taylor swift biography movie

Miss Americana

The entirety of Netflix’s “Miss Americana” yearns to continue the feeling of how we first see mega pop star Taylor Swift —sitting cross-legged in overalls, reading from her teenage journal, and talking about different realizations she’s had about the kind of woman she wants to be. It’s far removed from her sold-out shows, but only by so much. Lana Wilson’s doc is engineered to appease her fans and promote Swift’s self-awareness, and yet it leaves one feeling that there is still so much more to be discussed about what makes Taylor Swift who she is. 

Swift has reinvented herself many times over, and “Miss Americana” finds her before the birth of her 2019 album Lover , and after 2017’s Reputation didn’t hit as well as her previous. (There’s brief footage of her reacting to not getting any Grammy nominations for Reputation , and it’s a striking moment.) This is also around the time of when Swift became more politically involved, and against conservatives like anti-feminist Tennessee senator Marsha Blackburn and Donald Trump . The movie seeks to detail what lead to that transformation, but also makes sure to pat her on the back for getting active.  

Wilson’s mostly chronological depiction of Swift’s rise goes to different chapters that even casual pop culture viewers will recognize, while offering the emotional subtext fans might not know about Swift’s many personal and public experiences. For example, Swift looks back on the incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, when Kanye West stormed the stage after she had won the award for “Best Female Video,” and declared that “Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.” She talks about how the boos that followed West’s actions felt like they were for her, and how that shook her, especially in her long-held values to be nice and to be liked.  

Wilson frames Swift’s chronological rise in pop music largely as the very public story of someone who worked hard to fit into ideals for women—which created a body image insecurity that led to an eating disorder—and now seeks to not let such forces control her. The doc also touches upon the slut-shaming she has faced for her public relationships, and the damning accusation of being branded as “fake.” In between all of the behind-the-scenes footage that millions of Swift fans will no doubt enjoy is a narrative of someone navigating her career in a ruthless business that, according to Swift, “puts women in an elephant graveyard when they’re 35.” She’s also, as the doc reminds us in a powerful passage, someone who did experience sexual assault, and was close to having her story silenced. Only Swift speaks about these concepts, and it’s like watching a woman trace her awareness. It becomes a bummer that this compelling approach has to fight so much against briefly amusing fan service for screen-time. 

Fan service is not an inherently bad thing, especially when a star is as charismatic as Swift. She can show a witty, loose side in candid footage, whether taken in-studio or at home. But the movie limits itself to such a narrow focus in how it challenges this pop culture titan, or her actions, and constantly touts her as the hero. In the movie’s clear intent to uphold and protect her, it only makes Swift seem even more out of reach. 

It’s easier to connect to Swift, and her life story, when she speaks transparently about a deep need for approval, and wanting to be what she calls “a good girl.” In turn, whenever Wilson can use that relatable quality, and then make us contextualize Swift’s arena concert footage as an isolated art spurned from an insecurity of not being enough, the documentary goes beyond well-intentioned hagiography. But too much of “Miss Americana” plays like we should crane our necks back and look up to one of the most popular people on the planet, and just appreciate them for reminding us that they too are human.  

This review was filed from the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020. 

Nick Allen is the former Senior Editor at RogerEbert.com and a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

• Taylor Swift as Herself
• Lana Wilson

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‘Taylor Swift: Miss Americana’ Review: A Star, Surprisingly Alone

In the Netflix documentary, we see a star that is self-critical, grown up and ready, perhaps, to deliver a message beyond the music.

By Wesley Morris

“Miss Americana” is 85 minutes of translucence with Taylor Swift . There’s more in it — and more to it — than you usually get with these pop superstar portraits. I, at least, don’t recall loneliness being such a predominant condition for Swift’s peers as it is, here, for her. Not long after the movie doles out a deluxe rise-to-the-top montage, we hear Swift ask no one in particular, “Shouldn’t I have someone to call right now?” This from a woman who’s famous — notorious, actually — for her squad of besties. Otherwise, it’s lonely up there. Even the man she says she’s seeing is a figment in this movie, cropped from images, a hand-holding blur, a ghost.

On Grammy nomination day in the winter of 2018, a camera watches from a low angle as Swift sits in sweats alone on a sofa and hears from her publicist that her perturbed sixth album, “Reputation,” has been omitted from three of the big categories. She’s stoic. She’s almost palpably hurt. But Swift’s songwriting treats hurt as an elastic instrument, and she resolves in that moment of snubbing, “I just need to make a better record.” And the movie watches as she writes and records “Lover,” another album eventually rejected by the string-pullers at the Grammys .

Along the way, Swift does a lot of ruminating and recounting, a lot of arguing and apologizing on her own behalf. She’s rueful about sitting out the 2016 presidential election and failing to mobilize her millions of fans and followers against Donald Trump’s candidacy. So “Miss Americana” is also about an apolitical star waking up to herself as a woman and a citizen. She wants to spend her “good girl” credit to decry the scorched-earth-conservative Senate campaign that Marsha Blackburn was running in Tennessee, Swift’s adopted home. Her management team deems this unwise. The team, at that symbolic point, is two slouchy, old white men who counter their client’s raging passion with financial and prehistoric umbrage. Bob Hope and Bing wouldn’t let their politics dent ticket sales 50 percent. It’s part of strong stretch of the movie that argues that Swift’s own experience with a handsy (and consequently litigious) radio personality helped push her off the fence — a passage that culminates with the most stressful sending of an Instagram post you’re likely to see from a star.

Swift’s success rate as an activist is nominal; Blackburn is currently sitting through impeachment arguments with 99 other senators. But what’s bracing about this film, which Lana Wilson directed, is the way it weds Swift’s loneliness and her arrival at empowerment. That’s at least how I’m receiving her support last summer of pro-gay legislation that culminated in the video for her hit “You Need to Calm Down.” It teemed with famous queer people, and watching its partial making in this movie made me understand that she was campaigning not just for gay rights, but possibly for new friends.

Swift is revealed as being surrounded by men of different generations. Some co-create her music. Some oversee her career. Only with the producer Jack Antonoff do we catch a spark of collaborative lightning. The few meaningful connections with women involve her mother and a visiting childhood friend (Abigail, the wronged protagonist of the Swift classic “Fifteen”) — and Wilson.

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Miss Americana: 13 Things We Learned From Taylor Swift's Netflix Documentary

Following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Miss Americana , Taylor Swift 's highly anticipated documentary, arrived on Netflix. Directed by Lana Wilson, the film gives us a peek into the inner workings of the life and work of a megastar.

Miss Americana proved to be an emotional rollercoaster ride, offering snippets -- and sometimes full segments -- on some of the highs and lows of Swift's career and personal life. Taylor Swift is known for more than just the songs she writes and the albums she creates. This new documentary touches on a lot of topics. I've chosen 13 of the biggest reveals and insights from the film. (This list is obviously full of spoilers from the Netflix documentary.)

She Reacted To Her Grammy Snub With Determination And A Bit Of Sadness

We see Taylor lounging on the couch, ready to receive the news over the phone that the Grammy nominations are being announced. As it happens, Reputation wasn't nominated in any of the major categories (Album of the Year, Song of the Year, etc.). The film shows her processing the news, after which she states, "I just need to make a better record ... I'm making a better record." She looks visibly sad -- or maybe just disappointed -- after she finishes the call. It's a rare glimpse into what it might look like when an artist feels like they missed the mark... at least, as far as awards go. (Let's not forget that the album was a major success commercially, having gone triple platinum .)

Sharing An Album Feels Like Sharing Her Diary

Taylor talks about growing up along with her fans and how releasing an album full of songs she's written is almost like her fans are reading her diary. It's fitting that this segment comes along with footage of her playing "Lover," the titular song of her most recent album. Last year, she literally shared pages of her diaries with her fans. The deluxe edition of Lover just so happens to include some of Taylor's handwritten journal entries from over the years.

She Thought She Was Being Booed During The 2009 VMAs

The documentary covers the 2009 VMAs. You remember, the MTV VMAs where Kanye West interrupted Taylor's acceptance speech for Best Female Video? In the moments after the interruption, from what she says in the documentary, she thought the booing from the crowd was being directed toward her, and it really hit her hard.

"For someone who's built their whole belief system on getting people to clap for you, the whole crowd booing is a pretty formative experience."

For A Long Time, She's Wanted To Be Seen As 'Good'

It's evident throughout Miss Americana that how people view her has an impact on how she feels and that has weighed on her in the past. She talks about feeling like she needed to do the right thing and the good thing . It sounds like she's felt a lot of pressure to present herself the right way. Approval and a positive public image appear to have been a major priority for her over the years.

Having Kids Is A Topic

The subject of having kids comes up a couple of times in the documentary. At one point, around the time that Taylor's about to turn 29, she mentions that she doesn't think she's ready to have kids anytime soon. And later in the documentary, when she's chatting with her friend Abigail, they discuss their friend's comments about taking care of a newborn baby, which Taylor jokingly compares to taking care of a Tamagotchi.

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That's about as much insight as she's willing to share with us on her thoughts about babies and starting a family. Maybe it comes up because she gets asked about it. Maybe it's just something that's on her mind because she's turning 30 and people she knows are starting to have families. Whether or not she has plans for that in the future isn't really addressed.

She Wants To Be On The Right Side Of History

Miss Americana dedicates a whole segment to Taylor Swift's decision to speak out openly about her political views. This is tied in with with a segment about the sexual assault case and the emotional impact it had on her.

"I couldn't really stop thinking about it. And I just thought to myself, next time there's any opportunity to change anything, you had better know what you stand for and what you want to say."

The sequence takes us through her decision to speak up during the 2018 mid-term elections, the concerns about backlash and potential threats, and the eventual choice to speak her mind. Politics also factor in to the new song released with the documentary, " Only the Young ."

There Are Cats Everywhere

This one likely came as a total shock to Swifties, I'm sure. Ok, not really. Not at all. It's well known that Taylor loves her cats. Still, it's impossible not to notice the cat presence throughout the film. Her cat, Olivia, is seen peering through a fishbowl-like window in a carry-case backpack. Meredith is there with her during the Grammy nomination call. And newest addition, little Benjamin Button, is seen stepping over the piano keys at the start of the film. You can even spot a cat wandering through the presents during a home video of a very young Taylor receiving a guitar for Christmas.

