Photos that show Taylor Swift's meteoric rise from a Nashville country singer to the most famous musician in the world
Updated
- Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” on Friday.
- In the 19 years since she released her debut album, Swift has become a billionaire.
- Here’s a photographic journey through her career, her many eras, and her blockbuster tours.
In the 19 years since Taylor Swift released her first album, she’s been a country star, a pop star, and a voice of a generation.
She’s a four-time album of the year winner, a billionaire, and the first person with a tour grossing $1 billion. She also rocked the music industry when she decided to re-record her first six albums so she’d own the rights to her own music — and then once again, when she announced she’d bought her masters back after a yearslong effort.
Plus, her 12th album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” is set for a massive debut on the charts after its release on Friday.
But she wasn’t always this juggernaut. Here’s a look at her impressive career, from her 2006 debut to her 2025 superstardom.
Taylor Swift released her self-titled debut album in 2006, when she was just 16.
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By 2007, she was already playing to large crowds. Her aesthetic consisted of flowy dresses, an acoustic guitar, curly hair, and cowboy boots.
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Her guitar has been a constant companion from 2007 to 2025.
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Swift’s debut single was “Tim McGraw,” named, of course, after the country star. In May 2007, she performed the song to him and his wife, Faith Hill, at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
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An EP, “Beautiful Eyes,” was released in July 2008, just two months after she performed at Stagecoach Music Festival — essentially, country music’s Coachella.
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Even as her star was rising, Swift made time to take selfies with fans … on digital cameras!
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By August 2009, her second album, “Fearless,” had been released, and she was headlining Madison Square Garden.
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A turning point in her career came during the MTV Video Music Awards in September 2009, when Kanye West interrupted her acceptance speech to declare Beyoncé deserved the award.
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In December, she performed with one of her then-musical idols, John Mayer. The two would go on to briefly date, inspiring her song “Dear John.”
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At the 2010 Grammys, Swift performed with Stevie Nicks — 14 years later, Swift referenced their connection in the song “Clara Bow.”
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Later that night, the “You Belong With Me” singer was gobsmacked to win album of the year. She’d later write about this night in “Long Live.”
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Her third album, “Speak Now,” was released in October 2010. The world tour began in February 2011.
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It sold over 1 million copies in its first week, the highest single-week sales for a female country artist. She also became the first female artist to have 11 songs on the Hot 100 simultaneously.
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She continued to collaborate with musical legends. She brought James Taylor out at her Madison Square Garden show in November 2011.
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In 2012, she made her first move away from country music to more straightforward pop. Cowboy boots were nowhere to be found.
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The debut single from her fourth album, “Red,” called “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” became her first No. 1 on the Hot 100.
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As her musical style changed, so did her style. She traded flowing dresses and cowboy boots for form-fitting dresses and high heels; gone was the curly hair, traded for sleek, straight tresses.
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The Red Tour grossed $150.2 million, making it the highest-grossing country tour ever when it ended in 2014.
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She became the first female solo artist in 20 years to perform a stadium tour in Australia. The last female artist to do it was Madonna in 1993.
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In August 2014, she left country behind with the song “Shake It Off,” a pure pop song.
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“1989,” Swift’s fifth album, remains a high point of her career. It elevated Swift to pop-icon status and spawned three No. 1 hits and two more top-10 singles.
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It was also the era of her “squad.” People are still captivated by who is in Swift’s inner circle.
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To top off the “1989” era, she won her second album of the year Grammy in February 2016.
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Her bleached blonde era — known as “Bleachella,” since she debuted it at Coachella in 2016 — showed that people were obsessed with her every move.
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But by July 2016, Swift had vanished. Her feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West had resurfaced, with many on social media turning against her.
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In 2017, she cleared her social media and told us: “There will be no explanation, just reputation.” Her sixth album, “Reputation,” was released in November.
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“Reputation” brought a new dark and gritty aesthetic. But the old Taylor, who loves interacting with her fans, was still in there.
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The “Reputation” Stadium Tour was her first all-stadium tour. Upon its completion in November 2018, it grossed $345.7 million, making it the then-highest-grossing North American tour ever.
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In a savvy move, she reclaimed the snake imagery that had been used against her by critics.
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But after her two years of all-black edginess, 2019 brought a complete aesthetic shift.
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Her seventh album, “Lover,” was released in August 2019 and was full of love songs, pastel rainbows, and bubblegum pop.
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“Lover” was her sixth consecutive No. 1 album and the best-selling album of 2019. But “Lover Fest” was canceled due to the pandemic.
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In July 2020, Swift surprised fans with her eighth album, “Folklore.” It would go on to win album of the year — she was the first woman ever to win three times.
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After a seven-year hiatus, she returned to her country roots. She performed the song “Betty” at the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards.
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In November 2021, Swift released the 10-minute version of her song “All Too Well,” originally from 2012. She also directed an accompanying short film starring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink.
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“Red (Taylor’s Version),” her re-recorded version of the 2012 album “Red” was a huge hit. “All Too Well (10-Minute Version)” became the longest No. 1 song in the chart’s history.
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But just re-recording wasn’t enough for Swift. In August 2022, she announced her 10th album, “Midnights,” which became yet another hit.
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The year 2023 was the year of Swift, as she embarked on her globe-spanning Eras Tour. The setlist paid homage to her career — cowboy boots were back!
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Since “Lover” never got a tour of its own, it kicked off the show. Four years after its release, Swifties got “Cruel Summer” to the top of the Hot 100.
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During her “Speak Now” set, she brought back her koi-fish guitar and the purple dresses.
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During the “Red” set, she interacted with some of her youngest fans.
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In the “1989” portion, we got taken back in time to when Swift loved a two-piece set.
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The “Reputation” era might be long gone, but the snakes were back for this portion of the show.
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She also paid homage to the woodsy, cottage-core vibes of “Folklore” and its sister album, “Evermore.”
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Swift ended the night with the “Midnights” set, which spawned two of her biggest hits, “Karma” and “Anti-Hero.”
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The Eras Tour was a global phenomenon. It was the first tour to ever surpass $1 billion in revenue.
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When “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” a concert film, was released in theaters, it quickly became the highest-grossing concert film ever.
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Fans used the movie to show off their finest friendship bracelets.
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In February 2024, Swift became the first artist to win album of the year four times with “Midnights.” That night, she announced her 11th album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
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She incorporated “TTPD” songs into the second leg of the Eras Tour in May 2024.
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She even had a special guest during a London show: Her now-fiancé, Travis Kelce, popped up onstage in June.
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In 19 years, Swift has released 12 albums, four re-records, won 14 Grammys, had 12 No. 1 hits, become a billionaire, and broken countless records. She’s showing no sign of slowing down.
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