Taylor Swift Full Biography

Taylor Allison Swift is an American singer songwriter one of the most popular contemporary female recording artists she is known for narrative songs about her personal life which has received much media attention born and raised in Pennsylvania Swift moved to Nashville Tennessee at age 14 to pursue a career in country music she signed with the independent label big machine records and became the youngest artist ever signed by the Sony ATV music publishing house her eponymous debut album in 2006 peaked at number five on Billboard 200 and spent the most weeks on the chart in the 20000s the album's third single R song made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number one song on the hot country songs chart Swift's second album Fearless was released in 2008 boyed by the pop crossover success of the singles love story and you belong with me Fearless became the bestselling album of 2009 in the United States the album won four Grammy Awards with swift becoming the youngest album of the Year winner in 2009 Swift appeared in the late night show Saturday night Liv followed by her film debut the following year in Valentine's Day Swift was the sole writer of her 2010 album speak now it debuted at number one in the United States in the single mean won two Grammy Awards her fourth album R 2012 yielded the successful singles we are never ever getting back together and I knew you were trouble with her fifth album the pop focused 1989 2014 she became the first act to have three albums sell a million copies within one week in the United States its singles Shake It Off blank space and bad blood reached number one in the US Australia and Canada the album received three Grammy Awards and Swift became the first woman in Fifth Act overall to win album of the Year twice the 2015 eponymous concert tour for 1989 became one of highest grossing of all time as a songwriter Swift has received awards from the Nashville songwriters Association and the songwriters Hall of Fame she is also the recipient of 10 Grammy Awards five Guinness World Records one Emmy Award 23 Billboard Music Awards 11 Country Music Association awards eight Academy of Country Music Awards and one Brit award Swift is one of the bestselling artists of all time having sold more than 40 million albums including 27.1 million in the US and 130 million single downloads she has appeared in time 100 most influential people in the world 2010 and 2015 Forbes top earning women in music 2011 2015 Forbes 100 most powerful women 2015 and Forbes celebrity 10026 she was the youngest woman to be included in the third of these and ranked first in Celebrity 100 biography 1989 2003 early life Swift was born on December 13th 1989 in Reading Pennsylvania her father Scott Kingsley Swift was a financial adviser and her mother Andrea Gardner Swift Nathan lie was a homemaker who worked previously as a mutual fund marketing executive she has a younger brother named Austin Swift spent the early years of her life on a Christmas tree farm in cumru Township Pennsylvania she attended preschool and kindergarten at the Alia montauri School run by Franciscan nuns before transferring to the windcraft school the family then moved to a rented house in the Suburban town of weo missing Pennsylvania where she attended weo missing area Junior Senior High School at the age of nine Swift became interested in musical theater and performed in for Bark's Youth Theater Academy Productions she also traveled regularly to New York City for vocal and acting lessons Swift later shifted her Focus toward Country Music inspired by Shauna Twain's songs which made her want to just run around the block for four times and daydream about everything she spent her weekends performing at local festivals and events after watching a documentary about Faith Hill Swift felt sure that she needed to go to Nashville Tennessee to pursue a music career at the age of 11 she traveled with her mother to visit Nashville record labels and submitted a demo tape of Dolly paron and Dixie Chicks Koke covers however she was rejected since everyone in that town wanted to do what I wanted to do so I kept thinking to myself I need to figure out a way to be different when Swift was about 12 years old a computer repair man taught her how to play three chords on a guitar leading to her first effort as a songwriter lucky you in 2003 Swift and her parents started working with new york-based music manager Dan dim with his help Swift modeled for abber cromie and fit as part of their Rising Stars campaign had an original song included on a maybellin compilation CD and attended meetings with major record labels after performing original songs at an RCA records showcase Swift was given an artist development deal and began making frequent trips to Nashville with her mother to help Swift break into country music her father transferred to the Nashville Office of Merill Lynch when she was 14 and the family relocated to a lak front house in Hendersonville Tennessee Swift attended public high school but after 2 years transferred to the Aaron Academy which through homeschooling could accommodate her touring schedule and she graduated a year early 20042 2008 career beginnings and Taylor Swift in Nashville Swift worked with experienced Music Row songwriters such as Troy verges Brett beavers Brett James Mac maali and the Warren brothers she eventually formed a lasting working relationship with is Rose they began meeting for 2-hour writing sessions every Tuesday afternoon after school Rose thought that