Katie Kawa - Taylor Swift: Superstar Singer

Published in 2017 by

Lucent Press, an Imprint of Greenhaven Publishing LLC

353 3rd Avenue Suite 255

New York, NY 10010

Copyright 2017 Greenhaven Press, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning Gale and Greenhaven Press are registered trademarks used herein under license.

All new materials copyright 2017 Lucent Press, an Imprint of Greenhaven Publishing LLC.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Designer: Deanna Paternostro

Editor: Katie Kawa

Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Kawa, Katie.

Title: Taylor Swift: superstar singer / Katie Kawa.

Description: New York : Lucent Press, 2017. | Series: People in the news | Includes index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781534560253 (library bound) | ISBN 9781534560260 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Swift, Taylor, 1989---Juvenile literature.Country musicians--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature.Singers--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC ML3930.S989 K39 2017 | DDC 782.421642092--dc23

Printed in the United States of America

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Foreword

W e live in a world where the latest news is always available and where it seems we have unlimited access to the lives of the people in the news. Entire television networks are devoted to news about politics, sports, and entertainment. Social media has allowed people to have an unprecedented level of interaction with celebrities. We have more information at our fingertips than ever before. However, how much do we really know about the people we see on television news programs, social media feeds, and magazine covers?

Despite the constant stream of news, the full stories behind the lives of some of the worlds most newsworthy men and women are often unknown. Who was Taylor Swift before she was a pop music phenomenon? What does LeBron James do when he is not playing basketball? What inspired Elon Musk to dream as big as he does?

This series aims to answer questions such as these about some of the biggest names in pop culture, sports, politics, and technology. While the subjects of this series come from all walks of life and areas of expertise, they share a common magnetism that has made them all captivating figures in the public eye. They have shaped the world in some unique way, andin many casesthey are poised to continue to shape the world for many years to come.

These biographies are not just a collection of basic facts. They tell compelling stories that show how each figure grew to become a powerful public personality. Each book aims to paint a complete, realistic picture of its subjectfrom the challenges they overcame to the controversies they caused. In doing so, each book reinforces the idea that even the most famous faces on the news are real people who are much more complex than we are often shown in brief video clips or sound bites. Readers are also reminded that there is even more to a person than what they present to the world through social media posts, press releases, and interviews. The whole story of a persons life can only be discovered by digging beneath the surface of their public persona, and that is what this series allows readers to do.

The books in this series are filled with enlightening quotes from speeches and interviews given by the subjects, as well as quotes and anecdotes from those who know their story best: family, friends, coaches, and colleagues. All quotes are noted to provide guidance for further research. Detailed lists of additional resources are also included, as are timelines, indexes, and unique photographs. These text features come together to enhance the reading experience and encourage readers to dive deeper into the stories of these influential men and women.

Fame can be fleeting, but the subjects featured in this series have real staying power. They have fundamentally impacted their respective fields and have achieved great success through hard work and true talent. They are men and women defined by their accomplishments, and they are often seen as role models for the next generation. They have left their mark on the world in a major way, and their stories are meant to inspire readers to leave their mark, too.

Introduction

Making It Personal

T aylor Swift rose to country music stardom when she was a teenager, thanks to her ability to write songs that are deeply personal and powerfully relatable. She then used that same talent to make the jump from country music to pop music, reaching new heights of fame and success. She is now a global superstar, but her popularity remains rooted in the same personal approach to songwriting that first drew fans to her music more than a decade ago.

Swift has achieved unprecedented success by speaking to young fans through her music. Although her music has a broad appeal, she is best known as a voice for young women. Her songs speak to the changes many girls and women go through as they grow upfrom first heartbreaks to moving to a new city. In writing about her own life experiences, Swift has forged a strong connection with her passionate fans.

Swift has been known for her personal lyrics ever since she first appeared on the country music scene. When she was just 19 years old, a writer for the New York Times stated that she was more in touch with her inner life than most adults.1 Swifts gift for turning introspection into hit songs has fueled her career. In a 2013 interview with Entertainment Weekly, she said, My experience with songwriting is usually so confessional, its so drawn from my own life and my own stories.2 Her ability to create songs that reflect the universal experiences of growing up has given young womenwho often feel like they are without a voicea catalog of songs that seem to speak directly to them.

Taylor Swift became famous for writing about her life experiences. Her songs come from a personal place that her fans can relate to.

Swifts ability to form connections with her fans has only grown as she has branched out into the worlds of acting, advertising, and activism. The teenager who showed up in Nashville, Tennessee, with a guitar and songs she wrote herself has become a woman with incredible influence on music, fashion, and popular culture.

Social Media Superstar

How did Taylor Swift become a global pop culture phenomenon? Her songwriting talent is a big part of her success. However, it is not the only part. Her ability to use social media to her advantage has been a key to her superstar status. Scott Borchetta, the founder of Big Machine Records who first signed Swift to a record deal, described her as remarkably and extraordinarily media savvy.3 Swift knows how to adapt to changes in social media in order to stay in touch with her fans. Her social media presence has evolved from her early days of using the social networking website MySpace to share her music with fans. Today, she maintains a strong presence on social media platforms that include Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.