Taylor Swift - The Beginning Of Her Musical Career
By: Elsie Mohr
Date: 05/26/2025
Taylor Swift is a modern day pop and country singer, songwriter and actress. She was born on December 13, 1989 to Scott and Andrea Swift in West Reading, Pennsylvania. Taylor Swift has changed the way lots of people think about and listen to music and she has made a very successful musical career for herself.
When Taylor turned 9 years old her parents put her into vocal and acting lessons in New York City. After some time with these lessons she decided that she should focus more on country music and not the current music that she was practicing with. So, when Taylor was only 12 years old she learned how to play the guitar from a man named Ronnie Cremer. He also helped her as she started writing her first songs. Ronnie led Taylor Swift to writing her first ever song, Lucky You.
When Taylor Swift was 14 years old her father transferred his job as a stockbroker to an office in Nashville, Tennessee and her family moved to a house in Hendersonville, a suburb not too far away. This was great for Taylor because Nashville is widely considered the heart of country music. She attended Aaron Academy High School there and worked hard outside of school to graduate a year early. After graduating from high school Taylor decided to pursue her musical career full time instead of going to college.
Taylor Swift released her first ever album called Taylor Swift, in October of 2006. The New York Times quoted the article as “a small masterpiece of pop - minded country, both wide - eyed and cynical, held together by Ms. Swift’s firm, pleading voice.” Taylors album Taylor Swift sold about 39,000 copies in just the first week. This album contained the song Our Song which was voted number one country song, making Taylor Swift the youngest country singer to get this musical award, at only 16.
In 2008, Taylor Swift released her second album Fearless which was voted most played album of the year. The song You Belong With Me was placed #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the song Love Story was placed #4. This album brought her much more popularity and her name became more well known throughout the United States.
In 2009 at just 19 years old, Taylor Swift’s song You Belong With Me won an MTV music video award for Best Female Music Video. When Taylor was giving her acceptance speech to this award her speech was interrupted by rapper Kanye West. Kanye told the large crowd of people that Taylor did not deserve to win this award and that Beyoncé’s music video for Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) should have won the award instead. To show her support for Taylor Swift, when Beyoncé won the same award a while later she invited Taylor to join her on stage while she gave her acceptance speech. By the end of 2009, Taylor Swift had become one of only six women to have been named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association.
Taylor Swift released her album Speak Now, in 2010. This was her most recently released album performed in her world tour from 2011 - 2012. It was a 13 month tour and Taylor played shows in Asia (7), Europe (12), North America (80) and Australia (12). After the tour, on October 22, 2012 Taylor released her fourth studio album, Red. This album has a total of 16 songs and of these songs Taylor wrote 9 of them one hundred percent by herself. The other 7 songs were co - written with Max Martin, Liz Rose, Dan Wilson, Ed Sheeran and Gary Lightbody. In the first week of the album’s release, over 72 radio stations worldwide flew to Nashville, Tennessee for individual interviews with Taylor. Just the first week!
Taylor Swift was becoming a very well known music artist all around the world and in October of 2014 she released her fifth album, 1989. Taylor named this album 1989 because it was the year she was born. This album was also the first pop album that she released, making 1989 a special album because she realized she could be both a pop and country singer.
This is how Taylor Swift started out her musical career, she was obviously a very talented music artist at the beginning of her life. Taylor Swift continues to write and sing songs but now in a less western theme and more of the pop genre. Taylor still has so much more time left in her career and I think that so many people are eagerly waiting to see what she will release next!
Sources:
•https://www.theswiftmuseum.com/life-and-career •https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2357847/bio/