Taylor Swift has somehow been the “most famous she will ever be” at least three times in her life. But every time, she successfully overcame a low and went on to experience the biggest high of her career up to that point. But how did it all start?
When and how did Taylor Swift’s career begin?
Taylor Swift didn’t have parents in the recording industry to show her the ropes or pass on their contact list, but she did have a mother and father who were willing and had the means to relocate and change jobs in order to bet on her budding career.
Set on becoming a country musician and passionate about writing her own music, Swift moved to Tenessee with her family and began trying her luck at the local music scene. Despite making some progress, her big break wouldn’t come until Scott Borchetta scouted her at a showcase in Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe in 2005 and made her one of the leading talents of his new record label, Big Machine Records.
From the onset, Swift’s music had great results in the country charts. Her debut, a self-titled album released in 2006, made it to the top 5 on the Billboard 200, and in 2007 she became the youngest-ever winner of the BMI Songwriter of the Year award. She was also nominated for Best New Artist at the 50th Grammy Awards, losing out to probably the only person who deserved it more at the time — Amy Winehouse.
When did Taylor Swift become famous?
Taylor Swift’s stardom grew as she toured the country as an opening act for established country artists, and when Fearless rolled around in 2008, it shot through the stratosphere. Swift had become a popular teen star hanging out with the Disney Channel crew, whilst simultaneously making Grammy-winning music. “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” off of her sophomore album were huge hits that are still beloved to this day.
Of course, her high-profile tabloid-enticing relationships with the likes of Joe Jonas, Lucas Till, Taylor Lautner, and John Mayer weren’t exactly bad PR either. The media loves a good superstar couple, and the level of openness and vulnerability Swift displayed in her lyrics only fed the curiosity. It wasn’t every day that a teenage idol got the green light to freely write her music and lay it all out for the world to see. While she has a tradition of never confirming who her songs are about, the singer has always made comments that would spike people’s interest and get them looking for clues. A perfect recipe for star-making attention.
As her celebrity status grew so did peer recognition for her music. A 20-year-old Swift became the youngest artist at the time to win the Grammy for Album of the Year with Fearless (she has since been bested by the then-18-year-old Billie Eilish).
From that moment on, through massive highs and equally depressing lows, Taylor Swift built a long-lasting career that is still going on after 20 years, 10 studio albums, and a few more rerecordings. Although the singer-songwriter has been internationally famous since 2008, 2023 marked the most successful year of her career yet, culminating with her being granted the title of Time Magazine‘s Person of the Year. Swift is the first musician to get the coveted title and the only woman to win it twice.
