160 Fun Facts About Taylor Swift

What is the name of Taylor Swift's debut single, released in 2006?

"Tim McGraw" was Taylor Swift's debut single, released in June 2006. She wrote it during her freshman year of high school about a senior she was dating who was heading off to college.

Which musician did Swift approach to collaborate on the 1989 song "Clean"?

Imogen Heap helped Swift finish the song in one day at a London studio; Swift wrote it after realising she had spent two weeks in the same city as an ex without once thinking of him.

Who broke Taylor Swift's record in 2020 as the youngest lead artist to win Album of the Year?

Billie Eilish recorded her winning debut album with her brother Finneas, who produced it in his small bedroom studio.

At which Nashville venue did label founder Scott Borchetta first watch a teenage Taylor Swift perform?

The Bluebird Cafe: Swift played a showcase at the tiny songwriters' club in 2004, and Borchetta, who was about to launch a new label, invited her to join it.

Which Taylor Swift song begins with the lyrics "We were both young when I first saw you"?

Love Story: Swift wrote it on her bedroom floor in about 20 minutes after her parents objected to a boy she liked.

Which hit did Taylor Swift write for her ninth-grade talent show before it topped the country chart?

Our Song: Swift wrote it for a ninth-grade talent show, and when classmates were still singing it back to her months later she pushed to put it on her debut album.

Which artist duets with Taylor Swift on "Fortnight", the opening track of The Tortured Poets Department?

Post Malone co-wrote the song with Swift, and she wrote and directed its black-and-white video, casting him as her love interest.

What is the opening track on Taylor Swift's "Reputation" album?

"...Ready for It?" opens Reputation; fans first heard it in a teaser aired before a college football broadcast, the night before the full track came out.

Which former Eras Tour opener duets with Taylor Swift on the title track of The Life of a Showgirl?

Sabrina Carpenter and Swift both sing as Kitty, a showgirl who tells an admirer bringing her a bouquet that she will never know that life; by the end of the song the admirer is a showgirl herself.

What are the names of Taylor Swift's three cats?

Meredith, Olivia, and Benjamin are named after Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button; animal-welfare experts have urged fans not to copy her Scottish Folds, whose folded ears come from a gene linked to lifelong pain.

Travis Kelce was playing tight end for which NFL team when he began dating Taylor Swift in 2023?

Kansas City Chiefs: Kelce announced his crush on his podcast in July 2023 after failing to meet Swift at her concert; the couple got engaged in August 2025.

What sets the standard edition of Speak Now apart from every other Taylor Swift studio album?

She wrote every song alone: Swift later said it was her reply to critics who doubted that she really wrote her own songs.

Which Stranger Things actress plays the female lead in Taylor Swift's All Too Well: The Short Film?

Sadie Sink plays the younger half of a couple undone by their age gap; Swift wrote and directed the film herself, and both leads were her first choices.

What was the name of the businessman who acquired Taylor Swift's original master recordings in 2019?

Scooter Braun's company bought her former label in June 2019 and with it her first six albums; Swift called the sale her 'worst case scenario' and vowed to re-record them.

Which Taylor Swift music video shows her lying in a bathtub filled with diamonds?

Look What You Made Me Do: the video ends with a line-up of her past selves, teenage country Taylor among them, bickering and calling one another 'so fake'.

Why does the number 13 keep turning up in Taylor Swift's lyrics, videos and release dates?

She considers it lucky: born on December 13, she turned 13 on a Friday the 13th and has called it her lucky number ever since.

As a teenager, Taylor Swift moved with her family to which state to pursue her music career?

Tennessee: her father transferred to Merrill Lynch's Nashville office and the family bought a lakeside house in Hendersonville; she later walked away from an RCA deal that kept her waiting.

Which producer co-wrote or produced most of the songs on Taylor Swift's Folklore?

Aaron Dessner co-wrote or produced 11 of the album's 16 songs, working remotely during lockdown after Swift asked him to write with her.

Which Taylor Swift "Taylor's Version" re-recording was released first?

Fearless (Taylor's Version) came out in April 2021 as the opening move in Swift's plan to remake her first six albums and regain control of her recordings.

Which label, founded by Scott Borchetta, released Taylor Swift's first six albums?

Big Machine Records was brand new when it signed the teenage Swift; its sale in 2019 put her first six albums in another owner's hands and set off her re-recordings.

Which act duets with Taylor Swift on "exile" from the Folklore album?

