Taylor Swift, in full Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13th, 1989 West Reading Pennsylvania U.S.) American pop and country musician and singer whose tales of youthful heartache earned her widespread popularity in the first decade of the 21st century. Swift developed an interest for musical instruments as a young person and soon progressed from performing in children's shows before making her first appearance front of an audience. She was age 11 when she sang The Star-Spangled Banner before a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game. in the next year, she took up guitar and started writing songs. Swift got inspiration from musicians who played country music, like Shania Twain, the Dixie Chicks and, more recently, the Chicks in order to write original music which reflected the alienation she felt at 13 years old. At the age of 13, Swift's parents sold their farm in Pennsylvania to move into Hendersonville Tennessee so she could devote more of her time to courting country labels wit...