the sessions were some of the easiest I've ever done basically I was just her editor she'd write about what happened in school that day she had such a Clear Vision of what she was trying to say and she'd come in with the most incredible hooks Swift was signed by the Sony ATV tree publishing house but left RCA records when she was 14 dot she later recalled I genuinely felt that I was running out of time I wanted to capture these years of my life on an album while they still represented what I was going through at an industry showcase at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe in 2005 Swift caught the attention of Scott boretta a DreamWorks records executive who was preparing to form his own Independent Record label big machine records she became one of the first signings and her father purchased a 3% stake in the fledgling company at an estimated cost of $120,000 the singer began working on her aonomus dayb album shortly after signing the record deal she persuaded big machine to hire her demo producer Nathan Chapman with whom she felt she had the right chemistry dot Swift wrote three of the album songs alone and Co wrote the remaining eight with writers Rose Robert Ellis oral Brian Mah and Angelo petraglia Taylor Swift was released on October 24th 2006 John caramanica of the New York Times described it as a small Masterpiece of Pop minded country both wide-eyed and cynical held together by Miss Swift's firm pleading voice Taylor Swift peaked at number five on the billboard 200 and spent 157 weeks on the chart marking the longest stay by any release in the 20000s as of August 2016 the album has sold over 7.75 million copies worldwide big machine records was still in its infancy on the release of the lead single Tim McGraw in June 2006 and Swift and her mother helped stuff the CD singles into envelopes to send to radio she spent much of 2006 promoting Taylor Swift with a radio tour and television appearances borchetta has said that record industry peers disliked his signing of a 16-year-old singer songwriter at first but that Swift tapped into a previously unknown Market teenage girls who listen to Country music. following Tim McGraw four more singles were released throughout 2007 and 2008 Teardrops On My Guitar our song Picture To Burn and should have said no all were highly successful on Billboard Hot country songs chart with our song and should have said no both reaching number one for the former Swift became the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number one song on the chart Teardrops On My Guitar became a moderate Commercial Success reaching number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 Swift also released the holiday album Sounds of the Season the Taylor Swift holiday collection in October 2007 and the EP beautiful eyes in July 2008 she promoted her debut album extensively as the opening act for other artists on their tours Swift won accolades for Taylor Swift she was one of the recipients of the national Ville songwriters Association songwriter artist of the year in 2007 becoming the youngest person to be honored with the title do she also won the country music association's Horizon Award for Best New Artist The Academy of Country Music Awards top new female vocalist and the American Music Awards favorite country female artist honor she was also nominated for Best New Artist At the 2008 Grammy Awards in July of that year Swift began a romance with Joe Jonas that ended 3 months later 2008 2010 Fearless in acting Swift's second studio album Fearless was released on November 11th 2008. the lead single love story was released in September 2008 it peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one in Australia four more singles were released throughout 2008 and 2009 white horse you belong with me 15 and fearless you belong with me was the album's highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 peing at number two the album debuted at number one on Billboard 200 and was the top selling album of 2009 in the United States the album received promotion from Swift's first concert tour Fearless tour which grossed over $63 million Taylor Swift journey to Fearless a concert film was aired on television and later released on DVD and Blu-ray Swift also performed as a supporting act for Keith Urban's Escape together World Tour in 2009 the music video for you belong with me was named MTV video music award for best female video her acceptance speech was interrupted by rapper Kanye West the incident was the subject of controversy and frequent media attention resulting in many internet memes James Montgomery of MTV argued that the incident and subsequent media attention turned Swift into a Bonafide mainstream celebrity also that year she won five American Music Awards including artist of the year and favorite country album billboard named her 2009's artist of the year Swift also won accolades for Fearless in 2010 at the 52nd Grammy Awards Fearless was named album of the Year and best country album and white horse was named best country song and best female country vocal performance Swift was the youngest artist ever to win album of the Year during the ceremony Swift sang you belong with me and ranan with Stevie Nicks her vocal performance received negative reviews in a media backlash do John caramanica of the New York Times found it refreshing to see someone so gifted make the occasional flub and described Swift as the most important new pop star of the past few years Swift became the youngest ever artist to be