Taylor

Taylor Swift was a rarity in pop: she is the only superstar to have transitioned from the traditional to the mainstream, and to become a pop icon worldwide. Swift dropped country as if it was an additional layer, showing that she's perhaps the smartest pop-singer/songwriter her generation. Someone who is able to harness the zeitgeist to make it personal, and be able to perform at the opposite. The skills she displayed were apparent on 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 the mass market. Fearless was a big hit not only in the United States with the Top Ten singles Love Story and Belong with Me helped it to achieve six platinum records however, it also swept the world. It was a huge success in Canada, Australia as well as the U.K. Swift soared to the top of the charts after the release of Speak Now. Swift's popularity continued to grow over her next three albums -- Red (2012) 1989 (2014) as well as Reputation (2017) Reputation (2017) which saw her move into a realm of pop music in which she was already a part. Her name was always at the top of pop even after she changed her signature style in her twin albums, folklore and Evermore in the year 2020.