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December 13, 1989, was a good ol’ Wednesday in Reading, Pennsylvania. The weather was cold and breezy, with temperatures fluctuating between 1°C and -7°C. It was quite an ideal day to curl up next to a fire and read a book (pun intended). Nobody could have predicted that one of the world's top female music artists would shortly emerge from her mother's womb on such a day. But alas, A beautiful baby girl was born named Taylor Alison Swift to her mother, Andrea Finlay, and her father, Scott Kingsley Swift. Andrea worked as a one-time marketing executive, and Scott was a financial adviser. They were both paid very generously in their jobs and were a well-liked couple. Taylor was blessed to be born into a privileged American family that lived in a 5 bedroom and 3.5 bathroom house. It was in that house where Taylor wrote some of her best classics including Love Story and Teardrops On My Guitar. She went to bible classes, competed in horse riding competitions, and studied in a co-ed private school. It can certainly be agreed upon that Taylor lived the childhood that many of us can only dream of. Still, she certainly did not hesitate to dream bigger.
Taylor Swift at the age of 7, photograph by Andrew Orth
At the age of 9, Taylor discovered her love for singing and country music and spent the next few years honing her voice in musical theatre productions, coffee shops, local events, and fairs. She persuaded her mother to send her to Nashville for spring break when she was 11 years old, and then handed demo records to every record label she could reach during her time there. Sadly, origin stories do not come without hardships, and rejection after rejection came from those labels. Many people would give up at this point, but instead, Taylor assessed why her demo fell short of success. She concluded that it was because she didn’t stand out from other aspiring singers at the time, and took it upon herself to “figure out a way to be different”.
Taylor discovered the wonder of guitars at twelve when a computer repairman taught her how to play a couple of chords. She wrote her first song called “Lucky You” with the three chords that she knew at the time. Her career went on a rapid rise from here, at only 13 years old she was featured on the Abercombie and Fitch “Rising Stars” campaign and even had one of her songs added to a Maybelline compilation CD. Little Taylor won many awards for her poetry and was given an opportunity to perform at an RCA record showcase, all while wrapping up her 8th-grade year. Finally, the Swift family packed their bags and moved to Nashville once Taylor secured a development deal with RCA, her far-fetched goal of stardom was starting to become a dream come true.
Taylor Swift, Age 15. Photograph by Andrew Orth
From here on, Taylor started collaborating with local songwriters to write tracks. This included a lady named Liz Rose, who couldn’t play an instrument but still helped co-wrote Taylor’s most well-known hits including “All too well” and “You belong with me”. However, there was an incident where the record label wanted her to record other people’s songs instead of her own, so Taylor parted ways with them after a year. On November 4th, 2004, a man named Scott Borchetta saw Taylor perform at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, and was rightfully impressed with her talent. He decided to sign her to Big Machine Records, which was a reasonably new label at the time. She got full control over the first album she made with the label and it proved to become a massive success. Two of her songs peaked at #1 on the Billboard country charts, and she became the youngest person ever to write a #1 worthy country song. Her next album “Fearless” skyrocketed her fame and suddenly everyone knew the name “Taylor Swift”. It won four grammies and sold 3.2 million copies by the end of 2009, making it the best-selling album of that year.
Over the next four years, she would release "Speak Now" and "Red," which only served to increase her fame as she amazed everyone with her unique lyricism and stunning vocals. Many of her songs follow a storyline that people can visualize in their minds, which distinguishes her from the thousands of other singers around the world.
Credit: Getty Images
At the time of writing, our favourite female pop star has recently released a re-recording of her album “Red” and a handful of other never-before-seen songs. In particular, her 10-minute version of All too Well was so well-received that it broke records for the longest song that has ever sat on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Undoubtedly, Taylor Swift has a way with words that can make you cry one moment and break into dance moves the next. She has been a household name for years, and although she did have a privileged life, there is no doubt that her fame is fully deserved through hard work. Let’s face it: her songs about being young, stupid, and heartbroken provide teenage girls everywhere with something to relate to. Regardless, the beauty woven into each verse makes her music appealing to people all around the world.
Works Cited
Biography. “Taylor Swift.” Biography, 2 Apr. 2014, https://www.biography.com/musician/taylor-swift.
Wilson, Paula. “How Taylor Swift Took Her Childhood Dream and Made It a $150 Million Reality.” Celebrity Net Worth, 23 Jan. 2014, https://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/taylor-swift-took-childhood-dream-made-105-million-reality/.
Article Written by Layla Wu
Cover Page by Khushi Kolte
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