named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association Fearless also won the associations album of the Year award Swift contributed backing vocals to John Mayer's half of my heart a single featured on his fourth album Battle Studies 2009 sheo wrote and recorded best days of your life with Kelly Pickler and C wrote two songs for the Hannah Montana the Movie soundtrack You'll Always Find Your Way way back home and crazier Swift also provided vocals for Boys Like Girls Two Is Better Than One she contributed two songs to the Valentine's Day soundtrack including today was a fairy tale which became her first number one on the Canadian Hot 100 chart Swift made her acting debut in a 2009 episode of cbs's CSI crime Scene Investigation playing a rebellious teenager the New York Times noted that the character allowed Swift to be a little bit naughty incredibly so later that year Swift both hosted and performed as the musical guest for an episode of Saturday Night Live Entertainment Weekly described her as this season's best Saturday Night Live host so far noting that she was always up for the challenge seemed to be having fun and helped the rest of the cast nail the punch lines while filming Valentine's Day in October 2009 Swift's feature film acting day she began a romantic relationship with coar Taylor lner however they broke up later that year the romantic comedy released the following year saw her play the Dy girlfriend of a high school jock a role in which Los Angeles Times found serious comedic potential in a particularly scathing review the critic for variety deemed her entirely undirected arguing that she needs to find a skilled director to Temp her down and channel her obviously abundant energy later in 2010 she briefly dated actor Jake Gillen Hall 201024 speak now and read in August 2010 Swift released mine which entered the United States at number three making Swift the second female artist in the history of the Hot 100 after Mariah KY to debut multiple tracks the other one was today was a fairy tale at number two in the top five during a calendar year the song was the lead single from her third studio album speak now whose Songs She Wrote by herself speak now released on October 25th 2010 was a commercial success debuting at number one on the billboard 200 with opening week sales of 1 million copies the 16th album to do so later it became the fastest selling digital album by a female artist with 278,000 downloads in a week for this feat Swift received a listing in the 2010 Guinness World Records she earned another entry in the book after 10 of Speak Now tracks debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 making her the first female to achieve the feat three of the album singles mine back to December and mean peaked within the top 10 in Canada the song Mean One best country song and best country solo performance at the 54th annual Grammy Awards she performed the song during the ceremony Claire suth of time felt she delivered her comeback on key and with a Vengeance and Jamie dear Wester of USA Today remarked that the criticism in 2010 seemed to have made her a better songwriter and live performer Swift won various other awards for speak now including songwriter artist of the year by the Nashville songwriters Association 20110 and 2011 Woman of the Year by billboard 2011 and Entertainer of the Year by the Academy of Country Music 2011 and 2012 and the country music association in 2011 at the American Music Awards of 2011 Swift won artist of the year and favorite country album Swift embarked on the speak now World Tour which ran from February 2011 to March 2012 and grossed over $123 million in November 20 she released her first live album speak now World Tour live the following month Swift contributed two original songs to the Hunger Games soundtrack album safe and sound Co written and recorded with the Civil Wars and T-Bone Bernette and eyes open the former was awarded the Grammy award for best song written for visual media after providing vocals for b. o dobs both of us in May 2012 Swift dated political air Connor Kennedy from July to September 2012 in August Swift released We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together the lead single from her fourth studio album Red an international success it became her first number one in the US in New Zealand the song reached the top slot on an iTunes chart 50 minutes after its release earning the fastest selling single in digital history listing in the Guinness World Records Swift released the album's second single Begin Again in October it reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 other singles released from the album included I Knew You Were Trouble 22 everything has changed the last time and red I Knew You Were Trouble was a major commercial success peing at number two in the United States red was released on October 22nd 2012 incorporating new genres such as Heartland rock dubstep and dance pop the album was a critical and Commercial Success and debuted at number one on the billboard 200 with first week sales of 1.21 million copies this marked the highest opening sales in a decade and made Swift the first female to have 2 million selling album openings a record recognized by Guinness World Records promoting the album Swift embarked on the Red Tour which ran from March 2013 to June 2014 and grossed over $150 million red earned several accolades including four nominations at the 56th annual Grammy Awards it's single I Knew You Were Trouble won best female video at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards