Taylor

Taylor Swift was a rarity in pop culture: she was the sole celebrity who transitioned from the traditional to the mainstream and then to be an international icon of pop culture. Swift dropped country as if it was an additional layer and proved that she is perhaps the most intelligent pop singer/songwriter of her time. A person who has the ability to tap into the current zeitgeist and make it personal and also perform in the opposite. Swift's early hits, especially their neo song in tribute to Tim McGraw, showed off her talents. However, her album Fearless revealed a songwriter who was re-discovering herself and was able to draw a wide audience. Fearless was a huge success not only in the United States with six singles were certified platinum in the wake of Top Ten hit songs Love Story and Belong with Me. But it also smashed records across the globe. Swift reached the heights of the charts when she released Speak Now. Her popularity only increased through her subsequent three albums -- Red (2012) 1989 (2014) and Reputation (2017) -- and saw her move confidently into a realm of pop music that she had already been a part of. She was at the top of pop even when she dropped her own style on her sister albums Folklore and Evermore in the year 2020.