The “Speak Now” Era – Taylor Swift

The  release of “Speak Now” on October 25, 2010, marked the start of Taylor’s golden era. A commercial success, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with a million copies sold in its first week – truly a historic feat. The record helped cement her as a global star, and with several GRAMMYs to her name as well as just finishing up her first headlining tour, her music was topping charts across all genres. This time also marked the beginning of her much-publicized celebrity romances and relationships.

Taylor’s “Speak Now” was yet another success; the release of the album thrust her again into the spotlight, and this time it was because of her astounding music. As she had done before, she wrote songs about her own personal experiences – though this time, fans looked for hidden allusions to particular celebrities in each track. It certainly added an extra layer of intrigue, as everyone tried to guess whom she may have been singing about.

WORLD RECORDS GUINNESS

In a week, “Speak Now” became the fastest-selling digital album by a female artist. For this feat, Taylor received a listing in the 2010 Guinness World Records; she earned another entry after 10 of “Speak Now’s” tracks debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first female to do so. Three of the album’s singles — “Mine”, “Back to December”, and “Mean” — reached the Top 10 in Canada.

GRAMMY AWARDS FOR TWO MORE

The  song “Mean” won “Best Country Song” and “Best Country Solo Performance” at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. Taylor also performed the song. She delivered her comeback in 2010 with a vengeance, according to Claire Suddath of Time, and Jayme Deerwester of USA Today said the criticism “made her a better writer and performer”.

Speak Now” also won Taylor numerous other awards, including “Songwriter/Artist of the Year” from the Nashville Songwriters Association (2010 and 2011), “Woman of the Year” from Billboard (2011), and “Entertainer of the Year” from the Academy of Country Music (2011 and 2012) and the Country Music Association (2012). In 2011, Swift won “Artist of the Year” and “Favorite Country Album” at the American Music Awards.

TOUR OF THE WORLD BY SPEAK NOW

From February 2011 to March 2012, Taylor performed on the “Speak Now World Tour”, which grossed over $123 million. In November 2011, she released her first live album, “Speak Now World Tour: Live.