Bon Iver's Justin Vernon recorded his half at his Wisconsin studio while Swift sang hers in Los Angeles, after she had first demoed the duet singing both parts herself.

Fans at which 2023 tour stop caused shaking equivalent to a 2.3-magnitude earthquake, the 'Swift Quake'?

Seattle (Lumen Field): a seismologist compared the readings with the 2011 'Beast Quake', set off by Seahawks fans celebrating a Marshawn Lynch touchdown there, and found Swift's crowd shook harder.

What did Taylor Swift say would let her repeat an Eras Tour surprise song?

Messing it up: on opening night Swift said each acoustic pick would be played only once unless she botched it; in 2024 she scrapped the rule and began mixing songs into mashups.

Which Taylor Swift single from Speak Now won Best Country Song at the 2012 Grammy Awards?

"Mean" won Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance; Swift wrote it about critics who, she said, had gone past constructive criticism and were "just being mean".

Taylor Swift's 2018 stadium tour concert film premiered on New Year's Eve exclusively on which service?

Netflix: shot on the final night of the US run in Arlington, Texas, the film arrived on New Year's Eve, apt for an album that closes with a song called 'New Year's Day'.

In which movie did Taylor Swift play the character Bombalurina?

Cats: Swift had screen-tested for director Tom Hooper's Les Misérables and missed out, but for his 2019 musical she was handed Bombalurina without an audition.

Announcing her engagement in 2025, Taylor Swift wrote that "your English teacher and your" what "are getting married"?

Gym teacher: the Instagram caption cast lyricist Swift as the English teacher and her football-playing fiancé as the gym teacher, above photos of the proposal in a rose garden.

Which album won Taylor Swift a record fourth Album of the Year Grammy in 2024?

Midnights broke a four-way tie on three wins with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon; earlier that night Swift had used another acceptance speech to announce her next album.

Which Ed Sheeran collaboration appeared on Taylor Swift's "Red" album?

"Everything Has Changed": Swift and Ed Sheeran wrote the duet while sitting, and sometimes bouncing, on a trampoline in her backyard.

What was Taylor Swift's reason for removing her music from Spotify in 2014?

Objection to ad-supported free streaming: Swift said she would not feed the idea that music has no value and should be free; her catalog stayed off Spotify until June 2017.

In which music video does Taylor Swift play a deranged girlfriend who trashes a mansion and golf-clubs a car?

Blank Space: Swift built the character from the tabloids' man-eater caricature of her, and said half the audience got the joke while half thought she meant it.

Which Taylor Swift single opens with the admission that she gets "older but just never wiser"?

Anti-Hero: Swift called it one of her favourite songs she has written and 'a real guided tour' of everything she tends to hate about herself.

Which handmade items did Taylor Swift fans trade at the Eras Tour, inspired by a lyric in "You're on Your Own, Kid"?

Friendship bracelets: the song urges listeners to 'make the friendship bracelets', and fans took it literally, swapping beaded bands spelling out song titles and in-jokes.

Whose farewell tour did Taylor Swift's Eras Tour overtake in 2023 as the highest-grossing tour ever?

Elton John: his five-year Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour had set the record at $939 million only months before the Eras Tour became the first to pass $1 billion.

Which cinema chain distributed Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert film after she bypassed the Hollywood studios?

AMC Theatres: after talks with the Hollywood studios fell through, Swift's team took the film straight to the cinema chain, and advance ticket sales passed $100 million.

Hours after The Tortured Poets Department came out, Taylor Swift surprise-released which edition?

The Anthology: at 2 a.m. Swift revealed the record was secretly a double album with 15 more songs, saying she had written so much in two years that she wanted to share it all.

Which single from 1989 did Taylor Swift write and produce with the Bleachers frontman?

Out of the Woods: the Bleachers frontman sent Swift the finished track while she was on a plane, and she sent back the melody and lyrics about 30 minutes later.

What Taylor Swift song contains the lyric "Band-aids don't fix bullet holes"?

Bad Blood was widely read as a swipe at Katy Perry; the two made peace on camera in 2019, hugging while dressed as a burger and fries.

After Taylor Swift's first political endorsement in 2018, a nonpartisan site reported a spike in what?

Voter registrations: Vote.org reported a flood of them within 24 hours of her Instagram post backing two Democrats, and Donald Trump said he now liked her music "about 25% less".

While accepting which award at the 2024 Grammys did Taylor Swift announce The Tortured Poets Department?

Best Pop Vocal Album: Swift used the acceptance speech to reveal her next album, then closed the night by taking the ceremony's top prize for a record fourth time.

