Taylor Swift: The Ever-Growing Diva of Pop Culture

When we think of famous artists of our time, one name immediately pops up: Taylor Swift. Since 2006, she’s been an all-time favorite of millions of fans. Her most popular songs include “Bad Blood,” “Love Story,” and “Anti-Hero,” all of which dominated world charts. While Swift is recognized for her massive success in pop music today, not many know how this star has risen to prominence.

Success Story

Taylor Swift expressed her ideas through poetry before taking on music. At age 10, she won a national poetry contest with her work titled “Monster in My Closet.” Her writing attracted the attention of critics and marked the beginning of her long and successful journey in the songwriting industry.

Music seemed a natural next step for Swift, given its close relation to poetry, and it soon became one of her biggest passions. She brought her musical voice to numerous events near her hometown, including school musicals and concerts. Her fame grew, and just a couple of years after she wrote “Monster in My Closet,” the National Basketball Association (NBA) invited Swift to perform the national anthem at a Philadelphia 76ers game. Not long after, she performed “America the Beautiful” at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships.

At around the age of 12, Swift combined her passions of music and poetry and began producing her own songs. “If you can put words together the right way, and if you put the right rhymes at the end of the right sentences, you can make words bounce off a page,” Swift said. She started performing at a restaurant named the Bluebird Cafe, where an executive from the record label Big Machine Records became interested in her music. After signing with the company, her fame snowballed with the release of her first single, “Tim McGraw,” which reached #1 on Country Music Television (CMT) and received the Breakthrough Video Award at the 2007 CMT Awards. From there, Swift would climb the charts as one of the youngest artists in history. Today, her shelf has accumulated over 540 awards, including the Billboard Music Award, the Teen Choice Awards, and many more.

Performances and Earnings

The source of much of Swift’s fame and wealth is a result of her live performances. She earns over $100 million every tour, with the Fearless and Reputation tours receiving money from over a million attendees.

While her past shows have already left fans in awe, the Eras Tour has exceeded expectations, with 146 performances so far in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Japan, France, England, Germany, and more. Experts predict the tour will gross 2.2 billion dollars from North American ticket sales alone, each costing approximately 500 dollars. The attendance for every show averages over 70 thousand, even in less populated locations.

The Eras Tour represents a significant milestone in Swift’s career. Many expect the expedition’s gross ticket sales to exceed those of Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which currently holds the record in gross ticket sales with $887 million. Additionally, total revenue would increase with the consideration of merchandise and souvenirs purchased at these events.

Recently, the tour’s overall revenue has been stronger than ever, but the final earnings are unclear as numbers constantly grow from international legs and appearances.

Philanthropy

With all the money that Taylor has gained throughout her career, fans have sought answers as to where the earnings go.

Many accredited sources emphasize her donations toward ending mass hunger. Recently, she distributed over 100 thousand checks nationwide to local food banks and pantries. Organizations fighting hunger across the US received her donations, which helped replenish their inventories. One food bank in Arizona even received 40,000 pounds of fresh produce to distribute to those in hunger.

Furthermore, fighting hunger isn’t Swift’s only philanthropic effort. She also helps distribute aid to those impacted by natural disasters, including the Iowa flooding in 2008 and the Tennessee floods in 2010. Swift has contributed millions to over 30 nonprofit organizations throughout her two-decade career, including the Red Cross, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Feeding America.

Conclusion

Loved by many, Taylor Swift constantly breaks records with bustling tours and newly released albums. Since signing with Big Machine Records in 2005, she has consistently topped music charts worldwide. Known as the ever-growing diva of modern pop culture, Taylor Swift has undoubtedly influenced the world around us.