Taylor

Taylor Swift, the rarest pop star, is one who was able to transcend over from country music to mainstream culture, and has become an idol of the pop world. The singer also swept every continent in the process. Swift shed country like it was an additional layer of herself, proving that she's possibly the best pop-singer/songwriter in her generation. One who can harness the current zeitgeist and make it personal as well as perform in the opposite. Swift's early tracks, such as the neotribute in tribute to Tim McGraw were a testament to her talent. However, her second album Fearless of 2008 proved to be a songwriter finding her voice as well as a broader audience. Fearless became hugely popular not only in the United States where the Top Ten singles Love Story and Belong with Me helped it to achieve six platinum records however, it also swept the world. The album was particularly successful across Canada, Australia as well as the U.K. Swift took off to the peak of the charts after the release of Speak Now. Her popularity only increased with her following three albums -- Red (2012) 1989 (2014), and Reputation (2017) -- and found her moving assuredly into a pop realm where she already belonged. Although she slowed down her approach with 2020's stripped-down sister album folklore, and Evermore she remained atop the pop world a position that she maintained through re-recordings from her earlier catalog, as well as Midnights the top charting synth heavy 2022 collection.