What was the name of Taylor Swift's first headlining concert run, announced in January 2009?

The Fearless Tour opened with a sold-out night in Evansville, Indiana; after years as a support act, Swift said headlining meant she could finally play more of her own music each night.

When Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs, whose video did he call one of the best ever?

Beyoncé: West meant her 'Single Ladies' video; when it won Video of the Year later that night, she called Swift back on stage to finish her speech.

What do Swifties call the hidden clues Taylor Swift plants in videos, outfits and posts to hint at upcoming releases?

Easter Eggs: Swift began by capitalising stray letters in her album booklets to spell secret messages, and now hides hints in videos and outfits.

Which vault track from 1989 (Taylor's Version) debuted at number one on the Hot 100 in 2023?

"Is It Over Now?" debuted at number one in November 2023, knocking another of Swift's own songs off the top; it was her 11th Hot 100 chart-topper.

What did Taylor Swift's 2015 open letter persuade Apple Music to do?

Pay artists during its free trial period: Apple's Eddy Cue announced the reversal the same day, saying her letter had changed his mind.

In which New Jersey shore town did Taylor Swift's family spend their summers?

Stone Harbor: the Swifts kept a summer home there, and in 2004 the local paper profiled the 14-year-old as a summertime resident on her way to country stardom.

What is the first name of Taylor Swift's younger brother?

Austin Swift, an actor seen in the 2016 film Live by Night, went on to handle requests to use his sister's songs in films.

Who sang lead on "This Is What You Came For", the Calvin Harris single Taylor Swift co-wrote under a pseudonym?

Rihanna sang it, with Swift on uncredited backing vocals; her writing credit surfaced only after she and Harris, a couple at the time, had split.

What did "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" do that no earlier Taylor Swift single had?

Top the Billboard Hot 100: in 2012 it leapt from number 72 to number one in its second week; two earlier Swift singles had stalled at number two.

Which singer presented Taylor Swift with her record fourth Album of the Year Grammy in 2024?

Céline Dion made a surprise appearance to present the award and was given a standing ovation as she walked on, one of the most emotional moments of the night.

In which U.S. state was Taylor Swift born?

Pennsylvania: Swift grew up there on a Christmas tree farm, where her childhood job was picking praying-mantis pods off the trees.

Under what pseudonym is Joe Alwyn credited as a co-writer on Taylor Swift's Folklore?

William Bowery: Swift revealed in her Long Pond Studio Sessions film that the mystery co-writer of "exile" and "betty" was her then-partner Joe Alwyn.

Which song's video won Taylor Swift the Best Female Video prize at the 2009 VMAs?

"You Belong with Me": Swift plays both the girl next door and her cheerleader rival in the video, with Lucas Till as the boy caught between them.

Which "From The Vault" track was released on Taylor Swift's Red (Taylor's Version)?

"Message In A Bottle" was written for 2012's Red but left off it, and sat unreleased for nine years; the other three are vault tracks from the re-recordings of her second and third albums.

With whom did Taylor Swift record 'I Don't Wanna Live Forever' for Fifty Shades Darker?

Zayn and Swift dropped the Fifty Shades Darker duet as a surprise in December 2016, with no advance announcement.

Which two singles made Swift the first woman to succeed herself atop the Hot 100?

"Shake It Off" and "Blank Space": the second leapt from number 13 to number one after its video came out, dethroning the first after four weeks on top.

What alias did Taylor Swift use to co-write Calvin Harris's "This Is What You Came For"?

Nils Sjöberg was her cover because she and Harris, then a couple, feared their romance would overshadow the song; her authorship came out in July 2016, after they split.

Which track was released as the lead single from Taylor Swift's Evermore?

"willow" sounds, Swift said, like casting a spell to make someone fall in love with you; in its video she follows a golden thread, picking up where her previous lead single's clip left off.

What was the name of Taylor Swift's first fragrance, launched in 2011?

Wonderstruck, made with Elizabeth Arden, took its name from a word in one of her own lyrics, a word the song's real-life subject had once used in an email to her.

Which actor played Taylor Swift's love interest in the "Wildest Dreams" video?

Scott Eastwood, Clint Eastwood's son, co-starred in the 2015 "Wildest Dreams" video, a 1950s film-set romance shot in Africa whose proceeds went to wildlife conservation.

Which honor did Time magazine give Taylor Swift in December 2023?

