Taylor Swift burst onto the music scene in 2006 with her single Tim McGraw. In the decade since, she’s gone on to win numerous awards and has worked with artists like Ed Sheeran, Selena Gomez, and One Direction’s Harry Styles. If you’re wondering what Taylor Swift’s deal is, here are 10 things you should know about her career thus far. 10 Things You Should Know About Taylor Swift
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1) She writes her own songs
Swift has penned every song she’s ever released. (It took her two days to write You Belong With Me, which was played millions of times on radio and became a viral sensation.) She likes writing in hotel rooms and on planes—when she’s not at home, anyway.
2) Out of the Woods was co-written with Ryan Tedder
He actually came to my house, Swift told Mashable, and we sat on my bed for hours and discussed life. And then he left, and I stayed in bed all day writing ‘Out of the Woods.’ Tedder had a similar experience: I was a little nervous because she’s obviously really good at what she does.
3) The chorus of Look What You Made Me Do came together in 15 minutes
I said, ‘Saddle up, it’s time to go,’ and suddenly I’m alone again. Swift also revealed that she had a more middle-eight for Look What You Made Me Do before deciding on its final version. On August 18, 2017, Swift released a snippet of lyrics from Look What You Made Me Do in a video montage of her celebrity friends and foes before taking a shower. 10 Things You Should Know About Taylor Swift
4) Her best friend at school was Britany Maack (who appeared in both Fearless and Speak Now videos)
The two were members of a school marching band and still keep in touch regularly. Her highest position on US Billboard Hot 100 is 14: Fearless is her only album not to reach number one. She’s won over 20 awards, including a Grammy Award, six CMT Music Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, ten Teen Choice Awards and thirteen People’s Choice Awards. In 2012 she won the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award for outstanding female artist. 10 Things You Should Know About Taylor Swift
5) She initially wanted to be a country artist
Swift has always been a huge country music fan, but she didn’t initially aspire to make it in country music. Her initial plan was to attend Nashville’s prestigious Belmont University and pursue a degree in musical theater. The school had such high standards that Swift took matters into her own hands and independently produced a demo CD of songs she recorded at home using GarageBand on her family’s computer.
6) A Girl’s Best Friend is another name for the song Love Story
Taylor’s most successful song is also her signature song. If you’ve never heard it, give it a listen! It’s easy to see why Love Story has been so popular: The lyrics and tune are gorgeous, and Taylor is in top form as a vocalist. And since she wrote both of these songs, you can bet they’re packed with deep personal meaning for her.
7) She wrote her first song at 13 years old, called Tim McGraw
The title came from a song by Gretchen Wilson. I saw her play in concert, and she did a cover of Tim McGraw and I thought it was really cool, so I wanted to write a song called that.
8) Despite what people think, she does have an extensive knowledge about music!
The pop star’s been linked to several musicians, including John Mayer and Jake Gyllenhaal, and has built up a lengthy list of songwriting credits. Oh, and she really loves cats. Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about T-Swift!

Name | Taylor Swift |
Born | December 13, 1989 (age 32) West Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Other names | Nils Sjöberg[ |
Occupation | Singer-songwriter record producer actress director businesswoman |
Years active | 2004–present |
Works | Albums single ssongs videography |
Partner(s) | Joe Alwyn (2016–present)[ |
Relatives | Austin Swift (brother) Marjorie Finlay (grandmother) |
Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Genres | Pop country alternative rock folk |
Instruments | Vocals guitar banjo piano ukulele |
Labels | Republic Big Machine |
Associated acts | Ed Sheeran Justin Vernon Haim |
Website | taylorswift.com |
9) Her most successful single is ‘Shake it Off’ but it took 7 years to get there. All her other hits from 1989 are worth listening too, however.
Shake It Off is Swift’s first number one song. She had previously peaked at number two with We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and I Knew You Were Trouble. So, you’ll probably be aware of how many records she has shattered before ‘Shake It Off’ took over charts around the world, including making her only the fourth artist to have multiple videos viewed over a billion times on Vevo.
10) Her song All Too Well brought her to tears while writing it
I was exhausted from being on tour, so I wrote about what it’s like to be in love with your best friend and he cheats on you, she told Marie Claire. It just hurt like hell.
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