SLIDE 2

Background
Taylor Alison Swift is a singer-songwriter born on December 13, 1989, in West
Reading, Pennsylvania. Her father, Scott Swift, is a stockbroker; her mother, Andrea
Swift, is a homemaker who previously worked as a fund marketing executive; her
brother, Austin, is an actor. Her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, was an opera
singer. Swift spent her early years on a Christmas tree farm with her parents. At age
9, Swift started taking vocal and acting lessons in New York City and later decided to
shift her focus toward country music, inspired by Shania Twain and Faith Hill. When
Swift was 12, she began writing songs regularly and used it as an outlet to help her
with her pain from not fitting in at school. Swift was a victim of bullying, and spent
her time writing songs to express her emotions. A computer repairman named Ronnie
Cremer taught her to play the guitar and helped with her first efforts as a songwriter,
leading Taylor to write "Lucky You", her first song ever. In 2003, with the help of a
family friend manager, she had an original song included on the show's compilation
CD. With it, came the opportunity to attend meetings with major record labels. To
help Taylor's break into country music, her father transferred his job to an office in
Nashville when she was 14, and the family relocated to a lakefront house in
Hendersonville, Tennessee, where Taylor attended high school. Two years later, she
transferred to Aaron Academy to better accommodate her touring schedule through
homeschooling. In Nashville, Taylor started working with songwriter Liz Rose during
two-hour writing sessions every Tuesday afternoon after school. At a showcase in
Nashville's Bluebird Cafe in 2005, Swift caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, a
record executive who was preparing to form an independent record label, Big
Machine Records. Her first lead single “Tim McGraw” was released in June 2006,
and Taylor Swift’s self titled album was released later that year, on October 24, 2006.

SLIDE 3 The music genre

Songwriting style
Over the course of 16 years and nine albums, she's switched genres from country to
pop to alternative to folk. Swift's lyrics are highly autobiographical; she has said that
"If you listen to my albums, it’s like reading my diary." "Fifteen" was written about
her freshman year of high school. It has been said that her lyrics "can be tinged with
acid: the quiet loner girl getting one over on the cheerleaders, or a caustic payback for
the boy who dumped her." She has also indicated that she tries to write so her fans
can relate to the lyrics, saying "My goal is to never write songs that my fans can't
relate to." The intensely personal nature of the songs has drawn her attention in the
music industry. Swift once said, "I thought people might find them hard to relate to,
but it turned out that the more personal my songs were, the more closely people could
relate to them." Due to the autobiographical nature of her songs, some fans have
researched the songs' origins. The New York Times described Swift as "one of pop's
finest songwriters, country’s foremost pragmatist and more in touch with her inner
life than most adults".

SLIDE 4 Her influence

1. She develops a support network.
Taylor Swift has her fans and fellow artists in the music industry that support her.
With her autobiographical narratives revolving around romance and heartbreak—
which defy traditionally conservative values represented in country music —Swift
introduces the genre to a younger generation that could relate to her personal
struggles.

2. She has influence.

Swift's early success as a country singer-songwriter plays an important role in
shaping the modern country music scene. Following Swift's rise to fame, country
labels have become more interested in signing young singers who write their own
music. Swift and her work have influenced various recording artists, including
Camila Cabello, Selena Gomez, Halsey, Shawn Mendes and many others.

3. She owns her power.

Not only does Taylor Swift have power, but she owns her power.
She is not afraid to use some of her capital to influence change, particularly when it
impacts her worth and that of her fellow artists. Taylor Swift is not afraid to risk her
reputation or suffer the consequences for something she feels is unfair.

4. She is not afraid to share her feelings publicly.

“I feel very strongly that sharing what is happening to me could change the
awareness level for other artists and potentially help them avoid a similar fate,”
writes Swift in her tweet. “This is WRONG. Neither of these men had a hand in the
writing of those songs.” In fact, she has built a career out of hit songs that stem from
her feelings.

SLIDE 5
The singer has also been actively using her platform as a successful artist to shed
light on injustices within the music industry to ensure a younger generation of
musicians can thrive in an environment that cares about their work, as opposed to
commodifies it. She engages directly with her followers to cultivate a loyal fan base.
She’s a philanthropist with clear moral values. On September 21, 2007, Swift helped
launch a campaign to protect children from online predators. In response to the May
2010 Tennessee floods, Swift donated $500,000 during a flood relief telethon hosted
by WSMV, a Nashville television station. In 2014, she donated $100,000 to the V
Foundation for Cancer Research and $50,000 to the Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia. Swift has encouraged young people to volunteer in their local
communities as part of Global Youth Service Day.

SLIDE 6
Taylor Swift is the perfect example of an artist who changes with her audience. Few
artists have managed to traverse through genres as seamlessly as Swift. In her music,
Swift digs into the heart of the human experience in a poetic way that almost
romanticizes growing up, falling in love and breaking up in a way that fans of all ages
continue to enjoy. While not every era of Swift has been widely loved by fans, they
were at least all appreciated. Her constant changes, not only in the sound of her music
but also in her public image as it relates to each era, are what has allowed her to
continue flourishing well past what would be most artists’ prime.