Swift was named best female country artist at the 2012 American Music Awards and artist of the year at the 2013 ceremony she received the Nashville songwriters Association songwriter artist award for the fifth and sixth consecutive years in 2012 and 2013 respectively Swift was also honored by the association with a special Pinnacle Award making her the second recipient of the Accolade after G Brooks in 2013 Swift Co wrote Sweeter Than Fiction with Jack Antonov for the one chance soundtrack and received a best original song nomination at the 71st Golden Globe awards she provided guest vocals for a mcra song titled Highway Don't Care featuring guitar work by Urban Swift performed as tears go by with the Rolling Stones in Chicago as part of their 50 and Counting tour she also joined Florida Georgia Line on stage during their set at the 2013 country radio seminar to sing Cruz outside of Music Swift voiced Audrey a tree lover in the animated film The Lorax 2012 made a cameo in the sitcom New Girl 2013 and had a supporting role in the film adaptation of The Giver 2014 she dated British singer Harry Styles from December 2012 to January 2013 2014 present 1989 in March 2014 Swift relocated to New York City around this time she was working on her fifth studio album 1989 with writers Antonov Martin shellbach imag Heap Ryan tedar and Ali pamy she promoted the album through various campaigns including inviting fans to secret album listening sessions called the 1989 secret sessions credited as her first documented official pop album it marks a departure from her previous country albums the album was released on October 27th 2014 to positive reviews 1989 sold 1.28 million copies in the US during the first week of release and debuted at top the billboard 200 this made Swift the First Act to have three albums sell more than 1 million copies in their opening release week for which she earned a Guinness World Record as of February 2015 1989 had sold over 8.6 million copies worldwide the album's lead single Shake It Off was released in August 2014 and debut Beed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 others included two number one singles blank space and bad blood featuring Kendrick Lamar as well as the top 10 entries style and wildest dreams and the singles out of the woods and new Romantics Shake It Off blank space and Bad Blood also topped the charts in Australia and canada. he music video for Blank Space briefly became the fastest video to reach 1 billion views on Vivo Blank Space in the video for Bad Blood 14 accolades at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards with the latter winning for video of the Year and best collaboration Swift's headlining tour the 1989 World Tour running from May to December 2015 grossed over $250 million and became one of the highest grossing tours of all time Swift was named billboard as woman of the year in 2014 becoming the first artist to win the award twice also that year she received the Dick Clark award for excellence at the American Music Awards in 2015 Shake It Off was nominated for three Grammy Awards including record of the year and song of the year and Swift won the Brit award for international female solo artist the singer was one of eight artists to receive a 50th Anniversary milstone award at the 2015 Academy of Country Music Awards in 20 2016 Swift won three Grammy awards for 1989 album of the Year best pop vocal album and best music video for Bad Blood she became the first woman and Fifth Act overall to win the first of these twice prior to 1989 S release Swift stressed the importance of albums to artists and fans in November 2014 she removed her entire catalog from spfi arguing that the streaming companies ad supported free service undermined the premium service which provides higher royalties for songwriters in June 2015 Swift criticized Apple music in an open letter for not offering royalties to artists during the streaming services free 3-month trial period and stated that she would pull 1989 from the catalog the following day Apple announced that it would pay artists during the free trial period and Swift agreed to stream 1989 on the streaming service Swift's intellectual property rights management and holding company T Rights Management filed for 73 trademarks related to the singer in the 1989 Aram memes in 2015 Swift performed I saw her standing there and Shake It Off with Paul McCartney at the Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary special after party and joined Kenny chzn to sing big star on the opening night of his Big Revival tour in Nashville in March 2015 Swift started dating Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris by June 2015 the duo were ranked as the highest paid celebrity couple over the past year by Forbes with combined earnings of over 146 million do in August Swift addressed her mother's cancer diagnosis and encouraged others to get a medical checkup before Swift and Harris announced the end of their relationship in June 2016 the two wrote his song this is what you came for for which she was initially credited under the sudim Nils scherg in October she penned Little Big Town's better man for their seventh album the breaker two months later Swift and Zayn Mal released a single together called I don't want alive forever for the soundtrack of the film 50 Shades Darker 2017 which reached number one in Sweden Artistry influences one of Swift's earliest musical memories is listening to her maternal grandmother marjerie finl sing at church dot as a child