She's Struggled With Eating And Her Body Image

Body image and her appearance is a topic that comes up as Taylor's in the car, looking at a photo someone took of her. Taylor talks about how she tries not to spend too much time looking at photos of herself and the feelings she's experienced when she thinks her tummy looks too big. In the past, those thoughts might cause her to "starve a little bit." The result of past eating habits might include feeling like she might pass out during or after a show and how she's come to realize that's not ok.

"There's always some standard of beauty that you're not meeting. Because if you're thin enough, then you don't have that ass that everybody wants. But if you have enough weight on you to have an ass then your stomach isn't flat enough. It's all just fucking impossible."

Her Parents Are Often Around

From the footage throughout the film, it's evident that Taylor's mother and father are an active part of her life and work. They're seen participating in various conversations about her career. We also get a small segment that mentions Taylor's mother's fight with cancer and her decision to fulfill her dream of getting a big (very big) dog. It's understandably a private matter and the documentary doesn't spend a lot of time on it. What's clear is that Taylor and her mother are very close. And it sounds like her mother's illness has had an impact on her perspective...

"Do you really care if the internet doesn't like you today, if your mom's sick from her chemo."

Taylor Is An Energetic Songwriter

Taylor Swift writes music. That much is well known among her fans. Miss Americana offers more than a few glimpses of her song-writing process. We see her in the studio with producer Joel Little at one point, showing him what she has for "Me!," the eventual first single for Lover . Later, she's more upbeat as Brendon Urie joins her to work on his vocals for the track. In another part, we're treated to a glimpse of her hashing out the lyrics for "The Man." Her focus on and enthusiasm for the lyrics is always evident.

Going back years earlier, she's hanging out with producer Jack Antonoff, working out the bridge for Reputation 's "Getaway Car." The clip is made all the more exciting as the scene transitions from the writing breakthrough to Taylor on stage belting out the finished song to a roaring crowd that's singing along with her. It's real a thrill to see Taylor and her producers tinker with music and lyrics to the songs we'll eventually come to know and love.

She Found A New Kind Of Happiness

Taylor Swift's relationship with Joe Alwyn has played out mostly away from the spotlight. Miss Americana doesn't really break that trend. Joe is barely in the documentary, seen only briefly as he hugs Swift backstage at one of her concerts. Her romantic relationship is discussed in the segment that focuses on Taylor finding happiness with someone she describes as "someone who had a really wonderfully, normal, balanced, grounded life." She never says his name, and we're left to assume that he's the one she mouths "I love you" to as she sits on the floor singing "Call it What You Want." That his is the hand she is seen kissing in the car, and that it's his shadow walking next to hers while they're enjoying some time outdoors together.

"Even though it was really horrible, I was happy. But I wasn't happy in the way I was trained to be happy. It was happiness without anyone else's input. It was just, we were happy."

She Dropped Off The Map Because She Thought That's What People Wanted

Taylor admits she wasn't able to bounce back after the whole "Taylor Swift is Over Party" that ensued in 2016 and led to her stepping out of the spotlight for a while. Throughout this segment, she talks about how no one saw her for a year. She just wanted to disappear. When you take into account what Taylor's said about approval and wanting to be seen as good, it's not hard to understand why this ordeal would've had a major impact on her. Or as she put it, she had to deconstruct an entire belief system. It sounds like she had to process a lot to get through this situation.

"When people fall out of love with you, there's nothing you can do to make them change their mind. They just don't love you anymore."

She Seems To Realize That Fame Can Be Fleeting

It's interesting to hear a celebrity speak so candidly about how they feel about their own fame or the fame of fellow superstars. She talks about people liking the shiny new toy for like two years. And how artists, particularly women, have to keep reinventing themselves or else they're out of a job. As she points out, women have to reinvent much more than men, so that they can remain "shiny" to fans.

Taylor mentions moving toward her thirties a couple times in the film. From the comments she's made, it sounds like she believes at some point people's tolerance for her success will run out.

"This is probably one of my last opportunities as an artist to grasp onto that kind of success. So, I don't know, as I'm reaching thirty, I'm like, I want to work really hard while society is still tolerating me being successful."

Some Other Random Things I Wrote Down

While the above list were the biggest observations and takeaways I had from the documentary, here are some other notes I took that didn't make the cut:

• -Taylor did Todrick Hall's nails for the VMAs .
• -Taylor Swift has magnets and photos all over her oven.
• -She likes ice in her wine.
• -Taylor didn't eat her first burrito until her mid-twenties.
• -Flying private apparently means you might have to brace yourself and your food during take-off.
• -She feeds her cats treats at the table.
• -Her mom's dog is gloriously huge.

Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims. 

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How Miss Americana director Lana Wilson found the real Taylor Swift

Why the acclaimed feminist filmmaker decided to make a documentary on one of the world’s biggest pop stars.

by Alissa Wilkinson

I first met documentarian Lana Wilson on a panel I was moderating about making documentaries in difficult and intimate spaces. Wilson was a perfect fit for the conversation — her 2013 film After Tiller , for instance, documents the lives of the only four doctors in the United States who perform late-term abortions. Her 2017 documentary The Departure explores the epidemic of death by suicide in Japan through a portrait of a Buddhist monk.

So I was a little surprised when I found out that her new film was a portrait of a very different subject: Taylor Swift , one of the most well-known people on the planet. But once you see the movie, it makes sense that Wilson would want to be involved.

Miss Americana captures a much more intimate portrait than your typical pop star documentary. While Wilson was making the film, largely during the recording of Swift’s 2019 album Lover , Swift went through a series of events that shifted her view of herself — most notably, countersuing a man who sued her after she accused him of groping her. Swift won the suit and gained some confidence to speak out about other things, including her political views .

In Miss Americana , Swift both explains that journey and lets audiences in on some aspects of her life, especially her songwriting process, which is delightful to behold. (Her relationship with actor Joe Alwyn remains largely off-screen; she’s still a private person.) She’s frank about her experiences with eating disorders, fame, paparazzi, and her emotional spiral after Kanye West famously hijacked Swift’s VMAs speech in 2009 .

I talked with Wilson after the film’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, which Swift attended. Our conversation, which has been lightly edited, follows.

• The 3 best songs on Taylor Swift’s new album, Lover

Alissa Wilkinson

At the premiere, Taylor said that you two weren’t really sure what kind of movie you were going to be making when you first got started. So how did this project end up happening?

Lana Wilson

I was introduced to Taylor by Morgan Neville , who’s a producer on the film. I went to meet her in person, and she had watched some of my work. We talked for an hour about documentaries and storytelling.

I knew and loved her albums. I would tell friends, “Oh, you should listen to her early country stuff, because it’s such great songwriting.” I don’t know much about country music, but I knew she was an extraordinary songwriter. So I admired her, and knew she’d been writing her own songs for 15 years, and all of that. But I didn’t know anything about her personal life, or what she was really like beyond her songs.

So, when first met, we had a mutual admiration for each other’s work. She appreciated that my documentaries give audiences space to come to their own conclusions. They’re about gray areas and complexity. She really responded to all of that.

We talked about doing a documentary that felt raw and intimate and complex and messy. She was coming out of an important time in her life. She’d been out of the public eye for a year, and she was coming back. She wanted to keep making work and going out into the world, but she wanted to do it in a way where she wasn’t caring as much about getting everyone’s approval and getting everyone to like her.

That was something I related to, as a creative person. It’s terrifying to put your art into the world. You always hope everyone likes it, even though you know not everyone will like it. We’re all on social media and more conscious than ever of how we measure up to other people, and if people like us or not.

And I related to her as a female artist in a male-dominated industry. There is something different about needing to be liked by the people in your industry, by the people that you work with. You’re judged based on whether you’re likable or not if you’re a woman, in a way that you’re not if you’re a man. I immediately thought this could be incredibly rich and deep, and started filming. The evolution of her political, feminist consciousness leading to this decision to speak out politically, for me, was extraordinarily powerful to witness.

A lot of the big public events in the movie are familiar to most people who pay any attention to pop culture, but this movie feels like we’re getting access to behind-the-scenes footage. A lot of people thought they knew what was going on with Swift behind the news headlines, but that’s not necessarily true.

Right. It was a challenge and a joy in the edit room to figure out how to do this. The film primarily covers about two years. But then, you have to ask, what elements of her backstory and her past do you need to know in order to have the context for the emotional journey she’s on now?

She’s had this 15-year career already, so we had an overwhelming amount of material to choose from. We ended up, in the edit room, deciding to use the archival footage as sparingly as possible; we just used what you needed to know to understand where she was coming from, and why [the decision to speak out] was so profound for her.

It seems like putting together this story would be especially hard with a subject about whom everyone has preconceptions. Everyone thinks they know who Taylor Swift is. Your other films are about people who aren’t celebrities (though they’re public figures in their own way). Did it feel like you had to do something different to find what the story would be for this one?

Well, yes and no. I do feel like my other films are about people living in extraordinary circumstances. And they’re about giving audiences the chance to intimately experience [the subjects’] lives, even though their lives could probably not be more different than the audience members. So my approach was certainly common here. I was surprised by moments [in Taylor’s life] that I thought people could relate to, especially women and girls. So those were really the focus.

But of course, it was very different in some ways than my other films, in terms of the amount of information that was publicly available about this person. And you’re right that people have all kinds of preconceptions about Taylor Swift.

I think my favorite thing about the movie is how much we get to watch Taylor just work! Documentaries about artists’ processes fascinate me, and that’s a huge part of this movie. We get to just watch her write songs. I think it may also help show some skeptics she’s the real deal as a songwriter, especially for people who assume she’s just a manufactured pop star because she’s young and pretty and successful.

No one had ever filmed with her in the studio before.

Ever. She had occasionally used her own cellphone to film, which you see a little bit of in the film.

It was fun for me, as a creative person too, to see the process. She’s always recording voice memos, or writing notes of lyrics in her phone. You have to do this as a writer — you have to catch ideas as they come. She’s such a pro at that.

It’s fun to watch someone who’s just been such an extraordinary songwriter for 15 years, who has the craft down. I loved watching that. But no one had ever filmed with her in the studio before, so it was a process. I went in alone with a camera and planted myself in the corner. On day two, I might move around a little more. On day three, I might bring in a sound recordist. I try to make as small of a footprint as possible — just me, or me and one other person, in the room.

