Born in Reading, Pennsylvania to Scott, a financial advisor and Andrea, a homemaker, Taylor Alison Swift is a singer-songwriter. As a girl, Taylor Swift was an English horse rider and she competed in horse shows. At nine, her interest turned to musical theatre and singing and she traveled regularly to New York to take lessons. She learned how to play the guitar on her own, after being shown how to play three chords.

Taylor Swift said of her middle school years: "So.middle school? Awkward. Having a hobby that's different from everyone else's? Awkward. Singing the national anthem on weekends instead of going to sleepovers? More awkward. Braces. Awkward. Gain a lot of weight before you hit the growth spurt? Awkward. Frizzy hair, don't embrace the curls yet? Awkward. Try to straighten it? Awkward! So many phases!" She added, "I think who you are in school really sticks with you. I don't ever feel like the cool kid at the party, ever. It's like, Smile and be nice to everybody, because you were not invited to be here" (vogue.com).Taylor Swift moved to Nashville when she was fourteen to pursue a career in country music and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house.She released her first album in 2006 and became the youngest person to write and perform a number one song on the country music chart. At the Grammy Awards in 2008, Taylor Swift received a Best New Artist nomination.Taylor Swift released her second album "Fearless" in 2008. Along with the album, she launched a dress range at Wal-Mart, greeting cards and dolls. She also became a spokesperson for the Nashville Predators and digital cameras. In 2009, she went out on her first concert tour. Her third album "Speak Now" was released in October 2012 and she wrote all twelve songs. Her fourth album "Red" was released in October 2012.Taylor Swift made her acting debut on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," and later landed a role on "Valentine's Day."She is worth an estimated $165 million and supports charity, including arts education, children's literacy and natural disaster relief efforts.Jezebel, however, has described Taylor Swift as a "feminist's nightmare.her image of being good and pure plays right into how much the patriarchy fetishes virginity, loves purity, and celebrates women who know their place as delicate flowers."Taylor Swift said, "You know what does freak me out? When is the other shoe going to drop? I am so happy right now. So I am always living in fear. This can't be real, right? This can't really be my life."Taylor Swift's main residence is in Nashville, but she has residences in Beverly Hills and elsewhere.