Taylor Alison Swift is, arguably, the largest (genre) crossover star of the 21st century, widely acclaimed and recognized for her narrative songwriting. With her long-charting 2006 debut album Taylor Swift she immediately became the country industry's new wonderkid at the tender age of 16; in 2008 her album Fearless gave her the kind of pop crossover appeal that most country singers could only dream of, which she expanded with her self-penned 2010 album Speak Now, the latter two also got her critical acclaim and; with the eclectic 2012 album Red she started her transition to full-on pop star, completed two years later with the synthpop-inspired 1989 and continued with 2017's abrasive reputation and 2019's mellower Lover.

Outside of music, she has been noticed as an notorious philanthropist and activism, most notably against sexual assault victims and other feminist causes. As an actress she has also starred in the 2010 romantic comedy ensemble piece Valentine's Day, the 2012 animated film The Lorax and the 2019 critically-lambasted Cats.

Taylor is the only act to have four albums to debut with sales of over a million copies in its opening week and the youngest person ever to win a Grammy for Album of the Year and the only woman to win twice. One of the most successful touring acts of all time, Taylor in total has sold more than 200 million records worldwide and has won 10 Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, a record 29 American Music Awards, a record 23 Billboard Music Awards (who also awarded her as the Artist of the Decade) and six Guinness world records.