Taylor Swift

TAYLOR SWIFT

Date of Birth: December 13, 1989

Born in Pennsylvania, Taylor Swift grew up on a Christmas tree farm with her parents and younger brother, Austin. By Grade 4, her talent for writing became clear when she won a national poetry contest with her piece, "Monsters In My Closet." She hasn't stopped writing since.

At the age of 10 she was performing in karaoke contests, musicals, theater groups and festivals. Swift, whose grandmother was a professional opera singer, taught herself to play the guitar and says country-singer LeAnn Rimes was her inspiration to enter the music industry.

She was soon propelled to stardom with her hit single "Tim McGraw" in 2006, followed by the release of her self-titled debut album—comprised entirely of songs written or co-written by herself at the age of 16. "Taylor Swift" holds Billboard's record for the longest-charting album in this century. Her second album, "Fearless," became the top-selling album of 2008 and went quintuple-platinum.

In 2009, Swift become the youngest singer to win a Country Music Award for Entertainer of the Year and received the 2010 People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Artist. Other accomplishments include being named one of People magazine's "Most Intriguing People of 2009" and one of the "100 People Changing America" by Rolling Stone. According to figures released by Neilsen SoundScan, in the history of music, she is the highest-selling digital artist. The star also has a "Taylor Nation" online fan base that follows her every move.

Swift will make her feature film acting debut in Valentine's Day (2010), which focuses on the romantic lives of young adults living in Los Angeles.

Like her good friend singer/actress Miley Cyrus, Swift is no stranger to the rumor mill. The musician, known for her trademark style of wearing dresses and cowboy boots, is the ex-girlfriend of Joe Jonas of the musical group the Jonas Brothers. She was also romantically linked with Twilight star Taylor Lautner, her Valentine's Day co-star.