It was a challenge. But I think in the end, she came to enjoy having us there. It’s different, but in my past films, with sensitive filming situations, I’ve tried to just be still and radiate support. I know I’m not invisible, and I’m not going to disappear. But I can become part of the process in a silent way.

That’s the funny thing about documentary — it’s kind of like a science experiment. Things change under observation . But I do wonder, since Taylor is so used to the spotlight, if it’s different in her case. Did you feel like she was more or less aware of the cameras, aware of managing her image for the cameras, than someone else might have been?

You’d have to ask her, honestly. I think my presence felt different than those of other people filming her have been in the past. I mean, this is someone who has paparazzi after her all the time. And just seeing a camera out of nowhere — it’s scary. A camera has the potential to be a destructive — and has been — a destructive force in her life. The microscope she’s been put under by the media and by the public, and it’s not just about her music. It’s about her as a person. She is without peers, in a lot of ways. She’s writing all her own songs. A totally self-created artist who’s been doing this for 15 years, at the top of her game.

But to say she has no peers is both a compliment and a quandary, because there aren’t a lot of role models to look at. She’s doing this under intense layers of public scrutiny, both about her as an artist and a person. And she’s somehow managed to maintain her humanity and her sense of humor despite all of that. That was amazing for me to see.

I think some people are going to assume she really managed this portrait of her, too. Which might be because you don’t really appear in the documentary.

Yes. I don’t put myself in my documentaries. I never have. There’s one point in the film where you hear my voice, and that was the idea of one of our editors, Lindsay Utz. I thought it was a great idea.

It’s you asking Taylor a follow-up question, right?

Yeah. She says there’s no such thing as a bitch or a slut, and then apologizes, then asks herself why she’s apologizing. You can hear me saying, “Well, we’re trained to say sorry.” It was a great thing to have in there, because it relates to something a lot of women experience. If you speak out too much or go too far, or you’re too strong or assertive, you’re like, “Oh, God. I’m so sorry. Did I offend you? Is that okay?”

• Rumors of the Old Taylor’s death have been greatly exaggerated

Taylor really wanted a director to bring her perspective to the documentary, and working with her, I felt like I had the freedom to tell the story. So I don’t put myself in my movies, but I do feel like I chose the story I wanted to tell.

And when I showed her the film, she loved it. She was never not game for anything. She didn’t have some plan for what the documentary should be. She really wanted someone to come in, film her life, and then make a story.

There’s something very comforting about that idea, of having someone else make sense of your own journey.

I think a lot of documentary subjects agree to be in films because they’re curious about the story they’ll be told about their life. They want an outside perspective. I mean, that’s part of why I go to therapy. My therapist is telling me a novel about my life, and I learn so much from that. I think it can be similar with documentary subjects. I saw this person going through this transformational chapter in her life that was a moment of reflection and self-assessment.

That’s why I wanted to bookend the film with her looking at her childhood diary. I wanted to start it in a provocative way, where we’re situating ourselves in her inner voice.

I wanted the movie to start in a way that would signal this movie is going to be different from other pop star movies, by having us hear her, over images of her at the peak of her fame, saying, “I became the person who everyone wanted me to be.” I always knew I wanted to end the film with her walking back out to the stage, back out into the public eye. Putting her art out there — putting herself out there again — but with this new self-knowledge and self-awareness.

I think that it’s brave of her to do this documentary, because she’s not someone who needs to do this. She had the bestselling album on earth last year. But I think she wants to be able to communicate with people.

And there’s so much that I hope is comforting and inspiring and relatable for so many people in sharing this experience with them. Even though a lot of it is hard.

I think people have this idea that stars who got famous when they were young are just born with that ability, that they’re never dealing with fear or self-doubt. Miss Americana really complicates that narrative, making us clear of how much fear and need to please has been part of her life.

We’re all trying to be confident people in the world. You might be a creative person putting your work out there. Or you might need to have a difficult conversation with your family that you’ve been avoiding, which we also see Taylor do in the film. We’re all trying to find ways to be true to ourselves and be confident people, but we all inevitably have insecurities and challenges. I wanted to show all of that contradiction and complexity in this movie.

Miss Americana opened the Sundance Film Festival on January 23 and premieres on Netflix on January 31.

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Here’s every Taylor Swift movie and documentary in chronological order

EW looks back on the singer's filmography, from her early concert films to her recent Hollywood features.

The Hub / Courtesy: Everett; Regal Cinemas / Courtesy Everett; Universal Pictures / courtesy Everett 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last year and a half, you know that Taylor Swift ’s latest world tour is so massive that it literally shakes the earth . And you’re probably aware of The Eras Tour movie, which is now the highest-grossing concert film of all time . But the singer’s filmography isn’t limited to just concert docs; she’s also appeared in major Hollywood features, music documentaries, and even her own self-directed short film. Here is a complete guide to Taylor Swift’s movies in chronological order.

Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience (2009)

Frank Masi/ ©Walt Disney Co./courtesy Everett

In simpler times, when 3-D movies were all the rage, the Jonas Brothers brought a teenaged Taylor Swift on stage to perform a duet of her single “Should’ve Said No” with then-boyfriend Joe Jonas . (Little did he know, she would soon write a frustrated country song about him .) Overall, the concert film is silly and forgettable, but this performance is classic Taylor, from the sparkly dress to the debut-era twang. 

Where to watch Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience : Disney+

Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)

Sam Emerson/Walt Disney Co./courtesy Everett 

Speaking of which, nothing says nostalgia like Hannah Montana . A lot more people are in Hannah Montana: The Movie than you remember, including Brooke Shields , Vanessa Williams , Tyra Banks , Margo Martindale , and Natalia Dyer in her first acting credit. Also making her feature debut was Taylor Swift with a cameo as a country singer, performing “Crazier” at a honky tonk while Miley Cyrus slow dances with love interest Lucas Till (who incidentally starred in the iconic music video for “You Belong With Me” and briefly dated Swift in real-life.) In addition to “Crazier,” the singer co-wrote the movie’s closing song “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home.”

Where to watch Hannah Montana: The Movie : Disney+

Journey to Fearless (2010)

The Hub / Courtesy: Everett

Journey to Fearless is a far cry from the polished concert films of her later eras, but it’s still incredibly charming. A chronicle of Swift’s first world tour, the miniseries was released episodically on the now-defunct teen TV channel The Hub before arriving on DVD. And indeed, it has the intimacy of a home video (including adorable home footage of little Taylor with her guitar, of course). Since she was still just a teen in 2010, it’s full of appearances from her family — especially Mama Swift — and hometown friends like Abigail, who inspired her coming-of-age ballad “Fifteen.” 

Where to watch Journey to Fearless : YouTube

Valentine's Day (2010)

Remember the years after Love Actually , when movie studios thought we wanted a ridiculously star-studded ensemble rom-com about every single holiday? Enter Valentine’s Day , a generic, cookie-cutter rip-off filled to the brim with A-list stars and Oscar winners. But among the hundreds of weak subplots is a cute little vignette featuring Taylor Swift and then-boyfriend Taylor Lautner (a.k.a. her “best ex” ). The Taylors play beautiful ditzy teen couple Felicia and Willy, who have no arc except being super obsessed with each other (and making out… a lot). At the end of the film, they come home from a Valentine’s Day date with Swift’s “Today Was a Fairytale” playing in the background — and then they suck face again. 

Where to watch Valentine's Day : Hulu

Speak Now World Tour – Live (2011)

Rob Verhorst/Redferns

Speak Now World Tour was Swift's first live album, for which she released a CD and a DVD with live performances of almost every song on Speak Now . These recordings are full of her trademark showmanship, especially when she sings “Enchanted” accompanied by ballet dancers, or when actual fireworks go off during that line in the bridge of “Dear John.” But the highlight of the concert film might be her covers and mash-ups; Speak Now was the first album where she really started experimenting with different genres, so it’s refreshing to see her pay homage to her influences. The lovely, folky cover of “Drops of Jupiter” is a notable stand-out, reframing the song so successfully that it sounds like it was written for her.

Where to watch Speak Now World Tour – Live : Not available to stream

The Lorax (2012)

Universal Pictures/courtesy Everett

This was Swift’s first and only voice role, which is a shame because her earnest, expressive delivery is perfect for children’s media. In The Lorax , she plays a girl named Audrey who lives in a walled city with artificial vegetation, while Zac Efron portrays the boy trying to impress her by finding a “real tree.” The movie isn’t always successful at translating the bleak, cautionary poetry of Dr. Seuss’ environmental fable (or its message, considering the studio sold the Lorax’s likeness to an SUV commercial ). But for Swifties, it will be forever immortalized by Swift and Efron’s promotional appearance on Ellen , where they famously sang an eerily prophetic diss track about the host.

Where to watch The Lorax : Peacock

The Giver (2014)

David Bloomer/Weinstein Company/Courtesy Everett

Based on Lois Lowry’s seminal young adult novel, The Giver crafts a world where emotion has been eliminated and all babies are genetically engineered. The teenage protagonist, Jonas ( Brenton Thwaites ), is selected to train with the Giver ( Jeff Bridges ) to hold all the memories of how the world used to be. Swift plays the small but pivotal role of Rosemary, the Giver’s daughter who once trained as a “Receiver” and met a tragic fate. She’s only on screen for a few minutes, but she aptly embodies Rosemary’s compassion and idealism — and she even gets to sing a little!

Where to watch The Giver : Netflix

The 1989 World Tour Live (2015)

Jun Sato/LP5/Getty

1989 was the era when Swift shed her country roots and fully stepped into pop superstardom, so The 1989 World Tour Live is much glitzier than any of her previous concert films. Gone are the home videos and interviews with Mama Swift; instead we have a steady stream of appearances from former and current members of her celebrity “ squad ,” from Camila Cabello and Karlie Kloss to Serena Williams and Mariska Hargitay . Her vocals are the strongest they had ever been up to that point, especially during challenging songs like “I Know Places” or her truly inspired rock version of “We Are Never Getting Back Together.” (Can we have a whole rock album, please?)