Person of the Year: in the cover interview Swift said the two great catalysts for her success were "horrendous" ones, being "canceled" in 2016 and having her life's work taken away from her.

Which Taylor Swift documentary opened the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020?

Miss Americana, directed by Lana Wilson, shows Swift overruling advisers who warned that speaking out would damage her career, and taking a public political stand for the first time.

In which city did the Eras Tour open on March 17, 2023?

Glendale, Arizona: the Eras Tour opened at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023, and the city temporarily renamed itself 'Swift City' for the two-night stand.

Which 2019 Swift single features Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco?

"Me!" opens its video with a snake exploding into butterflies, Swift's way of closing the snake-themed Reputation era, before she and Urie argue in subtitled French.

What instrument did a 12-year-old Taylor Swift learn from a local computer repairman?

Guitar: the repairman was also a local musician, and after he taught her the chords she wrote "Lucky You", the first song of her own.

Which singer joins Swift on the vault track "Castles Crumbling"?

Hayley Williams of Paramore joins her on the Speak Now (Taylor's Version) song about the pressures of fame; Swift said she invited the artists who most influenced her as a lyricist when she first wrote the album.

Roughly how much did Ithaca Holdings pay in 2019 for the label that owned Swift's early masters?

About $300 million was the widely reported price; Swift publicly denounced the sale and answered it by re-recording the albums so that she would own the new versions.

Which Folklore song entered the Hot 100 at number one the same week the album topped the Billboard 200?

"Cardigan" opened at number one as Folklore opened atop the Billboard 200, a double no artist had managed before; Swift did her own hair, make-up and styling for its pandemic-era video.

Taylor Swift's maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, had a career as what kind of performer?

Opera singer: Marjorie Finlay was a soprano, and Swift's 2020 tribute song "Marjorie" weaves samples of her grandmother's recorded voice into its backing vocals.

Swift endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024 minutes after which televised event?

Presidential debate: Swift posted on September 10, 2024, minutes after Harris and Trump finished, and signed off as "Childless Cat Lady", a jab at an old JD Vance remark.

Which "From The Vault" track appears on "Fearless (Taylor's Version)"?

"That's When" (feat. Keith Urban) reunited Swift with the star she had opened for in the original Fearless era; he first heard the song in a shopping-centre food court after she texted him.

Which singer broke through in January 2021 calling herself Taylor Swift's biggest fan?

Olivia Rodrigo posted a screenshot of "Drivers License" sitting just below two Swift tracks on the iTunes chart, and Swift replied, "I say that's my baby and I'm really proud."

Which 2019 Taylor Swift album track became a number-one hit in 2023 after fans embraced it on the Eras Tour?

Cruel Summer, from Lover, was not pushed as a single when the album came out; in 2023 its Eras Tour revival sent it to radio, and it topped the Hot 100 that October.

What was Taylor Swift's cancelled 2020 tour for her seventh album called?

Lover Fest was postponed and then, in February 2021, cancelled outright because of the pandemic, so the album had no tour of its own; its songs finally opened the Eras Tour set.

The characters in Taylor Swift's "Betty" are named after the daughters of which celebrity couple?

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds: James, Inez and Betty are their daughters' names, and the song gave away the third girl's name before her parents had announced it.

Who co-wrote and co-produced many of Taylor Swift's albums from "1989" on, including "Reputation" and "Lover"?

Jack Antonoff has said he and Swift went from friends to collaborators after bonding over the snare-drum sound on a Fine Young Cannibals song; their first track together came out in 2013.

In which 2010 ensemble romantic comedy did Taylor Swift make her feature-film debut?

Valentine's Day cast her as Felicia, a high-schooler giddy with first love, and she gave its soundtrack "Today Was a Fairytale", a song she had already written, which debuted at number two on the Hot 100.

Which music video was the first Taylor Swift directed entirely on her own?

The Man was Swift's first video as sole director, after she co-directed earlier clips from the same album; she also played its swaggering male lead under hours of prosthetic make-up.

In which city did the Eras Tour play its final show on December 8, 2024?

Vancouver: three nights at BC Place, added to the schedule after the tour had begun, closed the run, and the very last concert was filmed for a second tour film, The Final Show.

Which famous Taylor was Taylor Swift named after?

James Taylor: her parents also liked that the name was unisex, hoping it would help her in business, and in 2011 she sang "Fire and Rain" with her namesake at Madison Square Garden.

Which streaming service released Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) in 2024?

Disney+ reportedly outbid rivals for the rights and in March 2024 released a longer cut, restoring songs dropped from the cinema version and adding extra acoustic surprise songs.