she enjoyed Disney film soundtracks my parents noticed that once I had run out of words I would just make up my own Swift has said she owes her confidence to her mother who helped her prepare for class presentations as a child she also attributes her fascination with writing and storytelling to her mother dot Swift was drawn to the story storytelling of country music and was introduced to the genre by the great female country artists of the 90s shunia Twain Faith Hill and the Dixie Chicks Twain both as a songwriter and performer was her biggest musical influence Hill was Swift's childhood role model everything she said did wore I tried to copy it she admired the Dixie Chicks defiant attitude and their ability to play their own instruments the bands cowboy Take Me Away was the first song Swift learned to play on the guitar Swift also explored the music of older country stars including paty kleene Loretta Lynn Dolly paron and Tammy winnette dot she believes paron is an amazing example to every female songwriter out there old country artists such as Ryan Adams Patty Griffin and Lori McKenna have inspired Swift swift lists Paul McCartney Bruce Springsteen Emmy Lou Harris Chris kristopherson and Carly Simon as her career Role Models they've taken chances but they've also been the same artist for their entire careers do McCartney both as a beetle and a solo artist makes Swift feel as if I've been let into his heart and his mind any musician could only dream of a legacy like that she admires Springsteen for being so musically relevant after such a long period of time she aspires to be like Harris as she grows older it's not about Fame for her it's about music kristopherson shines and songwriter he's just one of those people who has been in this business for years but you can tell it hasn't chewed him up and spat him out Swift says she admires Simon's songwriter and honesty she's known as an emotional person but a strong person Swift has also been influenced by many artists outside the country genre as a pre-teen she enjoyed bubblegum pop Acts including Hansen and Britney Spears Swift has said she has wavering devotion for Spears in her high school years Swift listened to rock bands such as Dashboard Confessional Fallout Boy and Jimmy eator she has also spoken fondly of singers and songwriters like Michelle Branch alannis moriset Ashley Simpson fief Dobson and Justin Timberlake and the 1960s acts like the sherels Doris Troy and the Beach Boys Swift's fifth album the pop focused 1989 was influenced by some of her favorite 1980s pop Acts including Annie Lennox Phil Collins and like a pray a Madonna musical style Swift's music contains elements of pop pop rock and Country she self-identified as a country artist until the 2014 release of 1989 which she described as a sonically cohesive pop album Rolling Stone asserted Swift might get played on the country station but she's one of the few genu rock stars we've got these days the New York Times noted there isn't much in Miss Swift's music to indicate country a few banjo drums a pair of cowboy boots worn on stage a bedazzled guitar but there's something in her Winsome vulnerable delivery that's unique to Nashville according to the guardian Swift cranks Melodies out with the pitiless efficiency of a Scandinavian pop Factory Swift's vocals have been described by Sophie chilasi from the Hollywood report as sweet but soft in studio recordings the Los Angeles Times identified Swift's defining vocal gesture as the line that slides down like a contented sigh or up like a raised eyebrow giving her beloved girl time hits their air of easy intimacy Rolling Stone in a speak now review remarked Swift's voice is unaffected enough to mask how masterful she has become as a singer she lowers her voice for the payoff lines in the classic mode of a shy girl trying to talk tough in another review of speak now the Village Voice noted that her phrasing was previously Bland and muddled but that's changed she can still sound strained and thin and often Strays into a pitch that drives some people crazy but she's learned how to make words sound like what they mean The Hollywood Reporter opines that her live vocals are fine but they do not match those of her peers dot in 2009 they were also described as flat thin and sometimes as wobbly as a newborn cult however Swift has received praise for refusing to correct her pitch with autotune in an interview with the New Yorker Swift characterized herself primarily as a songwriter I write songs and my voice is just a way to get those lyrics across a writer for The Tennessean conceded in 2010 that Swift is not the best technical singer but described her as the best Communicator that we've got Swift's vocal Pres is something that concerns her and she has put a lot of work into improving it it was reported in 2010 that she continues to take vocal lessons she has said that she only feels nervous performing if I'm not sure what the audience thinks of me like at award shows songwriter Swift uses her life experiences as an inspiration in her work in her songs Swift often addresses the anonymous crushes of her high school years and celebrities Swift frequently criticizes ex-boyfriends an aspect of her songwriter downplayed by The Village Voice being told what songs mean is like having a really pushy professor and it imperils a true appreciation of Swift's Talent which is not confessional but dramatic however New York believes the media scrutiny over her decision to mine her personal life for music is sexist in as much as it's not asked