-Z that states his earliest exposure to music was through his parents' record collection, which was mostly of soul artists such as Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway. He says "I grew up around music, listening to all types of people... I'm into music that has soul in it, whether it be rap, R&B, pop music, whatever. As long as I can feel their soul through the wax, that's what I really listen to."[79] He often uses excerpts from these artists as samples in his work, particularly in the Kanye West-productions included on The Blueprint.[79]
Royce da 5'9" and Fredro Starr of Onyx both describe Jay-Z's emphasis on flow in the book How to Rap – Starr says that Jay-Z is "a master of the flow—he can flow fast, he can flow slow".[80] The book describes how Jay-Z uses 'rests' to provide structure to a verse[81] and how he uses 'partial linking' to add more rhymes to a verse.[82] Jay-Z's early style is described by Vibe as "a distinctly Das EFX-type, stiggety style" on his 12" single "Can't Get With That",[83] referring to the fast rhythms and vocal delivery of the group Das EFX. He is also known to write lyrics in his head, as described by Pusha T of Clipse in How to Rap,[84] a style popular with many MCs such as The Notorious B.I.G.,[84] Everlast,[85] Bobby Creekwater[86] and Guerilla Black.[86] Shock G of Digital Underground describes Jay-Z's performance style, saying he "rarely breaks a sweat, and instead uses smoothness and clever wordplay to keep the audience interested and entertained".[87]
Jay-Z has also established himself as an entrepreneur like his fellow hip hop moguls and friends, Russell Simmons, Dr. Dre and Sean "Diddy" Combs, who also have business holdings such as record companies and clothing lines. In an interview, he stated that "my brands are an extension of me. They're close to me. It's not like running GM, where there's no emotional attachment."[88] He is the founder of the urban clothing brand Rocawear along with Damon Dash.[89] Rocawear has clothing lines and accessories for men, women and children. The line was taken over by Jay-Z in early 2006 following a falling out with Dash. In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to Iconix Brand Group, for $204 million. Jay-Z will retain his stake in the company and will continue to oversee the marketing, licensing and product development.[89][90] He also co-owns the 40/40 Club, an upscale sports bar that started in New York City and has since expanded to Atlantic City and Chicago. In 2008, the 40/40 club in Las Vegas was closed down and bought back by the hotel after attendance steadily declined. Future plans will see 40/40 Clubs in Tokyo and Singapore.[91] In 2005, Jay-Z became an investor in Carol's Daughter, a line of beauty products, including products for hair, skin, and hands.[92]
Jay-Z serves as co-brand director for Budweiser Select and collaborates with the company on strategic marketing programs and creative ad development. He provides direction on brand programs and ads that appear on TV, radio, print, and high-profile events.[93] He is also yet to expand his 40/40 Club sports bar in as many as 20 airports, as he makes deals with his business partners, Juan and Desiree Perez.[94] He is a part-owner of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team paying a reported $4.5 million for his share. He encouraged the team's relocation to Brooklyn's Barclays Center (from New Jersey) in the 2012–2013 season, at which point the team took on the Brooklyn Nets moniker.[95][96] In October 2005, he was reported in English media as considering buying a stake of Arsenal F.C., an English soccer team.[97] He has also invested in a real estate development venture called J Hotels which recently acquired a $66 million mid-block parcel in Chelsea, New York. Jay-Z and his partners are contemplating constructing a high-end hotel or an art gallery building on the newly acquired site which has the potential to go up about twelve stories.[98] Through his company Gain Global Investments Network LLC, had an interest estimated between 2 and 7% in the Aqueduct Entertainment Group (AEG) consortium which in January 2010 was awarded a contract to operate a 4,500 slot machine racino at the Aqueduct Race Track. Jay-Z became interested in the project after New York Governor David Paterson who awarded the contract said there had to be an affirmative action component to the ownership. Jay-Z initially approached Steve Wynn who was also bidding on the contract. On March 9, 2010, Jay-Z and Flake withdrew from the project and Paterson recused himself from further involvement.[99][100]
On November 16, 2010, Jay-Z published a memoir entitled Decoded.[101][102]
Jay-Z is married to American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. In 2002, Jay-Z and Knowles collaborated for the song "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". Jay-Z also appeared on Knowles' hit single "Crazy In Love" and as well as "That's How You Like It" from her debut Dangerously in Love. On her second album, B'Day, he made appearances on the 2006 hits, "Déjà Vu" and "Upgrade U". In the video for the latter song, she comically imitates his appearance.[103] The couple generally avoid discussing their relationship. Knowles has stated that she believes that not publicly discussing their relationship has helped them. Jay-Z said in a People article, "We don't play with our relationship."[104] They kept a low profile while dating, and married quietly in April 2008.[10] It became a matter of public record on April 22, 2008,[105] but Knowles did not publicly debut her $5 million Lorraine Schwartz-designed wedding ring until the Fashion Rocks concert on September 5, 2008 in New York City.[106] Knowles and Jay-Z were listed as the most powerful couple for TIME magazine's 100 most influential people of 2006.[107] In January 2009, Forbes ranked them as Hollywood's top-earning couple, with a combined total of $162 million.[108] They also made it to the top of the list the following year, with a combined total of $122 million between June 2008 and June 2009.[108] At the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, Beyoncé revealed that she was pregnant with their first child[109][110] and on January 7, 2012, she gave birth to their daughter, named Blue Ivy Carter, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.[111] On January 9, 2012, Jay-Z released "Glory", a song dedicated to their child, on his social website LifeandTimes.com.[112] The song detailed the couple's pregnancy struggles, including a miscarriage Knowles suffered before becoming pregnant with their daughter.[112] Because Blue's cries were included at the end of the song and she was officially credited on the song as "B.I.C", at 2 days old she became the youngest person ever to appear on a Billboard chart when "Glory" debuted on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at Number 74.[113]
During his retirement, Jay-Z also became involved in philanthropic activity. On August 9, 2006, he met with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan at the organization's headquarters in New York City. The rapper pledged to use his upcoming world tour to raise awareness of and combat global water shortage. Already on the look-out for a way to, in his own words, "become helpful", he had been made aware of this issue during a visit to Africa.[114] The effort took place in partnership with the UN,[115] as well as MTV, which produced a documentary entitled Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life, first airing in November 2006.[116] Along with Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jay-Z pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross' relief effort after Hurricane Katrina.[117] Jay-Z stated his support for Kanye West after the latter's outburst against President Bush during a live Katrina charity telethon.[118] He also addressed the issue of the Katrina disaster, and the government's response, in his song "Minority Report".[119]
Jay-Z got actively involved in politics during the 2008 presidential campaign, where he supported increased voter participation and helped send voters to polling stations.[120] He was an early supporter for the candidacy of Illinois senator and subsequent U.S. president Barack Obama, performing for free in voter-drive concerts financed by the Democrats' campaign.[121] He also became acquainted with Obama himself, who stated "Every time I talk to Jay-Z, who is a brilliant talent and a good guy, I enjoy how he thinks. That's somebody who is going to start branching out and can help shape attitudes in a real positive way."[122] During the 2010 mid-term elections' campaign, Jay-Z appeared, along with other artists, in an ad prepared by the HeadCount organization, urging voters, and especially younger ones, to register and vote.[123] In May 2012, Jay-Z announced his endorsement of President Obama's support of same-sex marriage for gay couples.[124]
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