Taylor

Taylor Swift was a rarity in pop: she is the sole celebrity who transitioned from the traditional to the mainstream, and to become a pop icon worldwide. Swift is shedding her country roots like it were a second-skin and has proven herself to be one of the most savvy pop singer/songwriter within her generation. She has the ability to harness the current zeitgeist and create her own. Swift's first hits, particularly her neo tribute to Tim McGraw, showed off her talents. However, her album Fearless revealed a songwriter who was beginning to discover herself, and was able to draw a wide audience. Fearless was hugely popular not only in the United States where the Top Ten singles Love Story and Belong with Me helped it to break six platinum records however, it also swept the world. It was a huge success throughout Canada Australia and the U.K. Speak Now delivered almost two years later consolidated that popularity and pushed Swift into the stratosphere of fame. In the following three years, Swift's popularity increased -- Red (2012), Reputation (2014), and 1989 (2014-2015) in 2014-2015 as she moved into a arena of pop where her talents were already well established. In the end, when she refocused her music to the stripped-down versions of 2020, folklore and Evermore but she was still at the top. It was a position that was confirmed through re-recordings of her previous catalog, as in Midnights which was her chart-topping synth heavy 2022 album.