of her male peers the singer herself has said that not all her songs are factual and that they are sometimes based on observations aside from her liner note Clues Swift tries not to talk about song subjects specifically because these are real people you try to give insight as to where you were coming from as a writer without completely throwing somebody under the bus the guardian has praised Swift for writing about teenage years with a kind of wistful sepat toned Nostalgia over the course of her first two albums New York has remarked that many singers writers have made great records as teens but none made great records so explicitly about their teens the magazine has also compared her work to Brian Wilson in Fearless Swift featured fairy tale imagery and explored the disconnect between fairy tales and the reality of love her later albums address more adult relationships do in addition to romance and love Swift's songs have discussed parent child relationships friendships alienation Fame and career ambition Swift frequently includes a tossed off phrase to suggest large and serious things that won't fit in the song things that enhance or subvert the surface narrative Rolling Stone describes Swift as a songwriter Savant with an intuitive gift for Verse Chorus Bridge architecture according to the Village Voice she uses third verse point of view reversals frequently in terms of imagery repetition is evident in Swift's songwriter in the Guardians words she spends so much time kissing in the rain that it seems a miracle she hasn't developed trench foot dot Slant Magazine adds to Swift's credit she explores new lyrical motifs over the course of her fourth album although reviews of Swift's work are almost uniformly positive the New Yorker has said she is generally portrayed more as a skilled technician than as a dylan-esque Visionary Public Image Swift's personal life is the subject of constant media attention in 2013 abber cromi and Fitch marketed a slogan t-shirt with a shaming remark directed toward her the New York Times asserted that her dating history has begun to stir what feels like the beginning of a backlash and questioned whether Swift was in the midst of a quarter life crisis Swift has said that she is unwilling to discuss her personal life in public as she believes that talking about it can be a career weakness Rolling Stone remarks upon her polite manner if this is Swift's game face it must be tattooed on because it never drops the magazine also takes note of her e with glad handing and The Hollywood Reporter credits her as the best people person since Bill Clinton while presenting Swift an award for her humanitarian Endeavors in 2012 Michelle Obama described her as a singer who has rocketed to the top of the music industry but still keeps her feet on the ground someone who has shattered every expectation of what a 22-year-old can accomplish Swift considers Obama to be a role model Swift is one of the most followed people on social media and is known for her friendly interactions with her fans she has delivered holiday gifts to fans by mail and in person dubbed Swift maze she considers it her responsibility to be conscious of her influence on young fans and has said that her fans are the longest and best relationship I have ever had often described by the media as America's sweetheart insists that I don't live by all these rigid weird rules that make me feel all fenced in I just like the way that I feel like and that makes me feel very free she does not drink alcohol fearing that she might lose control she refuses to take part in overly sexualized photo shoots although Bloomberg LP views her as a sex symbol Swift was named an icon of American Style by Vogue in 2011 in 2014 she t to people annual best dressed list in 2015 she was named Woman of the Year at the L style Awards and ranked first in Maxim Hot 100 list Swift has also appeared in various power listings due to her success and earnings she was included in ESS annual list of the 100 most influential people in 2010 and 2015 from 20115 she appeared in the top three of Forbes top earning women in music with earnings of $45 million $57 million $55 million $64 million and $80 million respectively in 2015 she became the youngest woman ever to be included on Forbes 100 most powerful women list ranked at number 64 in 2016 Swift topped Forbes annual list of the 100 highest paid celebrities with $170 million she also ranked among the top 10 in 2011 2013 and 2015 in June 2016 Forbes estimated Swift's net worth to be $250 million other Ventures philanthropy Swift's philanthropic efforts have been recognized by the do something Awards and the Tennessee disaster Services she has also received the big help award for her dedication to helping others and inspiring others through action and the Ripple of Hope award because of her dedication to advocacy at such a young age Taylor is just the kind of woman we want our daughters to be in 2008 she donated $100,000 to the Red Cross to help the victims of the Iowa flood of 2008 the singer has performed in charity reliefs like Sydney's sound relief concert she also recorded a song for The Hope for Haiti now album in response to the May 2010 Tennessee floods Swift donated $500,000 during a ton hosted by WSMV in 2011 Swift used a dress rehearsal of her speak now tour as a benefit concert for victims of recent tornadoes in the United States raising more than $750,000 in 2012 Swift supported architecture for humanities restore the shore MTV ton in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2016 