Where to watch The 1989 World Tour Live : YouTube

Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour (2018)

Kevin Mazur/TAS18/Getty

This is an iconic concert film among Swifties, and for good reason. Love it or hate it, the gothic drama of the Reputation album makes it perfect for giant stadium performances. “Ready For It?” was made to be a show opener, and theatrical songs like “Don’t Blame Me” and “I Did Something Bad” become anthemic when sung by a crowd. The entire concert is a spectacle — all black and red, smoke and snakes. She’s in full sneering bad-girl mode, and it’s thrilling. 

The most remarkable thing about this tour is how she makes time for moments of vulnerability, and how well she connects to her fans. "I can see absolutely every person in this stadium and I can see you dancing,” she says to the crowd. “I can see you throwing your hands in the air, and on top of that, I can hear [you].”

Where to watch Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour : Not available to stream

Bluebird (2019)

Cleopatra Entertainment / courtesy Everett

Here’s a sweet, heartfelt documentary where established and up-and-coming country singers pay homage to a Nashville institution: the Bluebird Cafe. Countless artists got their start at the venue, including Taylor Swift, who makes a surprise appearance at the Bluebird to the audience’s shock and delight. In addition to singing an acoustic version of Little Big Town ’s “Better Man” (which she later released as part of her re-recording project ), she recounts being discovered by Scott Borchetta at age 14 during a Bluebird writers’ night. Although that anecdote is now more bittersweet in light of the legal battle between Swift, Borchetta, and Scooter Braun , it’s still a testament to the power of an institution that uplifts aspiring artists.

Where to watch Bluebird : Amazon Prime Video (available to rent)

Cats (2019)

Universal Pictures / courtesy Everett

Oh, dear. Cats ’ sins against humanity have been well-documented, from Rebel Wilson unzipping her fur to cockroaches with human faces . And although Taylor Swift was heavily featured in the film’s marketing, she only appears in one truly bonkers scene . First, Swift's Bombalurina is suspended on a crescent moon and shaking glittery catnip all over the other cats before performing a highly sexualized rendition of “Macavity.” As she’s dancing, all of the most disturbing, uncanny elements of the special effects are on full display. (Why do they have human hands?!) Swift commits to the bit with slinky, campy energy, but nothing could have saved this. When Swift wrote the lyric “ motion capture put me in a bad light ” a year later, no one was surprised.

On the positive side, she co-wrote the song “Beautiful Ghosts” with original Cats composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. In the film, it’s sung by lead actress Francesca Hayward, but Swift’s lovely, underrated version can be heard over the end credits. 

Where to watch Cats : Netflix

Miss Americana (2020)

Although Taylor Swift famously bares her soul in her songwriting, she’s historically been guarded about her personal life. That all changed with Miss Americana , the revealing documentary directed by Lana Wilson that delves into difficult topics like her eating disorder, her sexual assault and subsequent trial, and her mother’s cancer diagnosis. But most of all, Miss Americana is about Swift taking control of her career and voice. The film sees the singer start to direct her own music videos and find the courage to publicly advocate for political causes, particularly those related to the LGBTQ+ community. It presaged the battle over her masters and the new phase of her career, where she is uncompromising about her artistic vision.

Where to watch Miss Americana : Netflix

Taylor Swift: City of Lover (2020)

Dave Hogan/ABA/Getty 

Lover has only seen a handful of performances. Due to Andrea Swift’s health , Taylor decided not to go on a large tour for her seventh album, then the smaller Lover Fest was canceled in 2020 with the onset of the pandemic. Thus, the only live performance dedicated to Lover took place in September 2019, when Swift performed a one-off concert in Paris called City of Lover and released it as a concert film the following year. Her set was highly acclaimed, especially the “acoustic session” during which she played several songs with just a guitar or a piano. "With this album, everything on it is something that I wrote with one instrument..." she said on stage. "So I figured, like, why not try out singing some songs [the same way] for the very first time live?" The performance was also issued as the album Live from Paris , and the stripped-down versions of “Daylight” and “Cornelia Street” are particularly popular among fans.

Where to watch Taylor Swift: City of Lover : Not available to stream

Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020)

Disney+

Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions , like the album itself, was a balm for the soul. Released in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, this documentary shows Swift singing every Folklore song live in a woodsy cabin in the Hudson Valley, building on the cozy cottagecore aesthetic that emulated our lives in isolation. The concert is stripped-down and simple, just as the melodic indie songs were meant to be experienced. But the film’s high points come via the casual, intimate chats between Swift and collaborators Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff . In these conversations, they describe how the album came together while they were quarantined in different places, and Swift gives rare insight into her songwriting process. As a bonus, she reveals the identity of William Bowery , the mystery co-writer on songs like “betty” and “exile”: her then-partner, Joe Alwyn . 

Where to watch Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions : Disney+

All Too Well: The Short Film (2021)

Taylor Swift/Youtube

Although Taylor Swift had already directed several music videos and Folklore: The Long Pond Sessions , All Too Well: The Short Film was her true arrival as a director. For the release of the highly anticipated 10-minute version of “All Too Well,” she made an accompanying short film starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien as a turbulent couple with a large age gap (and herself, in a cameo role as future Sink). The film dramatizes all of the fan-favorite details from the song, from “dancing 'round the kitchen in the refrigerator light” to the infamous scarf . But it also expands on the relationship, especially in a brilliantly acted extended fight scene where the couple seems to disintegrate before our eyes. The short screened at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, and even scored Swift an interview with Martin McDonagh in Variety ’s Directors on Directors series . She will soon make her feature directorial debut with Searchlight Pictures , and we can hardly wait.

Where to watch All Too Well: The Short Film : YouTube

Amsterdam (2022)

20th Century Studios

With the combination of David O. Russell , Margot Robbie, Christian Bale, and John David Washington, what could go wrong? A lot, apparently. Amsterdam is a hot mess, as EW’s critic writes , “It's impossible to say whether the movie… is meant to be a comedy, a murder mystery, or maybe even a thwarted musical.” Much of the star-studded supporting cast is wasted, including Taylor Swift, who has a small role as the daughter of a late senator, whom she suspects has been assassinated. But even though she’s not given much to do, she does well in her first dramatic film role, selling both the emotion and Russell’s trademark wackiness. 

Where to watch Amsterdam : Max

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023)

Regal Cinemas / Courtesy Everett

Taylor Swift hasn’t gone on tour since before the pandemic, and in the meantime, she’s released a whopping four new albums and four re-recordings of old albums. So there was a lot of pressure on The Eras Tour film, and it didn't disappoint. This nearly three-hour concert movie is a celebration of all the “eras” of her career, from a Fearless medley complete with a fringed gold dress to a visibly emotional performance of “champagne problems” and a racy chair dance for “Vigilante S—.” The film makes it feel like you’re right there with her, and although it can’t make up for the Ticketmaster debacle , it comes pretty close. And for those who didn’t catch the movie in theaters, it’s finally streaming on Disney+ with four surprise bonus songs ! 

Where to watch Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour : Disney+

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• Taylor Swift's dad accused of assaulting photographer, team says singer was 'aggressively' approached

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• Other works Music video: Appears in Brad Paisley 's video "Online", directed by and co-starring Jason Alexander . It also features William Shatner , Estelle Harris , Maureen McCormick , Kellie Pickler and Patrick Warburton .
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• Trivia Named Person of the Year by Time magazine in 2023, becoming the first entertainer to be named as an individual. She was also named among 2017's Persons of the Year, "The Silence Breakers", as people who spoke out against sexual abuse and harassment. She is the first and only woman in history to appear twice on the cover of Time's "Person Of The Year".
• Quotes [on the Britney Spears perfume she wore] The coolest girl in school wore Britney Spears' Fantasy, and I had to copy her.
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Fourteen-time Grammy winner Taylor Swift made a splash in the country music world in 2006 and is now one of the biggest pop music stars.

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Taylor Swift News: Pop Superstar Performs with Travis Kelce and Meets British Royalty in London

So much for “So Long, London.” As she continues her record-breaking Eras Tour, 34-year-old Taylor Swift made a major splash during her first stop in the British capital city.

After her June 21 concert, she met backstage with Prince William , Prince George , and Princess Charlotte , who watched the performance from a private box at Wembley Stadium. The royals were celebrating William’s 42 nd birthday, and the heir to the throne was seen dancing to “Shake It Off” at one point. Both Swift and the Prince of Wales shared photos of a group selfie on Instagram, with the Grammy winner writing “Happy Bday M8!” in her caption. Swift’s boyfriend, football player Travis Kelce , appeared in the photo she posted.

Two nights later, Kelce made a surprise appearance onstage , briefly performing and helping Swift with an outfit change before she sang “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” from her new album, The Tortured Poets Department . Kelce, wearing a tuxedo and top hat to match other backup dancers, carried her to a couch, danced a little, then powdered her face with a makeup brush as she stepped out of a dress and donned a coat with tails.

“I’m still cracking up/swooning over @killatrav’s Eras Tour debut 🥰,” Swift wrote on Instagram as part of a recap post about the weekend. “Never going to forget these shows. Can’t wait to do it 5 more times in August.”

Who Is Taylor Swift?

Quick facts, where is taylor swift from, music career, how many grammys does taylor swift have, what is taylor swift’s net worth, sexual assault trial and copyright lawsuits, scooter braun masters controversy and rerecording project, who has taylor swift dated, feud with kanye west, documentary and movies.

Musician Taylor Swift began earning renown as a country singer by the age of 16. Early hits like “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” appealed to country and pop fans alike and helped fuel the multiplatinum success of her albums, including the award-winning Fearless . Now a pop megastar with 14 Grammys, she is the first artist to win Album of the Year four times. Named Time ’s 2023 Person of the Year, Swift is currently performing on her record-breaking Eras Tour and is dating professional football player Travis Kelce . The “Shake It Off” and “Anti-Hero” singer released her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department , in April 2024.

FULL NAME: Taylor Alison Swift BORN: December 13, 1989 BIRTHPLACE: Reading, Pennsylvania ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Sagittarius

Taylor Alison Swift was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, on December 13, 1989. Swift spent her early years with her parents, Scott and Andrea, and brother, Austin, on the family’s Christmas tree farm in nearby Wyomissing. “I had the most magical childhood, running free and going anywhere I wanted to in my head,” she told Rolling Stone . She learned to ride horses and competed, but a greater passion soon took root.

