Taylor

Taylor Swift was a rarity in pop: she is the only celebrity to have moved from the country to mainstream and then to be a global pop culture icon. Swift removed her roots in the country like they were a second skin revealing that she was perhaps the savviest pop-oriented singer/songwriter of her time, one who could harness the mood of the moment and personalize it and equally impressively do opposite. It was apparent in her earliest songs especially in her neo homage to Tim McGraw. On her 2nd album, Fearless (2008), Swift revealed a singer/songwriter who was beginning to know her. Fearless became a massive success not only in the United States with six singles were certified platinum in the wake of Top Ten hit songs Love Story and you Belong with Me. But it also smashed records across all over the world. Speak Now delivered almost two years later, which consolidated the achievement and propelled Swift to the heights of fame. In the following three years, her popularity was growing -- Red (2012), Reputation (2014), and 1989 (2014-2015) -- as Swift entered the realm of pop with her skills already well-established. It was not long before she altered her plan by releasing 2020's streamlined folklore (and Evermore) and stayed in the forefront of pop culture.