Which country act did Swift open for in 2006 while promoting her debut album?

Rascal Flatts dropped an opening act who kept overrunning his set in 2006, and the 16-year-old Swift got the slot; tours with George Strait and Brad Paisley followed in 2007.

Which 'From The Vault' track on 'Speak Now (Taylor's Version)' features Fall Out Boy?

"Electric Touch" is a duet with the band's singer Patrick Stump about the hope and dread of a new romance; Swift counted Fall Out Boy among her songwriting influences when she first made the album.

Which city named Swift its tourism ambassador in 2014?

New York's tourism agency named her an ambassador as she released "Welcome to New York", and she gave the proceeds from the song's sales to the city's public schools.

Which Billboard honor did Swift receive in December 2019?

Woman of the Decade was a new honor and Swift its first recipient; she used her speech to attack private-equity investors "buying up our music as if it is real estate".

Which rapper features on the hit single remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood"?

Kendrick Lamar raps the verses on the 2015 single remix, and he came back in 2023 to re-record them for the Taylor's Version of the song.

Taylor Swift's "The Last Great American Dynasty" tells the story of a past owner of her mansion in which state?

Rhode Island: the song follows the free-spending heiress who once owned Swift's clifftop house at Watch Hill, a story Swift first heard from the estate agent who showed her round.

Which ex, who Swift said broke up with her by phone, inspired her Fearless song "Forever & Always"?

Joe Jonas dated Swift for a few months in 2008; she wrote the song about the abrupt split, then sent it up in an online video starring a Joe Jonas doll that came with its own phone.

Who co-wrote many early Taylor Swift hits like 'Picture to Burn' and 'White Horse'?

Liz Rose co-wrote many songs on Swift's first two albums, and Swift called her again years later for help cutting a sprawling early draft of "All Too Well" down to album length.

Which production duo co-wrote and produced 'Shake It Off' with Taylor Swift?

Max Martin and Shellback wrote "Shake It Off" with Swift as her shrug at detractors and tabloid scrutiny, and she unveiled it in a 2014 Yahoo livestream along with the news of her album.

Which track opens Taylor Swift's album folklore?

'the 1' opens the record with piano and light percussion, its line 'I'm doing good, I'm on some new shit' setting folklore's wry tone; 'cardigan' follows as track two.

In the '10 Minute Version' of 'All Too Well', what clothing item is left at a sister's house?

Scarf: it is left at the house of her ex's sister early in the song and returns in the final verse, still in his keeping; fans turned the detail into a pop-culture mystery of its own.

Which country singer got Taylor Swift's first gold record as thanks after she took over his tour slot in 2006?

Eric Church was dropped as an opening act for overrunning his set, Swift replaced him, and she later sent him her first gold record with a note thanking him for playing too long.

Which Taylor Swift song names her real-life best friend from high school, Abigail?

Fifteen recalls freshman year with Abigail Anderson, and Swift played her the song and asked her blessing before putting such a personal story on the album.

Taylor Swift's "Love Story" swaps the tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet for what?

A marriage proposal: Swift wrote the song about a boy her family and friends disliked, and decided Shakespeare's lovers deserved the happy ending the play denies them.

Which folk duo joined Swift on "Safe & Sound", her song for The Hunger Games soundtrack?

The Civil Wars raced to producer T Bone Burnett's house after a Los Angeles show, and they and Swift wrote "Safe & Sound" there in a single two-hour session.

Swift co-wrote "Beautiful Ghosts" for a 2019 musical film adaptation with which composer?

Andrew Lloyd Webber played her the melody at his piano during rehearsals, Swift began improvising lyrics on the spot, and by his account most of the song was written in one afternoon.

Swift wrote and recorded "Carolina" for the soundtrack of which 2022 film?

Where the Crawdads Sing: 'Carolina' closed the 2022 film, recorded with only instruments available before 1953 to match the story's setting, and was released in June 2022 ahead of the premiere.

Who is Maya Thompson, credited as co-writer of Swift's 2012 charity single "Ronan"?

The mother of the boy the song is about: Swift built the lyrics from Maya Thompson's blog about her young son Ronan's fatal cancer and gave all the proceeds to cancer charities.

Which song, written by Swift for Red but left off it, won CMA Song of the Year for Little Big Town?

Better Man sat unreleased for years after it missed the cut for Red; hearing Little Big Town's harmonies in it, Swift emailed the song to the band, and her own version came out in 2021.

