As Taylor Swift unveils her Era Tour movie, let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit her musical ‘eras’ throughout the years. Taylor Swift has solidified herself as one of the biggest names in music.
Taylor Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in West Reading, Pennsylvania, to parents Scott and Andrea Swift. Growing up with her brother, Austin, who was born in March 1992, she spent her early childhood on a Christmas tree farm, which she later penned a holiday song about, titled “Christmas Tree Farm.” Swift developed an interest in music at a very young age, but it wasn’t until she was 12 that she developed an interest in songwriting. After learning how to play guitar from a local repairman, Swift wrote one of her first songs, “Lucky You.”
On June 19, 2006, Taylor Swift dropped her first single, “Tim McGraw,” named after the country singer of the same name who was one of her favorite artists at the time. Swift penned the song during math class in her freshman year at Hendersonville High School about her senior boyfriend who she knew would be leaving for college soon.
Swift’s first album quickly brought her award show recognition, including a nomination for Best New Artist at the 2008 Grammys. Additionally, she won various country music awards, such as the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award for best new artist. While receiving the honor from Carrie Underwood on stage, Swift (who was a senior in high school at the time) thanked her fans for “changing her life” before jokingly adding, “This is definitely the highlight of my senior year.”
After releasing her second album, Swift continued to gain popularity in both country and mainstream music. She won awards at the American Music Awards and was named Billboard’s artist of the year in 2009. Swift also received her very first MTV VMA, winning best female video for “You Belong With Me.”
In the midst of criticism regarding her songwriting skills, Swift took charge and penned every single song on her third album alone. A concept album about the times she wished she had spoken up, Swift previously hinted to Songwriter Universe magazine that each song is meant to serve as “a different confession to a different person.” The album, released on Oct. 25, 2010, included various songs about her life in the spotlight, including tracks about her relationships with John Mayer, Launter, and Jonas, as well as the infamous 2009 VMAs incident between her and West through the song “Innocent.”