Swift followed in the musical footsteps of her grandmother Marjorie Finlay, a professional opera singer. By age 10, Swift sang at various local events, including fairs and contests. She sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game at age 11 and began learning guitar and writing her own songs at 12. (Her songwriting parallels the poetry of her distant cousin Emily Dickinson .) Her early music idols included Shania Twain and The Chicks.

To pursue her music career, Swift often visited Nashville, Tennessee, the country music capital. There, she co-wrote songs and tried to land a recording contract. Noting her dedication, her family moved to nearby Hendersonville when she was 13 in an attempt to further young Swift’s career. She attended Hendersonville High School before finishing her education through the homeschooling program of Aaron Academy, a private Christian school, once her musical career took off.

One of today’s biggest pop stars, Swift has worked her way from performing at local venues in Tennessee to commanding stadiums full of Swifties—her adoring fans—on international tours. A stellar performance at The Bluebird Café in Nashville helped her get a contract with Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Records at age 14.

She spent her early career as a country musician, and her first single, “ Tim McGraw ,” was named after one of the genre’s biggest stars. The 2006 song, which she wrote in her first-year math class, became a Top 10 hit on Billboard ’s country charts, quickly launching Swift into the spotlight. McGraw and fellow country music singer Faith Hill even brought Swift on their Soul2Soul tour the next year as an opening act. Reminiscing on the tour years later, McGraw told ET Canada , “Faith and I both knew that there was no stopping her. She’s a special talent.”

It wasn’t long before Swift began receiving critical praise for her work. The teenager won the Horizon Award from the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Award for Top New Female Vocalist in 2007. The following year, she was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys. She became the youngest artist to win the Grammy for Album of the Year for Fearless in 2010.

The country music darling eventually began experimenting with genre. With her fifth album, 1989 , she decisively reintroduced herself as a pop musician. Her new sound excited fans, and the 2014 release is one of her most successful to date, spending 11 weeks atop the Billboard 200 and selling more than 1.2 million copies in its first week.

Not everything about her music changed, though. Personal experiences, including her romantic relationships, continue to fuel Swift’s songwriting. “I’m enthralled by relationships, and I love the drama in them, but that’s usually where it lives,” Swift told Rolling Stone in 2009, maintaining “I’m not a dramatic person.” Hardly the first musician to utilize this practice, the pop star usually doesn’t reveal who her song subjects. Instead, her loyal fans obsess over easter eggs in her lyrics and music videos to pinpoint a likely person.

Since March 2023, Swift has been performing on her headline-grabbing Eras Tour. It marks her sixth international tour, having first headlined her own concert series after releasing her sophomore album, Fearless . When presale tickets for the Eras Tour went live in November 2022, so many fans attempted to snag their seats that Ticketmaster canceled the general sale, leading to a congressional hearing about the debacle. Already one of the highest-grossing touring musicians as of July 2022, Swift has earned more than $1 billion on the Eras Tour , surpassing Elton John ’s record-setting farewell tour that spanned five years. The Eras Tour wraps in December 2024 after dozens more concerts, mostly abroad.

Swift’s successes in 2023 also include: the release of the 1989 (Taylor’s Version) album, the record-setting concert film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour , two more No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, tying with Drake as the artist with the most Billboard Music Awards in history, dethroning Bad Bunny as Spotify’s and Apple Music’s most streamed artist of the year, and achieving billionaire status. All that culminated in Time naming her its 2023 Person of the Year. Swift is the fifth woman to receive the honor.

Early in 2024, Swift became the first artist to win the Grammy for Album of the Year four times, further cementing her place in the history books.

Swift has won 14 Grammy Awards out of 52 nominations.

She was first nominated in 2008 for Best New Artist. Although Amy Winehouse claimed the honor, 20-year-old Swift lived up to her promising career start by collecting four Grammys the following year. Fearless won Album of the Year and Best Country Album, and “White Horse” was named Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 2009.

Swift has now won Album of the Year four times: for Fearless , 1989 , folklore , and Midnights. She is the only artist to have accomplished this feat, setting the record in 2024. Midnights also won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album this year.

Even so, Swift has never won the top song honor of Song of the Year, though she has received a record seven nominations in the category. As for Best Country Song, the artist has won twice in five nominations; “Mean” earned the trophy the year after “White Horse” did.

The singer-songwriter has won many other accolades, including nine CMA Awards and eight ACM Awards. Both country music organizations have twice named her Entertainer of the Year. Since her first in 2009, Swift has taken home 23 Video Music Awards, second only to Beyoncé . Billboard called her Woman of the Year in 2012, one of Swift’s 39 awards from the publication. She is tied with Drake for as the artist with the most Billboard Music Awards trophies.

In December 2023, Swift notched another first when she received her first Golden Globe Award nomination for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour . Her concert film competed in but didn’t win Cinematic and Box Office Achievement at the January 2024 ceremony.

Since her first single, “Tim McGraw,” in 2006, Swift’s music has found a home on the Billboard charts. As of June 24, 2024, she has had 263 songs grace the mainstream Hot 100. That includes 12 No. 1 hits and a record-setting 59 songs in the top 10; no woman has had more top 10 hits, and Swift only trails Drake among all artists. She also holds nine No. 1 Hot Country Songs, including “Our Song” and “Should’ve Said No.”

“Fearless” debuted at No. 9 on the mainstream chart in November 2008, marking Swift’s first top 10 song. Her first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper was roughly four years away. That came in September 2012 with Grammy-nominated “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” Her other No 1. songs include:

• “Shake It Off”
• “Blank Space”
• “Bad Blood”
• “Look What You Made Me Do”
• “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)”
• “Anti-Hero”
• “Cruel Summer”
• “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]”
• “Fortnight”

At 10 minutes and 13 seconds, “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” is the longest No. 1 hit in history. “Shake It Off” is Swift’s only diamond-certified song, having sold the equivalent of 10 million copies.

To date, Swift has released 19 albums, including 11 original studio albums, four rereleases, and four live albums. Excluding those live recordings, every album since her sophomore effort, Fearless , has nabbed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for at least one week. In December 2023, she became the first living artist to have five albums simultaneously rank among the chart’s top 10.

Her first album came in 2006 with Taylor Swift , and her newest album is 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department . Her latest rerecorded album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) , debuted in October 2023. Her albums, in order, are:

The young musician’s self-titled debut album was released in October 2006 when she was 16. Spurred on by the success of songs like “Tim McGraw,” “Teardrops on My Guitar,” and “Our Song,” it became a No. 1 country album in August 2007 and held the top spot for a total of 24 weeks. Indicating her future crossover success, the album also reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200. Taylor Swift has sold more than 7 million copies to date.

In November 2008, Swift released her next album, Fearless , which quickly hit the top of both the country and pop charts, marking her first No. 1 mainstream album. It maintained its apex ranking on the charts for weeks on end. By the end of the year, Swift had become 2008’s highest-selling country artist.

Now a Diamond-certified album, Fearless earned Swift her first Grammy Awards in January 2010. In addition to Best Country Album, it took home one of the night’s top honors with Album of the Year. The track “White Horse” won Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance, while “You Belong With Me” was nominated for three Grammys. Also named Album of the Year at the CMA and ACM Awards, Fearless featured the top 10 hits “Love Story,” “Fearless,” and “Change.” 

After skeptics doubted her involvement in her songwriting, Swift chose to write her next album alone. Speak Now came out in October 2010 and immediately found success. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold more than 1 million copies in its first week. Popular tracks included “Mine,” “Back To December,” “Speak Now,” and the Grammy-winning “Mean.” Swift was once again nominated for Best Country Album at the Grammys but didn’t win. 

Edging her way into pop music, Swift followed with Red , which featured her first No. 1 single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and also topped 1 million in its first week of sales. The October 2012 release collected Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Best Country Album. “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Red,” and “Begin Again” were among its most popular songs.

With her next effort, Swift stepped outside her country music roots squarely into mainstream pop. She released 1989 in October 2014. It tied her record (set by Fearless ) for most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, produced three chart-topping singles, and moved more than 1.2 million copies in its first week. That made Swift the first artist to pass the 1 million mark in opening-week sales for three albums. She won her second Album of the Year award at the Grammys in February 2016 as well as Best Pop Vocal Album for her work.

In late August 2017, using an image of a snake, Swift revealed that she would release her sixth studio album, reputation , that November. Swift debuted the first single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” on August 24. In the music video, Swift played characters of all her misrepresentations. The video had more than 19 million views on YouTube within the first day.

Days before reputation ’s scheduled November 10 release, its secret tracklist was leaked to social media. Swift responded by posting the complete list to her Instagram page: 15 songs, including a collaborative effort with Ed Sheeran and rapper Future titled “End Game.” The two later appeared in the video for the track, which debuted in January 2018.

Reputation sold 1.05 million copies in the United States over its first four days. Along with giving the artist her fourth consecutive album to surpass 1 million in sales for its opening week, that total made reputation the top-selling album of 2017. Its success continued into 2018, surpassing 2 million in sales while generating the release of seven singles. By the end of the year, Grammy-nominated reputation had been honored with Favorite Pop/Rock Album at the American Music Awards and Top Selling Album at the Billboard Music Awards.

On April 26, 2019, Swift debuted “ME!” with Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco, along with a video of the duo singing and dancing amid a panoply of elaborate sets and swirling colors. It became the first single from her seventh studio album, Lover , with “You Need to Calm Down” and the title track also hitting the airwaves as singles over the next few months. The album was released in August.

In November, Swift claimed a whopping six wins at the American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year and Artist of the Decade honors. Swift also received her third consecutive Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album. A few weeks later, it was reported that Lover was the only album to sell 1 million copies in the U.S. in 2019.

Nearly four years later, Lover ’s “Cruel Summer” was promoted as her latest single amid her highly successful Eras tour. The song enjoyed renewed success, becoming Swift’s 10 th song to top the Billboard Hot 100.

On July 23, 2020, Swift announced on Instagram that she planned to release her eighth studio album, folklore . The 16-track album—made with Aaron Dessner of The National, Jack Antonoff of Bleachers, and Justin Vernon, better known as Bon Iver—debuted the next day at midnight. The alternative influence of her collaborators was apparent throughout.

Folklore produced the top 10 hits “The 1” and “Exile” featuring Bon Iver, plus went on to win Album of the Year at the 2021 Grammys. Swift also made history that year, becoming the only female solo artist to win that award three times.