What working title did Swift choose for Speak Now before Scott Borchetta talked her out of it?

Enchanted: Swift planned to name the album after that song, but Scott Borchetta felt the fairy-tale word clashed with its grown-up perspective, so she chose Speak Now.

Which country group sang harmonies on 'Soon You'll Get Better', the Lover ballad about Swift's mother?

The Chicks, then still billed as the Dixie Chicks, were among the acts a young Swift covered on the karaoke demos she took round Nashville labels; here they add banjo, fiddle and harmonies.

Which 2014 dystopian film gave Swift a supporting acting role?

The Giver cast her as Rosemary, the title character's daughter and the trainee before the hero, who was so distressed by the memories she received that she asked to be "released".

Swift had a voice role in which 2012 animated film?

The Lorax gave her the voice of Audrey, the girl whose wish to see a real tree sets off the story; the character is named after Dr. Seuss's widow, Audrey Geisel, who proposed the film.

Swift's "Sweeter than Fiction" was written for which 2013 biopic of a TV talent-show winner?

One Chance tells how Paul Potts, a phone-shop manager, won Britain's Got Talent singing opera; Swift said she fought her label's rule of no new music between albums to write for it.

Which Hot 100 first did Taylor Swift's Midnights achieve?

Occupy all ten spots in the top 10: Swift held back every song until release night, so the Midnights tracks arrived together and swept the chart dated November 5, 2022, beating Drake's nine a year earlier.

Which band features on "Coney Island" from Evermore?

The National feature on 'Coney Island,' with frontman Matt Berninger duetting; they returned the favour when Swift guested on their 2023 song 'The Alcott.'

In which country did Swift record her twelfth album, The Life of a Showgirl, during the Eras Tour?

Sweden: she slipped away to Stockholm between European tour dates in 2024 to record it, then revealed the album in August 2025 on Travis Kelce's podcast, New Heights.

When Taylor Swift hosted Saturday Night Live in 2009, what form did her opening monologue take?

A self-written song: her "Monologue Song (La La La)" joked about her run-in with Kanye West at the VMAs two months earlier, and she was also the night's musical guest.

Who produced Taylor Swift's self-titled debut album after cutting her early demos?

Nathan Chapman had only cut demos, in a tiny studio behind her publisher's offices, and had never produced a released album; Swift talked a sceptical label into hiring him anyway.

What sum in damages did Taylor Swift seek when she countersued the radio DJ who groped her in 2013?

One dollar was the symbolic award the jury handed her in August 2017. The DJ had sued first, blaming her complaint for the loss of his radio job.

What crop grew on the farm where Taylor Swift spent her childhood holiday seasons?

Christmas trees were the crop at Pine Ridge Farm. Home footage of Swift and her family from those years fills the video for her holiday single "Christmas Tree Farm".

What kind of creature did scientists name Nannaria swiftae in honor of Taylor Swift?

A millipede carries her name: the Swift twisted-claw millipede, described in 2022, is found only in the Appalachian mountains.

Which European capital lost three Taylor Swift Eras Tour shows to a foiled terror plot?

Vienna lost all three nights. The shows had sold their 170,000 tickets within a few hours, the largest and fastest ticket sale Austria had seen.

On which podcast, hosted by the Kelce brothers, did Taylor Swift reveal The Life of a Showgirl?

New Heights drew more than 1.3 million live viewers for the August 2025 episode, a Guinness World Record for concurrent views of a podcast on YouTube.

Which ex-boyfriend did Taylor Swift tell Ellen DeGeneres had dumped her in a 25-second phone call?

Joe Jonas made that call in 2008, and Swift answered with "Forever & Always", the last song recorded for her second album and added shortly before it was mastered.

Which pop star wears a hamburger suit beside Taylor Swift in the "You Need to Calm Down" video?

Katy Perry's cameo, opposite Swift in a french fries costume, served as the on-screen close of a dispute between the two, though they had publicly made peace months earlier.

Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles, mad scientists in Taylor Swift's "Fortnight" video, co-starred in which film?

Dead Poets Society alumni Hawke and Charles run tests on Swift in the black-and-white video. She wrote and directed it herself, with cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto.

Which animal, an online insult aimed at Taylor Swift in 2016, became the emblem of her album Reputation?

Snake was the word her detractors used in 2016. She replied by posting silent clips of CGI snakes, then filled the stadium tour with snake imagery.

Taylor Swift named the characters in her song "Betty" after the daughters of which actress friend?

