Taylor

Taylor Swift was a rarity in the world of pop music: she was the only superstar to have transitioned from the traditional to the mainstream and then to be an international icon of pop culture. Swift left her country roots as if they were just a second skin revealing that she was perhaps the savviest popular singer/songwriter in her generation one that could tap into the mood of the moment and personalize it and just as impressively perform the reverse. The first songs she released like the Neotribute for Tim McGraw were a testament to her talents. The second album Fearless of 2008 proved to be a songwriter finding her voice and a wider public. Fearless went on to become a global hit and not just in North America (where it earned six times platinum for the Top Ten Hits Love Story and "You Belong with Me") but in Canada, Australia as well as the U.K. and other countries. Speak Now delivered almost two years later and consolidated this popularity and pushed Swift to the heights of fame. In the three albums that followed -- Red 2012 1989, Red 2012 and Reputation 2017 -- Swift's success only grew. That was an obvious indicator that Swift had entered an entirely new world of pop which she was able to fit into. The popularity of her music grew after she reformulated her approach in 2020's more streamlined siblings folklore (and Evermore) and stayed at the top of the charts.