Less than six months later, Swift dropped another surprise album to accompany folklore . She announced on December 10, 2020, that evermore would release at midnight the next day. “To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs,” Swift wrote in a social media post . “In the past I’ve always treated albums as one-off eras and moved onto planning the next one after an album was released. There was something different with folklore. In making it, I felt less like I was departing and more like I was returning.” Evermore earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, though unlike its sister album, it didn’t win.

Swift released her 10 th studio album, Midnights , at midnight on October 21, 2022. Three hours later, she released seven extra tracks in a deluxe version titled Midnights (3 am Edition) . The album broke new ground for the already prolific Swift, making her the first artist to have a song on all of the top 10 slots on the Billboard Hot 100. That included “Anti-Hero” at No. 1, “Snow On The Beach” featuring Lana Del Rey , “Lavender Haze,” and “Karma.” Actor Zoë Kravitz earned writing credits on the latter two songs, and Jack Antonoff played a heavy hand in the album’s creation, cowriting 11 of Midnights ’ 13 songs.

The Tortured Poets Department

At the 2024 Grammy Awards , Swift announced her next album, The Tortured Poets Department , would arrive on April 19, 2024. Fans were in for an even bigger surprise early that morning when the singer revealed it was a double album. The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology included 15 additional songs, bringing the total to 31 tracks.

Tortured Poets marks Swift’s 14 th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, tying Jay-Z’s record for most among solo artists. Only The Beatles have more, at 19. Within 12 hours of its release, Tortured Poets broke the single-day streaming record on Spotify before becoming the most streamed album across platforms in a single week in history. Fans in the United States streamed the collection more than 891.3 million times , according to data firm Luminate.

Taylor’s Version albums

After the master recordings to her first six studio albums were sold in 2019, Swift decided to rerecord her old music to regain artistic and financial control of her catalog. So far, she has released four of six: Fearless (Taylor’s Version) in April 2021, Red (Taylor’s Version) in November 2021,  Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in July 2023, and  1989 (Taylor’s Version) in October 2023 . Each included previously unreleased songs labeled as “From The Vault,” some of which she recorded with fellow musicians Keith Urban , Ed Sheeran , Chris Stapleton , and Phoebe Bridgers, among others. 

Swift hasn’t shared when she will rerelease Taylor Swift and reputation .

When she was 26, Swift was the highest-paid musician—and celebrity of any industry—of 2016 per Forbes , earning $170 million. It was one successful year among many, allowing the pop star to amass a substantial net worth. By late October 2023, Swift had become a billionaire, according to Bloomberg .

As of June 24, 2024, Forbes estimates Swift has a net worth of $1.3 billion. The publication also reports she is the first person to become a billionaire primarily from songwriting and performing. In 2023, she earned an estimated $131 million on Spotify alone, as the platform’s worldwide top-streamed artist of the year.

Her wealth has skyrocketed in the past year and a half, fueled by the pop star’s highly successful Eras Tour. Pollstar reported in December 2023 that the ongoing tour has earned $1,039,263,762 , making Swift the first musician to gross over $1 billion on a single tour. The trade publication previously estimated the tour brings in $14 million in ticket sales each night.

Swift ranks No. 17 on Pollstar ’s list of highest-grossing touring artists since 1980, selling nearly $925 million in tickets from her first five tours and other appearances as of July 2022. The only women higher on the list are Madonna , Celine Dion , and Beyoncé .

Contributing to her overall net worth are her real estate holdings. According to Business Insider , her properties total $84 million. She also has lucrative endorsement deals with Capitol One, Stella McCartney, Diet Coke, Apple, and more.

Over the years, the musician has shared some of her fortune to help others. For example, in 2013, she funded the $4 million Taylor Swift Education Center at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. The facility opened with three classrooms, a learning lab, and a space dedicated to exhibits for children. In an interview with CMT Hot 20 Countdown , she explained that “music education is really such an important part of my life. My life changed so completely when I discovered writing my own songs and playing guitar, and that can’t necessarily all be taught to you in school because there aren’t enough hours in the day.”

The megastar has been involved in a few legal disputes, which all have gone in her favor. In August 2017, she testified in a trial against David Mueller, a former radio DJ she accused of groping her four years earlier. Mueller denied Swift’s allegations and said the incident cost him his job, which led him to sue Swift, her mother, and a radio station employee in 2015. Swift countersued him for alleged assault and battery, and a jury ruled in her favor in 2017, awarding her $1 in damages as a symbolic gesture.

Swift responded to the verdict: “I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society, and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this. My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.”

Also in 2017, Swift was on the receiving end of a lawsuit when two songwriters claimed that she stole the chorus of their song “Playas Gon’ Play” for her hit “Shake It Off.” Although a judge dismissed the case in early 2018 on the grounds that the “allegedly infringed lyrics are short phrases that lack the modicum of originality and creativity required for copyright protection,” an appeals court revived the suit in October 2019. Shortly before the trial was scheduled to begin, a judge dismissed the case in December 2022 at the request of both parties. A few media outlets reported a settlement, but if so, the terms weren’t publicly released.

The musician was trapped in another copyright lawsuit when a Mississippi woman claimed “a number of creative elements” from her self-published poetry book appeared in Swift’s companion book for her Lover (2019) album. The author sued in August 2022 but voluntarily dropped her case the next July.

In November 2018, Swift signed with Universal Music Group’s Republic Records. The deal granted the musician ownership of her master recordings, something she didn’t have in her agreement with her first label, Big Machine Records.

The next June, Swift revealed her dismay that Big Machine sold her catalog of music from her first six albums, up to reputation , to a company owned by Scooter Braun , the now-retired manager of artists like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande and a person she accused of bullying tactics. “Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy,” she wrote on Tumblr . “Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it.” Just before the August 2019 release of Lover , Swift confirmed she would rerecord her old music to regain artistic and financial control of her catalog.

Swift’s catalog was sold again, in October 2020, to Shamrock Holdings for around $300 million. In a lengthy post on Twitter (now called X), Swift gave her fans an update:

“As you know, for the past year, I’ve been actively trying to regain ownership of my master recordings. With that goal in mind, my team attempted to enter into negotiations with Scooter Braun. “Scooter’s team wanted me to sign an ironclad NDA stating I would never say another word about Scooter Braun unless it was positive, before we could even look at the financial records of BMLG... I would have to sign a document that would silence me forever before I could even have a chance to bid on my own work. My legal team said that this is absolutely NOT normal, and they’ve never seen an NDA like this presented unless it was to silence an assault accuser by paying them off. He would never even quote my team a price. These master recordings were not for sale to me.”

Swift added the deal still allows Braun to profit from her music and that she was in the process of re-recording her old music. Her first rerecorded release, “Love Story (Taylor’s Version),” came in mid-February 2021. So far, she has reissued four of six albums from her early catalog.

Watch Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun: Bad Blood , a documentary about their feud, on Max

Currently, Swift is dating NFL football player Travis Kelce . On a July 2023 episode of his New Heights podcast , Kelce explained how he tried to give Swift his number on a friendship bracelet after attending the Eras Tour in Kansas City. Soon after, Swift reached out, and they went public with their romance in the fall. “Obviously, I’ve never dated anyone with that kind of aura about them... I’ve never dealt with it,” Kelce told The Wall Street Journal . “But at the same time, I’m not running away from any of it.”

Swift attended 12 of his NFL games in the 2023 season and postseason. “By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple,” she told Time . “I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.”

Kelce returned the support in mid-November 2023, traveling to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to attend one of her concerts on the Eras Tour. During the show, Swift changed one of her lyrics in the song “Karma” to reference Kelce, and the couple were caught kissing on camera for the first time . At a June 2024 concert in London, Kelce briefly joined Swift on stage, helping her complete an outfit change between songs.

Over the years, Swift has dated several celebrities. During much of 2008, reports circulated that she was dating musician Joe Jonas of The Jonas Brothers. The song “Forever & Always” is reportedly about Jonas. The following year, Swift briefly dated actor Taylor Lautner , whom she met while they filmed the 2010 movie Valentine’s Day . Swift then dated fellow singer-songwriter John Mayer for a brief period beginning in late 2009; he’s thought to be the inspiration for her song “Dear John.”

From there, Swift was romantically linked to actors Cory Monteith and Jake Gyllenhaal in 2010, then Conor Kennedy—son of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. —in 2012. She celebrated the new year with One Direction’s Harry Styles in 2013, but the relationship ended later that year. In 2015, Swift dated DJ and music producer Calvin Harris, though the couple reportedly broke up in June 2016. Shortly after that, the pop star began dating actor Tom Hiddleston , but the couple split three months later.

Swift’s longest relationship to date was with actor Joe Alwyn. The pair met at the 2016 Met Gala and were together from 2017 until spring 2023. Beyond being another boyfriend to spark her songwriting, Alwyn also helped write songs on her folklore , evermore , and Midnights albums under the pseudonym William Bowery. After their breakup, Swift briefly dated musician Matty Healy, lead singer of The 1975 band.

Beyond her romantic relationships, Swift has had many high-profile friendships—with singer and actor Selena Gomez , model Karlie Kloss , and actor Blake Lively , to name a few—as well as headline-making feuds. Chief among those is her beef with rapper Kanye West .

In 2009, when Swift won the MTV Video Music Award’s Best Female Video for “You Belong With Me,” West led to the stage as the young singer gave her acceptance speech. He took the mic and famously declared, “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!”

The stunned Swift could not finish her acceptance speech, and West was removed from the show. When Beyoncé accepted her award for Best Video of the Year later in the night, she called Swift to the stage to finish her speech. West later apologized to Swift privately and publicly on The Jay Leno Show .

In early 2016, West released his song “Famous,” which includes a lyric taking credit for her fame and calling her a derogatory word. The rapper said Swift had approved the line in a phone call, though her team initially denied the conversation. Days later, Swift said in a Grammys acceptance speech:

“I wanna say to all the young women out there, there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame. But if you just focus on the work, and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who loved you who put you there. And that will be the greatest feeling in the world.”

Kim Kardashian , who was married to West then, defended her husband in a GQ interview that summer and released clips of the phone call between the musicians. Although edited, the recordings proved Swift’s PR team had been lying in their initial statement. Kardashian also implied Swift was a snake in a July 2016 social media post . The pop star alluded to the fight in the songs “Look What You Made Me Do” and “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” from her reputation (2017) album. She has also used snakes in music videos and onstage in concerts. The feud briefly reignited in March 2020 when a 25-minute video of the phone conversation leaked online.

