Taylor Swift is a singer, songwriter, producer, director, actress, and so much more. She is only 33 years old and already has 10 studio albums. Taylor has a huge fanbase of committed supporters. However, many people don’t understand how Taylor is so successful and why there is so much hype around her, so let’s unpack how Taylor got where she is now. 

In 2006, Taylor released her debut album, Taylor Swift. This was a country album that contained huge hits like “Our Song,” “Tim McGraw,” and “Picture to Burn.” At only 16 years old Taylor had made a name for herself in the country music industry, but her second album would skyrocket her into more mainstream fame. 

Fearless was released in 2008 and is home to a few of Taylor’s biggest songs to date, including: “Love Story,” “You Belong With Me,” and “Fifteen.” During this era of Taylor’s life was when Kanye West rudely interrupted her acceptance speech at the 2009 VMAS and started their famous feud that lasted years. The album would go on to win Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2010. Taylor was becoming a household name at only 19 years old. 

Like clockwork, Taylor released her third album two years later in 2010. Speak Now is almost completely self-written, which just confirms how talented Taylor truly is. This album also embodies Taylor’s transition into adulthood while in the public eye. The album has fan favorites like “Dear John,” “Back to December,” and “Never Grow Up.”

Taylor’s fourth album, Red, arrived in 2012 and brought unforgettable tracks with it. “22,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and the fan favorite “All Too Well” come from this incredible album. Red was the last time Taylor had any country influence in her music. After this album Taylor made a complete genre change.

1989 came out in 2014 and was the definition of a perfect pop album. The album has Taylor’s biggest songs including: “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” “Style,” “Bad Blood,” and “Wildest Dreams.” This is Taylor’s best selling album ever and won Album of the Year at the Grammys.

Taylor’s fans, known as Swiftes, were anxiously awaiting the release of her sixth album in 2016. She had released an album every two years since her career had started, but that would quickly change. Kanye West released a song mentioning Taylor very rudely, she claimed she never approved of the lyrics, and then West and his wife posted an edited video where Taylor is heard saying she approves of the song. However, at the time the video was released no one knew it was edited, so the #TaylorSwiftisOverParty started to trend worldwide. The entire conversation wouldn’t come out until 2020. 

Taylor went into hiding for an entire year and wasn’t seen until 2017 when Reputation was released. This album was a response to the hate she had gotten the past year. The single “Look What You Made Me Do” set the tone for the album perfectly and brought an iconic music video.

Lover came in 2019 and was a complete 180 from Reputation. It is a cute, sweet album where Taylor pours her heart into every song. Unfortunately due to the pandemic, the Lover era was cut short. 

During the pandemic, Taylor decided to randomly release an album called folklore. This was another genre change for Taylor. She went from mainstream, upbeat pop to an alternative, indie folk album. This album is a clear example of how talented of a storyteller Taylor is. The album was a huge success and ultimately won Album of the Year at the Grammys. 

Just a few months after folklore, Taylor released its sister album, evermore. The two albums are so similar, yet so different. Both albums are deeply loved by Swiftes and gained Taylor a lot of new supporters.

2021 was when Taylor began re-recording and re-releasing her past albums that she had lost ownership of. She started with Fearless (Taylor’s Version) in early 2021 and Red (Taylor’s Version) in late 2021. 

Midnights was released in October of 2022 and is her 10th original studio album. To no one’s surprise the album did very well. Soon after the Midnights release, Taylor announced The Eras Tour. It is a three hour long show where Taylor sings songs from all of her musical eras. The tour has attracted a ton of attention and has been wildly successful. The shows stretch throughout 2023 and 2024.

In 2023, Taylor re-recorded and re-released Speak Now (Taylor Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version). All of the re-records so far have been more successful than the originals. Her last two re-recordings are likely going to do just as well. 

Taylor Swift has been in the music industry for 17 years. She has only become more and more popular each year. Taylor has secured an extremely loyal following that grows every day. She has put her entire heart and soul into every piece of music she has created, and it has paid off. The fans of Taylor feel connected to her and her music. Taylor not only writes her own music, but she writes for herself and no one else. Anyone who listens to Taylor’s music can hear how passionate she is about it. That passion has greatly paid off for Taylor. It is likely Taylor will be around for many years to come, and even when she leaves her legacy will live on forever.