Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift sang about the joy and pain of adolescence on her way to becoming an international pop phenomenon. Her crossover success from country music darling to pop culture superstar happened seemingly happened overnight, yet Swift's prodigious natural talent, honest songwriting and cheerfully free spirit gave her staying power on the charts. Her sophomore album Fearless (2009) churned out one hit song after another, reached multi-platinum status, and won her numerous awards, including Country Music Association (CMA) Entertainer of the Year, which, as the title's youngest recipient, made CMA history. Far from a one-note, Swift displayed her acting skills as well in projects as varied as an episode of the drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS, 2000-15) and as Taylor Lautner's love interest in the big screen romantic comedy, "Valentine's Day" (2010). A breath of fresh air amongst a crowd of party-hopping starlets, Swift's fairy tale life took a surreal turn at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards after rapper Kanye West interrupted her acceptance speech. However uncomfortable the moment may have been for Swift, everyone in the country knew who she was the next morning, and it appeared the sky was the limit for multi-talented singer-actress who had captured America's hearts. A slow but steady turn away from Nashville country into pure pop music was completed with her fifth album, 1989, a well-crafted collection of largely electronic pop songs that effortlessly moved her into the heart of the pop mainstream. After several days of teasing snake-related images on social media, Swift confirmed on August 24, 2017, that her next album, Reputation, was scheduled for release on November 10, 2017. The first single, "Look What You Made Me Do," was also released on August 24, with the full video set to debut during the VMA ceremony on August 27.