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have daughters called James, Inez and Betty, the three names Swift gave to the characters in the track.

A documentary about which country star made a young Taylor Swift determined to pursue music in Nashville?

Faith Hill's story changed her goal from musical theater to country music, and by 2007 Swift was an opening act on Hill's tour.

Before she was famous, Taylor Swift modeled for which clothing retailer with help from talent manager Dan Dymtrow?

Abercrombie & Fitch was one of several early breaks Dymtrow arranged: the same push put one of her original songs on a Maybelline compilation CD.

Which label did a teenage Taylor Swift leave because it planned to keep her in development until she turned 18?

RCA Records had signed her to an artist development deal at 13. She left after one year rather than wait, and her debut album was out before she turned 17.

At which Nashville venue did executive Scott Borchetta watch a 14-year-old Taylor Swift play a 2004 showcase?

The Bluebird Cafe showcase, which Swift organized herself, put her in front of Borchetta just as he was planning to launch his own independent label.

Which debut-album single made Taylor Swift, at 17, the youngest person to write alone and sing a country number one?

"Our Song" began as a ninth-grade talent show entry. Swift put it on the album after classmates came up to her months later reciting its melody and lyrics.

On which long-running drama did Taylor Swift make her television acting debut in 2009, as a rebellious teenager?

CSI cast her as Haley Jones in "Turn, Turn, Turn", an episode that follows the callouts to one seedy motel over the course of a year.

In which 2009 film does Taylor Swift appear as herself at a barn party, singing "Crazier"?

Hannah Montana: The Movie carries a second Swift credit too: she co-wrote "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" for its soundtrack.

In which 2022 period mystery with Christian Bale does Taylor Swift play a woman who suspects her father was murdered?

Amsterdam is based on the Business Plot, a real 1933 political conspiracy in the US. Swift's character, Elizabeth Meekins, sets the story moving by asking for an autopsy on her father.

Taylor Swift found the phrase "lavender haze", the title of a Midnights track, while watching which period drama?

Mad Men used it for the state of being in love. Intrigued by its supposed 1950s origin, Swift read the phrase as an "all-encompassing love glow".

Which company's site crashed during the 2022 Taylor Swift Eras Tour presale, prompting a US Senate hearing?

Ticketmaster blamed "historically unprecedented demand" after its site crashed within an hour; 2.4 million tickets still sold that day, breaking the single-day record for an artist.

Which cinema chain distributed Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert film after talks with major studios fell through?

AMC Theatres served as both distributor and exhibitor, an unprecedented move in the American film industry. Swift's parents negotiated the terms with the chain's chief executive.

Which ceremony made Taylor Swift the first woman to receive its Global Icon prize, in 2021?

The Brit Awards honor had gone only to British men before: Swift was both the first woman and the first non-British artist to receive it.

Which featured artist joins Taylor Swift on "Fortnight", the opening track of The Tortured Poets Department?

Post Malone also co-wrote the song and plays Swift's lover in its music video.

Which singer provides guest vocals on the title track of Taylor Swift's album The Life of a Showgirl?

Sabrina Carpenter had been an opening act on the Eras Tour. Swift wrote some of the lyrics specifically for her, and Carpenter agreed immediately.

Which band sings on Taylor Swift's murder ballad "No Body, No Crime", whose victim shares a member's first name?

Haim member Este lent her name to the song's victim, who confronts a cheating husband and is then murdered. Swift sent the track to Este to ask the band to sing on it.

Which Stranger Things actress stars opposite Dylan O'Brien in Taylor Swift's "All Too Well: The Short Film"?

Sadie Sink was the only actress Swift could imagine in the role; she said she would not have gone ahead with the film had Sink turned it down.

In which US state is Holiday House, the mansion behind Taylor Swift's "The Last Great American Dynasty"?

Rhode Island is home to the house once owned by socialite Rebekah Harkness, whose story Swift first heard from the real estate agent who walked her through the property.

Whose 2015 album held the single-week US record that Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl broke in 2025?

Adele's 25 had held the mark for a decade. Showgirl passed it with 3.5 million album-equivalent units in just five days.

Which Nashville institution received $4 million from Taylor Swift to build an education center that opened in 2013?

The Country Music Hall of Fame had never received a larger donation from an artist. The Taylor Swift Education Center it paid for is an exhibit and classroom space.

A lyric in Taylor Swift's "You're on Your Own, Kid" prompted fans at the Eras Tour to make what?

