These days, Taylor Swift is less of a pop star than a widespread cultural phenomenon. Nearly two decades into her career, she’s still breaking records, selling nearly 4 million copies of her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, in just five days. However, her unprecedented success in the pop arena often overshadows the fact that it was Nashville who gave Swift her start.
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The Pennsylvania-born artist was just 17 years old when she first topped the Hot Country Songs chart with “Our Song,” off her 2006 self-titled debut album. Her 2008 sophomore album, Fearless, further established her star power, winning Album of the Year from both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music in 2009. And on this day (Jan. 31) in 2010, the 11-time Platinum album made Taylor Swift the youngest country music artist—and the youngest person ever, at the time—to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
Taylor Swift Won Her First Four Grammys on This Day
Jan. 31, 2010, wasn’t the first time that Taylor Swift was up for a Grammy Award. Despite four nominations at the 2008 ceremony, the aspiring star walked away winless, losing out on Best New Artist to Amy Winehouse.
The 52nd annual Grammy Awards, held at the Staple Center in Los Angeles, were a different matter. The then 20-year-old won four of five categories that she was nominated in, including Album of the Year.
Hearing her name called, Swift’s jaw dropped open almost comically wide as she embraced her mother, Andrea. Onstage, she shouted out producer Nathan Chapman.
“Our families are freaking out in their living rooms. My dad and my little brother are losing their mind in the living room right now,” she said.
After thanking her family, she continued, “When we’re 80 years old and we are telling the same stories over and over again to our grandkids, and they’re so annoyed with us, this is the story we’re gonna be telling over and over again—in 2010, that we got to win Album of the Year at the Grammys. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
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Swift Holds the Grammys Record for Album of the Year Wins
It certainly wasn’t Taylor Swift’s last time on that stage. In fact, she has since won Album of the Year three more times—giving her more wins than any other artist.
Her other Album of the Year wins came in 2016 for 1989 (2014); 2021 for Folklore (2020); and 2024 for Midnights (2022).
(Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
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