Previously having released several concert movies, Swift made a bigger splash with her Netflix documentary Miss Americana . The January 2020 release covered the makings of her recent studio albums as well as other high-profile events like her sexual assault trial. Miss Americana earned a limited run in theaters simultaneously to its streaming release.

Swift’s newest concert movie, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour , capitalizes on her massive star power. The film opened exclusively in theaters—3,850 locations in North America alone—in October 2023. According to Comscore, no other concert movie enjoyed as wide of a release . It also had showtimes in some 90 other countries and grossed more than $261 million worldwide , making it the highest-grossing concert film of all time . Swift sweetened the show for at-home viewers with two extended versions. Disney+ subscribers can watch the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) , featuring five additional songs. The movie is also available for rent on other streaming platforms with three additional songs.

Swift has also dabbled in acting. She appeared in the 2010 blockbuster Valentine’s Day alongside Julia Roberts , Jamie Foxx , Jessica Biel , Bradley Cooper , and other Hollywood heavyweights. A voice role in The Lorax (2012) and another role in The Giver (2014) followed. In December 2019, Swift was featured in a live-action adaptation of the famed Broadway musical Cats , along with Jennifer Hudson , James Corden , and Rebel Wilson . She also teamed with Cats creator Andrew Lloyd Webber to write a song, “Beautiful Ghosts,” for the movie. Swift also had a cameo in 2022’s Amsterdam .

• I have this really high priority on happiness and finding something to be happy about.
• Just be yourself. There is no one better.
• I’m not fast at running. I’m not fast at any kind of force. I’m fast at trivia games.
• The words you regret most are often the ones unsaid.
• I have to believe in fairytales, and I have to believe in love.
• Never believe anyone who says you don’t deserve what you want.
• Life isn’t about how to survive the storm. It’s about how to dance in the rain.
• You’re lucky enough to be different. Never change.
• I’ve learned when to get out. I’ve never wasted too much time with the wrong person, and that’s one thing I’m proud of.
• People haven’t always been there for me, but music has.
• To me, feminism is probably the most important movement that you could embrace, because it’s just basically another word for equality.

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Taylor Swift has been one of the most influential artists in contemporary music since she was named the best new artist by the Country Music Association in 2007. In 2023 she was named Spotify’s most-played artist, and in 2024 she became the only person ever to win the  Grammy Award for album of the year four times.

Where is Taylor Swift from?

Taylor Swift was born in West Reading, Pennsylvania. When she was 13, her parents sold their family farm in Pennsylvania and moved to Hendersonville, Tennessee, so she could pursue a career in country music in nearby Nashville.

In 2004, at age 14, Taylor Swift signed a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV, thereby becoming the youngest signing in the company’s history. In 2006 Swift signed with Big Machine Records and scored her first Top 40 hit with “Tim McGraw.” She then released four more singles and a self-titled album that quickly sold more than one million copies. In 2007 she was named best new artist by the Country Music Association.

Recent News

Taylor Swift (born December 13, 1989, West Reading , Pennsylvania, U.S.) is a multitalented singer-songwriter and global superstar who has captivated audiences with her heartfelt lyrics and catchy melodies, solidifying herself as one of the most influential artists in contemporary music. In 2024 she made history when she won the Grammy Award for album of the year for Midnights (2022), becoming the first artist to win in that category four times.

Swift showed an interest in music at an early age, and she progressed quickly from roles in children’s theater to her first appearance before a crowd of thousands. She was age 11 when she sang “ The Star-Spangled Banner ” before a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game, and the following year she picked up the guitar and began to write songs. Taking her inspiration from country music artists such as Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks (now the Chicks ), Swift crafted original material that reflected her experiences of tween alienation. When she was 13, Swift’s parents sold their farm in Pennsylvania to move to Hendersonville, Tennessee , so she could devote more of her time to courting country labels in nearby Nashville .

Taylor Swift has been named Time ’s “Person of the Year” twice. Who appeared on the covers with her?

A development deal with RCA Records allowed Swift to make the acquaintance of recording-industry veterans, and in 2004, at age 14, she signed with Sony/ATV as a songwriter. At venues in the Nashville area, she performed many of the songs she had written, and it was at one such performance that she was noticed by record executive Scott Borchetta. Borchetta signed Swift to his fledgling Big Machine label, and her first single, “ Tim McGraw” (inspired by and prominently referencing a song by Swift’s favorite country artist ), was released in the summer of 2006.

The song was an immediate success, spending eight months on the Billboard country singles chart. Now age 16, Swift followed with a self-titled debut album, and she went on tour, opening for Rascal Flatts . Taylor Swift was certified platinum in 2007, having sold more than one million copies in the United States , and Swift continued a rigorous touring schedule, opening for artists such as George Strait , Kenny Chesney , Tim McGraw , and Faith Hill . That November Swift received the Horizon Award for best new artist from the Country Music Association (CMA), capping the year in which she emerged as country music’s most-visible young star.

On Swift’s second album, Fearless (2008), she demonstrated a refined pop sensibility, managing to court the mainstream pop audience without losing sight of her country roots. With sales of more than half a million copies in its first week, Fearless opened at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. It ultimately spent more time atop that chart than any other album released that decade. Singles such as “ You Belong with Me” and “Love Story” were popular in the digital market as well, the latter accounting for more than four million paid downloads.

In 2009 Swift embarked on her first tour as a headliner, playing to sold-out venues across North America . That year also saw Swift dominate the industry award circuit. Fearless was recognized as album of the year by the Academy of Country Music in April, and she topped the best female video category for “You Belong with Me” at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in September. During her VMA acceptance speech, Swift was interrupted by rapper Kanye West , who protested that the award should have gone to Beyoncé for what he called “one of the best videos of all time.” Later in the program, when Beyoncé was accepting the award for video of the year, she invited Swift onstage to conclude her speech, a move that drew a standing ovation for both performers. At the CMA Awards that November, Swift won all four categories in which she was nominated. Her recognition as CMA entertainer of the year made her the youngest-ever winner of that award, as well as the first female solo artist to win since 1999. She began 2010 with an impressive showing at the Grammy Awards , where she collected four honors, including best country song, best country album, and the top prize of album of the year.

Later that year Swift made her feature-film debut in the romantic comedy Valentine’s Day and was named the new spokesperson for CoverGirl cosmetics. Although Swift avoided discussing her personal life in interviews, she was surprisingly frank in her music. Her third album, Speak Now (2010), was littered with allusions to romantic relationships with John Mayer , Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers , and Twilight series actor Taylor Lautner. Swift reclaimed the CMA entertainer of the year award in 2011, and the following year she won Grammys for best country solo performance and best country song for “ Mean,” a single from Speak Now .

Swift continued her acting career with a voice role in the animated Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (2012) before releasing her next collection of songs, Red (2012). While she remained focused on the vagaries of young love, her songwriting reflected a deepened perspective on the subject, and much of the album embraced a bold pop-rock sound. In its first week on sale in the United States, Red sold 1.2 million copies—the highest one-week total in 10 years. In addition, its lead single, the gleeful “ We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” gave Swift her first number-one hit on the Billboard pop singles chart.

In 2014 Swift released 1989 , an album titled after the year of her birth and reportedly inspired by the music of that era. Although Swift had already been steadily moving away from the traditional country signifiers that marked her early work—“I Knew You Were Trouble,” the second single from Red , even flirted with electronic dance music —she called 1989 her first “official pop album.” On the strength of the upbeat “ Shake It Off,” the album proved to be another blockbuster for Swift, its first-week sales surpassing those of Red . It went on to sell more than five million copies in the United States and earned Swift her second Grammy for album of the year. In 2014 Swift also appeared in a supporting role in The Giver , a film adaptation of Lois Lowry ’s dystopian novel for young readers.

In 2016 Swift’s feud with Kanye West resumed after he released the single “Famous.” The song included a lyric in which Swift was referred to as a “bitch,” and she alleged that it was misogynistic. The public spat escalated after West’s wife, Kim Kardashian , released a recording of a phone call in which Swift gave her approval for the line, though West made no mention of calling her a bitch. Swift’s controversies continued as she took part in a widely publicized civil trial in August 2017, after former radio host David Mueller sued the singer, her mother, and a promoter, claiming that Swift had falsely accused him of sexually groping her in 2013 during the taking of a photograph and thus destroyed his career. She countersued, maintaining that the assault had taken place. At the trial, Swift was removed from Mueller’s suit and the other two defendants were found not liable as the jury found in favor of Swift’s countersuit. Shortly thereafter Swift released the hit song “ Look What You Made Me Do,” and her album Reputation became the top-selling American LP of 2017.

In 2018 Swift left Big Machine and signed with Republic Records and Universal Music Group. The following year her former label, which owned the master recordings of her six albums, was sold to Scooter Braun, a talent manager whose clients had included Kanye West. Swift publicly spoke out against the deal, claiming that Borchetta had rejected her attempts to acquire the master tapes and that Braun had bullied her over the years. She subsequently tried to negotiate a deal with Braun, but he sold her back catalog to a private investment firm in 2020. Against this backdrop , Swift began rerecording her early material in an effort to gain control of it—the hope being that her remade songs and not the originals would be sought out for licensing deals—and in 2021 Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version) appeared. They were remakes of earlier albums with several previously unreleased tracks. In July 2023 Swift released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) , followed by 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in October that same year.

In 2019 Swift released her seventh album, Lover , which she described as “a love letter to love itself.” That year she also appeared in the musical Cats , a film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber ’s hugely successful stage production. Miss Americana (2020) is a documentary about her life and career. With little advance notice, she released Folklore in 2020. A departure from her previous pop-inspired work, Swift’s eighth studio album drew praise for its introspection and restraint, and it won the Grammy for album of the year. The “sister record,” Evermore , appeared later in 2020.

Swift adopted a synth-pop sound for the candid Midnights (2022), which she described as “the story of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.” The album received six Grammy nominations, scoring wins for album of the year and best pop vocal album.

March 2023 marked the start of Swift’s first concert tour since 2018, her sixth tour overall. When ticket sales for the Eras Tour opened on Ticketmaster in November 2022, many fans were disappointed by technical issues and waits that lasted up to multiple days. After two rounds of presales, general sales were canceled due to unprecedented demand. Swift expressed disappointment about the situation but did not mention Ticketmaster in her response.

