Taylor

Taylor Swift was a rarity in pop: she is the only celebrity to have crossed from country into the mainstream, and to become a pop icon worldwide. Swift left her country roots like they were a second skin revealing that she was perhaps the savviest popular singer/songwriter in her generation one that could tap into the current zeitgeist and make it personal and also perform opposite. This was evident in her first hits, particularly the neo-tribute Tim McGraw but her second album, 2008's Fearless featured a singer-songwriter figuring out who she was and in the process finding a mass audience. Fearless was a huge success and not just in the US, where six of its singles were certified platinum on the back of Top Ten hit songs Love Story and you Belong with Me. But it also performed well around the globe. Speak Now delivered almost two years later and consolidated this popularity and pushed Swift to the heights of superstardom. Swift's popularity grew throughout her three subsequent albums - Red (2012), 1989 (2014) and Reputation (2017). Swift was now firmly established within a genre where she belonged. She stayed at the top of pop even when she dropped her own style on her sister albums, folklore and Evermore in 2020.