Taylor

Taylor Swift was a rarity in pop: she is the only celebrity to have transitioned from the traditional to the mainstream and then to be a pop icon worldwide. Swift removed herself from country music as if she was a second skin, and revealed that she was the most refined pop sensibility in her time. Swift was the only artist/singer who could be a part of the trending zeitgeist and take it when she went on tour. The skills she displayed were apparent on her first hits, particularly the neo-tribute Tim McGraw but her second album 2008's Fearless showcased a songwriter discovering who she was and, in doing so, gaining the mass market. The album was a huge success, not just on American soil, with six platinum-certified singles. In fact, the Top Ten songs Love Story and I Belong with Me were the primary reasons behind this. It also performed well all over the world. Swift's next album Speak Now, released just two years after the debut, further consolidated this momentum. It propelled Swift to superstardom. In the following three years, her popularity increased with the release of three albums -the albums - Red (2012), Reputation (2014) as well as 1989 (2014-2015) -- as she moved into a realm of pop where her talents were already established. Her popularity grew even after she reformulated her approach by releasing 2020's streamlined Folklore (and Evermore) and stayed at the top of the charts.