she made donations to the Louisiana flood relief and Dolly pardon fire fund Swift is a supporter of the Arts and donated $775,000 to Nashville's Hendersonville High School in 2010 to help refurbish the school auditorium in 2012 she pledged $4 million to fund the building of a new education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville also in 2012 Swift partnered with textbook rental company Che to donate $60,000 to the music Departments of six us colleges Swift also promotes children's literacy in 2009 she donated $250,000 to various schools around the country for improvement of Education her other endeavors to promote literacy include donating 6,000 Scholastic books to Reading Public Library pencilvania 14,000 books to Nashville Public Library Tennessee 2,000 Scholastic books to the Reading Hospital Child Health Center's early literacy program and 25,000 books to New York City schools in 2015 in 2007 she launched a campaign to protect children from online predators in partnership with the Tennessee Association of chiefs of police in 2009 Swift recorded a sound matters Public Service Announcement PSA to make listeners aware of the importance of listening responsibly to prevent hearing impairment Swift has donated items for auction to several Charities including the Elton John AIDS Foundation the UNICEF tap project musy cares and feeding America as a recipient of the Academy of country musics Entertainer of the Year in 2011 Swift donated $25,000 to St Jude Children's Research Hospital Tennessee in 2012 Swift participated in the standup to cancer ton performing Ronin a song She Wrote in memory of a 4-year-old boy who died of neuroblastoma the song was made available for digital download with all proceeds donated to cancer related charities in 2014 she donated $100,000 to the V foundation for cancer research and $50,000 to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia the singer made private visits to hospitals to meet with sick patients and to support them Swift has encouraged young people to volunteer in their local communities as part of global youth service day politics during the 2008 presidential campaign Swift promoted the everywoman counts campaign aimed at engaging women in the political process and was one of many country stars to record a PSA for the vote for your country campaign she stated I don't think it's my job to try and Influence People which way they should vote following President Obama's Inauguration she told Rolling Stone that she supported the president I've never seen this country so happy about a political decision in my entire time of being alive I'm so glad this was my first election in a 2012 interview Swift remarked that in spite of keeping herself as educated and informed as possible she does not discuss politics fearing that it might influence other people Swift has spent time with the Kennedy family and has spoken of her admiration for Ethel kennedy. Swift is also a feminist she has spoken out against LGBT discrimination following the 2008 murder of Larry King she recorded Kelson PSA to combat hate crimes on the first anniversary of King's death Swift told 17 that her parents taught her never to judge others based on whom they love what color their skin is or their religion the music video for Swift's anti-bullying song Mean deals in part with homophobia in high schools the video was nominated for an MTV VMA social activism award in 2011 the New York Times believes she is part of a new wave of young and mostly straight women who are providing the soundtrack for a generation of gay fans coming to terms with their identity in a time of turbulent and confusing cultural messages product endorsements while promoting her debut album Swift appeared as the face of Verizon Wireless Mobile Music campaign in The Fearless era she launched a lei sundress range at Walmart and designed American Greetings cards and Jack Pacific dolls she became a spokesperson for the national hockey leagues NHL Nashville Predators and Sony Cybershot digital cameras in the speak now era she released a special edition of her album through Target Swift became a Covergirl spokes model launched two Elizabeth Arden fragrances one struck and wonder struck Enchanted while promoting her fourth album Red Swift offered exclusive album promotions through Target Papa John's Pizza and Walgreens she became a spokes model for Diet Coke and Ked sneakers released her third Elizabeth Arden fragrance named Taylor by Taylor Swift and continued her Partnerships with Sony electronics and American Greetings Swift also partnered with the company's AR Asia and quantis during the Red Tour these acted as the official Airlines for the Australian and Asian legs and Cornetto sponsored the Asian leg of the tour while promoting 1989 Swift had tie-ins with Subway KS Target and Diet Coke in 2014 Swift released her fourth fragrance incredible things awards and achievements Swift has received many awards and honors including 10 Grammy Awards 19 American Music Awards 23 Billboard Music Awards 11 Country Music Association awards eight Academy of Country Music Awards One Brit award and 1 Emmy as a songwriter she has been honored by the Nashville songwriters Association and the songwriters Hall of Fame by the beginning of 2016 Swift had sold more than 40 million albums 130 million single downloads and was one of the top five music artists with the highest worldwide digital sales. Swift Studio albums Taylor Swift Fearless Speak Now red and 1989 have all sold over 4 million copies in the US e