In December 2023, Swift was honored as Time magazine ’s “Person of the Year.” Finalists also included Barbie , Vladimir Putin , and Sam Altman . The honor came shortly after the music streaming platform Spotify deemed her its most-played artist. According to a Bloomberg analysis, Swift is now a billionaire, with a net worth of around $1.1 billion. On a Forbes list of the most powerful women of 2023, Swift placed fifth. She has been dating American football player Travis Kelce since October 2023. In February 2024, while accepting one of her awards during the Grammy Awards telecast, Swift announced that she would be releasing her next studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , in April. The album was released as a double LP, the 15-track second part dubbed The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology . Guest artists include Post Malone on the single “Fortnight” and Florence Welch on the track “Florida!!!”

Filmography

Taylor Swift 's filmography consists of three cameo roles, two guest star roles, four film roles, and one voice role.

History [ ]

Taylor made a cameo appearance in the Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience , performing " Should've Said No ."

Swift made her acting debut in the season 9, episode 16 (March 5, 2009) episode of CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , titled "Turn, Turn, Turn", playing a rebellious teenager named Haley Jones . The New York Times noted that the character allowed Swift to be "a little bit naughty, and credibly so". Rolling Stone felt she "held her own" and "does a good job with the script" while the Chicago Tribune said she "acquits herself well".

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 punchlines". Proving "admirably resilient in a wide variety of sketch roles", "Swift inspired more of a female, girly-in-the-best-sense sensibility in SNL than it's shown since the Tina Fey-Amy Poehler days".

She had a cameo in Hannah Montana: The Movie (April 10, 2009), performing " Crazier ".

Swift made her feature film acting debut in the 2010 ensemble comedy Valentine's Day , playing Felicia Miller , the ditzy Valley girlfriend of a high school jock, played by ex-boyfriend Taylor Lautner . The Los Angeles Times felt the performance suggested "serious comedic potential" while the San Francisco Chronicle found her "very funny". Time remarked that Swift portrayed her character "rather charmingly"; The Boston Globe described her as "adorably dorky". Salon asserted that she was "one of the few actors not wasted in "Valentine's Day". Her overgrown-pixie look and odd, widely set eyes lend her a little bit of Marilyn and a little bit of Lucille Ball: She's Taylor-made for comic greatness."

Taylor does the voice acting for a character in the 3D film version of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax , which came out on March 2, 2012. She plays the girl next door, named Audrey , which the main character, Ted, falls in love with, and is desperate to do whatever it takes to impress her.

In 2013 she acted in the TV series New Girl , as Elaine in the last episode of season two.

Later that year, Taylor played the role of Rosemary , the daughter of the namesake of the movie, in The Giver , adapted from the book of the same name.

Taylor was cast as Bombalurina in the 2019 movie adaption of the hit musical Cats , directed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. [1]

In 2022, Taylor appeared as a supporting role in the film Amsterdam , playing Liz Meekins .

Filmography [ ]

References [ ]

• ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/20/movies/cats-james-corden-taylor-swift.html
• 1 List of Taylor Swift's ex-boyfriends
• 2 Conor Kennedy
• 3 The Eras Tour/Gallery

Will Taylor Swift's Concert Movie Be the Biggest Film This Year?

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• Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is the highest-grossing concert film ever, earning over $250 million worldwide.
• Swifties played a major role in its success, with record-breaking pre-sales and sold-out theaters.
• Swift partnered directly with AMC for distribution, giving her more control over the film's release and pricing.

Much to the delight of Swifties across the country, Taylor Swift released her elusive Eras Tour to movie theaters, and diehard fans couldn’t be happier. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour was released in October 2023 and encompassed the majority of the Eras Tour setlist , along with Our Song and You're on Your Own, Kid as the surprise acoustic songs. According to Billboard , the concert film was shot over the first three nights of Swift’s final stint in Los Angeles and has a runtime of 2 hours and 45 minutes, which fans noted was shorter than the live shows have been — due to a shortened setlist. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour became available to rent starting on December 13, 2023, with three additional songs from the live show added for fans to watch at home.

Swifties have been ecstatic about the film. Fans of the singer-songwriter remember all too well the Ticketmaster debacle of November 2022, when many were shut out following the website’s crash, which left tons of fans without a chance to see their favorite artist. Now everyone has the opportunity to witness what’s been touted as the greatest tour of all time, a moniker that translated into wild box office success. Between the record-breaking pre-sale numbers passing $100 million and the distribution deal Swift made directly with AMC, all signs indicated that Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour would be one of the biggest movies of 2023.

Updated December 22, 2023: This article has been updated with even more information on what makes Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour a top movie of 2023.

Record-Breaking Pre-Sales

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

Taylor Swift is no stranger to breaking records, and as soon as Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour was announced and pre-sale tickets were available, the singer immediately began shattering sales records once again. AMC reported that during the first day of ticket sales alone, the film raked in $26 million, which smashed the previous record of $16.9 million held by Spider-Man: No Way Home .

With a virtual line in place for hours following the initial announcement, reminiscent of but smoother than the Ticketmaster fiasco, it’s no wonder the music sensation has once again broken sales records. Prior to opening weekend, it was reported that theaters were selling out and adding more showtimes as needed (via Variety ). Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour passed $100 million in presales, and opening weekend for the concert movie was a smashing success. According to Box Office Pro , the movie earned $92.8 million opening weekend, securing its spot as the number one opening weekend for a concert film ever.

Related: Deadpool 3 Rumors: Breaking Down What's Real, Including that Taylor Swift Cameo

Impact On Other Movie Releases

Within hours of Swift’s film announcement, other movies scheduled for release on the same day promptly took notice and moved quickly to forgo any initial competition with her concert film. The record-breaking debut weekend for Swift's movie was estimated, and other studios knew it would overshadow anything else released at the same time. The Exorcist: Believer moved up its release date by one week after Blumhouse head Jason Blum lightheartedly announced via social media , “Look what you made me do. The Exorcist: Believer moves to 10/6/23. #TaylorWins.”

Furthermore, What Happens Later pushed back its release a whopping three weeks after its distribution company, Bleecker Street, also announced via social media , “So we'll take our time... Are you ready for it? Meg Ryan ends her 14-year rom-com hiatus and the #Megaissance begins with #WhatHappensLater, now happening...later. Coming only to theaters November 3!” Such adjustments clearly display the impact Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour had on theaters even before it hit the big screen, and others in the industry wanted to avoid getting lost in the shuffle during the frenzy.

Related: Taylor Swift Teases ‘Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version)’ in First Wilderness Trailer

Groundbreaking AMC Deal

In true mastermind fashion, Swift avoided the traditional distribution channels and bypassed larger movie studios in order to partner directly with AMC, who acted as the distributor of her film to their own theaters and others. As part of the deal, theaters needed to carry the film for a minimum of four weeks and could show the film for as many as 26 weeks. However, after 13 weeks, Swift was free to stream the movie wherever she chose — which she took advantage of for a streaming release on her birthday.

Notably, adult tickets for the film were priced at $19.89, a clear nod to the year Swift was born as well as the title of the singer’s rerecorded album from October 2023. Child tickets were $13.13, a wink to the singer’s favorite number and birthday. Although neither pricing will necessarily impact the impending success of the film, it displays the level of involvement on Swift’s end. The deal made with AMC clearly puts Swift in the driver’s seat and allows for more control of her film, something Swifties love to see and ultimately support.

Box Office Domination

Currently, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is the highest-grossing movie ever in the concert film category (via Deadline ). As of December 2023, its revenue is approximately $179.4 million for domestic ticket sales. For international sales, it earned about $70.7 million, for a worldwide total of over $250 million (via Box Office Mojo ).

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour has lapped some of its competing movies in box office sales. The Marvels released on November 10, 2023, and Box Office Mojo reports as of December 2023, its domestic earnings were only a gross of approximately $84.3 million. Disney's Wish grossed $56.3 million in domestic sales. The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes grossed $146.2 million in domestic sales. (However, The Hunger Games' s prequel's international sales were higher than Swift's concert film, giving that film a higher worldwide total of $299.7 million.)

Based on the current box office standing, it's possible that Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour could outperform the holiday season releases — films such as Migration, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and Anyone But You. (It's already beaten Wonka 's domestic opening weekend numbers by over $50 million .)

At the end of the day, Swifties and their devotion to Taylor Swift made her concert film a record breaker. However, it didn't end up as one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of the year, perhaps due to its October release (or due to the Barbenheimer juggernaut). Nevertheless, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour has had an incredibly impressive theater run, and it will likely continue to be watched and streamed by beloved fans — both those who have been there since the Our Song days and those who only just discovered a love for her music. If Swift’s track record of groundbreaking success on all fronts is any indication, then the film industry can expect any of the music mogul’s future movie projects to be no exception.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is playing in theaters and available to rent on Apple TV+, Prime Video, Google Play, and YouTube.

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Taylor Swift 'planning to release novel she wrote when only 14 years old'

Taylor Swift , fresh off her mammoth Eras Tour, is already plotting her next career move.

It’s no secret that the Shake It Off hit-maker, 34, is a prolific writer and is reportedly planning to release her debut novel .

The book, titled A Girl Called Girl, was written by Swift when she was just 14 and follows the story of a mother who wanted a son instead of a daughter.

Despite being penned two decades ago, it has never seen the light of day and the draft was previously believed to be in the care of her parents.

The star has since trademarked the name and rights to her debut novel, however, it's not the first time she has trademarked the book.

In 2015 she secured the rights to the name for the very first time, but nothing further happened.

Now, according to  The Sun , Swift’s new trademark covers merchandise for the book, as well as audio versions, so it appears she is really determined to make it happen this time around.

The Standard has contacted a representative for Taylor Swift for comment.

Opening up on the project previously, Swift revealed that she started writing the book before her music career really took off.

She explained during her tour in 2012 that all of her friends were back in Pennsylvania at the time so she had “nothing to do”.

She told fans at the time: “All my friends were back in Pennsylvania, so I had nothing to do.

“I had this epiphany; I’m going to be a novelist and I’m going to write novels . That’s going to be my career path.”

Gallery: Ten things to love about Taylor Swift