Taylor Swift's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift is an American singer-songwriter renowned for her autobiographical lyrics, artistic flexibility, and substantial cultural influence. As one of the best-selling music artists globally and the highest-grossing touring artist, she's also the wealthiest female musician and the first billionaire whose primary income source is music. Her impact spans across the music industry and popular culture, solidifying her position as a prominent figure in contemporary entertainment.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Legacy & Impact

2007: Nashville Songwriters Association Award

In 2007, Taylor Swift received the Nashville Songwriters Association's Songwriter/Artist of the Year award.

2009: Billboard top artist

In 2009, Taylor Swift was on the year-end Billboard top artists list, beginning a record of topping the list in three different decades (2009, 2015 and 2023).

2009: MTV Video Music Awards Controversy

In 2009, Taylor Swift won Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards for 'You Belong with Me', but her acceptance speech was interrupted by Kanye West, leading to controversy and widespread media coverage. She also won five American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year and Favorite Country Album. Additionally, Billboard named her the 2009 Artist of the Year.

2010: Time's 100 Most Influential People

In 2010, Time included Taylor Swift on its annual list of the 100 most influential people, recognizing her early impact.

2012: American Music Award for Best Female Country Artist

In 2012, Taylor Swift received an American Music Award for Best Female Country Artist.

June 2014: Red Tour Completion

In June 2014, Taylor Swift's Red Tour concluded, becoming the highest-grossing country tour at the time.

2014: Global Recording Artist of the Year

In 2014, The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) ranked Taylor Swift as the Global Recording Artist of the Year.

2015: DoSomething's "Gone Good" List

In 2015, Taylor Swift ranked first on DoSomething's "Gone Good" list for her dedication to helping others.

2015: Billboard top artist

In 2015, Taylor Swift was on the year-end Billboard top artists list, continuing a record of topping the list in three different decades (2009, 2015 and 2023).

2015: Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time

In 2015, Taylor Swift was recognized as the youngest person on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, highlighting her songwriting achievements.

2015: Emmy Award for AMEX Unstaged

In 2015, Taylor Swift won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Interactive Program for the interactive app AMEX Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience.

2015: Time's 100 Most Influential People

In 2015, Time included Taylor Swift on its annual list of the 100 most influential people, acknowledging her continued influence.

2016: 64th BMI Awards

At the 64th BMI Awards in 2016, Taylor Swift was honored as the first woman to receive an award named after its recipient, marking a significant milestone in her career.

2016: Highest-Paid Female Musician

In 2016, Forbes named Taylor Swift the top-earning female musician with $170 million, a feat recognized by Guinness World Records.

2016: Grammy Award for 'Bad Blood'

In 2016, Taylor Swift won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video for "Bad Blood".

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2017: Time Person of the Year

In 2017, Taylor Swift was spotlighted as one of the "Silence Breakers" by Time magazine as Person of the Year for speaking up about sexual assault.

2019: Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists Chart

As of 2019, Taylor Swift had sold over 37.3 million albums in the US, leading Billboard to place her eighth on its Greatest of All Time Artists Chart.

2019: Highest Annual Earnings for a Female Musician

In 2019, Taylor Swift surpassed her own record, earning $185 million and becoming the highest-paid female musician.

2019: Global Recording Artist of the Year

In 2019, The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) ranked Taylor Swift as the Global Recording Artist of the Year. Also by 2019, Swift had amassed over 50 million album sales and 150 million single sales.

2019: Time's 100 Most Influential People

In 2019, Time included Taylor Swift on its annual list of the 100 most influential people, marking her consistent impact.

2021: Top-Earning Female Musician

In 2021, Forbes named Taylor Swift the top-earning female musician.

2021: Songwriter Icon Award

In 2021, Taylor Swift received the Songwriter Icon Award from the National Music Publishers' Association. They remarked that no one is more influential when it comes to writing music today.

May 18, 2022: Honorary Doctorate and Commencement Speech at NYU

On May 18, 2022, Taylor Swift received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from New York University and served as its commencement speaker.

2022: Top-Earning Female Musician

In 2022, Forbes named Taylor Swift the top-earning female musician.

2022: Global Recording Artist of the Year

In 2022, The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) ranked Taylor Swift as the Global Recording Artist of the Year.

2022: Songwriter-Artist of the Decade

In 2022, the Nashville Songwriters Association International named Taylor Swift Songwriter-Artist of the Decade.

October 13, 2023: Release of The Eras Tour concert film

On October 13, 2023, The Eras Tour concert film was released in theaters worldwide. The film grossed over $250 million, making it the highest-grossing concert film. It also received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.

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October 2023: Billionaire Status

In October 2023, Taylor Swift became a billionaire, making her the world's first musician to achieve the status solely based on her songs and performances.

2023: Ubiquitous success

From 2023 onward, Taylor Swift experienced an unprecedented height of popularity with the successes of her re-recordings, the Eras Tour, its concert film, Midnights, and The Tortured Poets Department, significantly increasing her net worth. Also in 2023, she began dating Travis Kelce.

2023: The Eras Tour

From 2023 to 2024, Taylor Swift undertook the Eras Tour, which became the highest-grossing tour of all time. Also in 2023, she released the concert film 'The Eras Tour'.

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2023: Most streamed artist and Billboard chart success

In 2023, Taylor Swift became the most streamed artist on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, marking a significant achievement in her career. Additionally, she was the first artist to top the year-end Billboard top artists list in three different decades (2009, 2015 and 2023). Five of her albums were among the 10 best-selling albums of 2023 in the US, the best record since Luminate began tracking US music sales in 1991.

2023: Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers of All Time

In 2023, Taylor Swift ranked 102nd on Rolling Stone's list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. Rolling Stone noted that recent releases such as Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights officially settled the argument regarding her inclusion on the list.

2023: Time Person of the Year

In 2023, Taylor Swift was named Time Person of the Year, the only individual from the arts to receive this honor.

2023: Time Person of the Year and Rolling Stone's 200 Best Singers of All Time

In 2023, Taylor Swift was named Time's Person of the Year for her cultural domination and Rolling Stone ranked Swift at 102 on their list of 200 Best Singers of All Time.

April 19, 2024: Release of 'The Tortured Poets Department'

On April 19, 2024, Taylor Swift's eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, was released. The album topped charts globally and broke numerous records. It amassed 1 billion Spotify streams in a week and sold 2.6 million units in its first week in the US. Swift also became the first artist to monopolize the top 14 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the top 10 of Australia's ARIA Singles Chart. The album spent 17 weeks atop the Billboard 200. The lead single, "Fortnight", featuring Post Malone, became Swift's 12th number-one song on the Hot 100.

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October 2024: Richest Female Musician

As of October 2024, Forbes estimates Taylor Swift's net worth at $1.6 billion, making her the richest female musician in the world.

2024: Billboard Power 100 Ranking

In 2024, Taylor Swift topped Billboard's annual Power 100 ranking of the top music industry executives, highlighting her savvy business acumen.

2024: Artist of the Year and most streamed artist

In 2024, Taylor Swift won Artist of the Year at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Additionally, she was Spotify's most streamed artist once again in 2024.