Name: Taylor Alison Swift
Birthdate: December 13, 1989
Birthplace: Reading, Pennsylvania
Claim to fame: Swift has cemented herself as one of the biggest music stars on the planet with her autobiographical and diaristic songs and lyrics about boys that do her wrong.
Where we can hear her next: Her latest album, 1989, released on October 27. This album is her first-ever solely pop album, and marks her complete departure from country music.
Interesting fact: She was the first ever Saturday Night Live host to write their own monologue. She chose to write a song for her night as host called ‘My Monologue Song’.
Best quote: “The album was made completely and solely on my terms, with no one else’s opinion factoring in, no one else’s agenda factoring in. I didn’t feel that I was having to think too hard about the musical direction. In the past, I’ve always tried to make sure that I was maintaining a stronghold on two different genres, and this time I just had to think about one, which was creatively a relief. It was nice to be honest about what I was making.” — on the making of her latest album ‘1989’.
Why we love her: Like or don’t like her, Taylor Swift is officially a pop star. Her latest album 1989 was released on October 27 and it marks her final departure from country music. Meaning she is no longer going to be playing her new music on country radio, or be attending country music shows. This is a huge transition for Swift; as for years she’s been the wholesome, starry-eyed renegade in the country music genre, delicately toying the line between country and pop. But now she’s made up her mind and her latest album is her surgence into pop-mania with a very heavy 80’s synth influence. That’s why she’s our crush this week, and also why she’s as successful as she is, because she’s constantly evolving, taking big risks, and blazing new trails for her fans to follow, rather than sticking to old recipes that are proven to work.
Even with her massive hits and success, Swift has always felt like an underdog in the music industry, which is probably to due with her very humanized, girl-next-door lyrics that appeal to young girls dealing with your typical boy problems and feelings of being an outsider. Now her new album is just the latest in cementing her as the small-town girl with the big-city fame — hence her recent move to New York, as well as her video for ‘Shake it off’ that sees her fumbling through her dance moves, surrounded by a group of talented hip-hop dancers. She’s not even playing the game and she’s still winning. She’s carved out her own enigma for success that we call ‘Taylor Swift’, and 1989 is just her latest victory.
Like or not like Taylor Swift, you have to hand it to her for taking her latest leap. The album has already been met with positive reviews and she didn’t even have to pen a song after an ex-boyfriend to do it.