Friendship bracelets carried song titles and in-jokes, and fans traded them at shows. About $3 million of them sold on Etsy between April and August of 2023.

Which 1950s film star does Taylor Swift liken her lover to in the refrain of her single "Style"?

James Dean vanished from Ryan Adams's 2015 cover of the song, which swaps the actor for a tribute to the rock band Sonic Youth.

In a track from her 2019 album, Taylor Swift's narrator says she would marry her love with what?

Paper rings give the track its title. Its retro mix of pop-punk, rockabilly and surf pop led some critics to compare it to the Go-Go's and Avril Lavigne.

Which Taylor Swift song, inspired by her romance with actor Taylor Lautner, is a remorseful plea for forgiveness?

Back to December was the first time Swift had apologized to a past lover in a song. She reasoned that if a guy deserves an apology in her songs, he should get one.

The lead single from Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl is named after a doomed heroine from which Shakespeare play?

Hamlet's Ophelia drowns after grief and rejection drive her mad. Swift's song addresses a soulmate who saves her narrator from the same end.

Which real-life best friend does Taylor Swift name in "Fifteen", her song about their first year of high school?

Abigail Anderson consented to the personal references before Swift put the song on her second album. Its lyrics follow both girls through teenage heartbreak at 15.

In which Reputation track does Taylor Swift's narrator begin a rebound romance she already knows is doomed?

Getaway Car was released as a single only in Australia and New Zealand, to support the Australasian shows of Swift's 2018 stadium tour.

Which nursery rhyme does Taylor Swift borrow lines from in the bridge of her 2019 song "The Archer"?

Humpty Dumpty's unfixable fall lets Swift acknowledge the fragility of her identity and fame. The track came out ahead of its album as a promotional single.

Which pop singer does the title track of Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department say deserves to be more famous?

Charlie Puth gets the shout-out in a song that satirizes a romance between two pretentious artists and also mentions the poets Dylan Thomas and Patti Smith.

Which Taylor Swift ballad is told by a girlfriend who rejects her lover's marriage proposal because she is not ready?

Champagne Problems inspired a French hotel, the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, to offer a Champagne Solution package with a bottle of the Dom Pérignon named in its lyrics.

Which rock singer do the lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Clara Bow" reference alongside the 1920s actress of its title?

Stevie Nicks also wrote a poem included in every physical copy of the album, and Swift dedicated the song to her when Nicks was in the audience at a Dublin show.

Which Taylor Swift song, written when she was 16, has its narrator longing to kiss a green-eyed boy in the rain?

Sparks Fly became a fan favorite from bar shows and small concerts, so Swift reworked it for her third album after fans asked her to release it.

Which lead single of Taylor Swift's third album charts the ups and downs of young love shadowed by fear of heartbreak?

Mine drew on Swift's own tendency to run away from love. Its video shows her character fleeing a fight, just as she did as a child when her parents argued.

Which Taylor Swift song, dedicated to her band and fans, uses high-school imagery to celebrate their triumphs together?

Long Live took shape in Swift's diary: some of its lyrics appear in a June 2010 journal entry that she later printed in an album's liner notes.

Which Taylor Swift song, the last single from her fifth album, is about reigniting hope and energy after heartbreak?

New Romantics takes its title from the New Romantic cultural movement of the late 1970s and 1980s, whose new wave sound shaped the song's synth-pop production.

Which piano ballad closing a Taylor Swift album has a couple tidying their house together once the guests have gone?

New Year's Day ends Reputation with a stripped-down sound far from the album's heavy synths. Its lyrics were inspired by a New Year's Eve party at Swift's own residence.

Which Midnights track did Taylor Swift write after watching the 2017 film Phantom Thread?

Mastermind has its narrator confess that she engineered the romance herself. The critic Jon Caramanica described the track as Swift's villain origin story.

Which track five on Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department did reviewers link to her breakup with Joe Alwyn?

So Long, London drew fan interest before release because Swift has said each album's fifth track is its most vulnerable and emotionally intense.

Which Taylor Swift song is narrated by the ghost of a dead woman who finds her murderer at her own funeral?

My Tears Ricochet was the first track written for its album. Swift penned it alone, starting the lyrics after she watched the divorce drama Marriage Story.

Which Taylor Swift song, inspired by the novel Rebecca, is told by a young woman whose older partner undervalues her?

Tolerate It is, in Swift's own words, about ambivalent toleration, an idea she drew from Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel.

Which singer, one of Taylor Swift's favorite artists, features on the Midnights track "Snow on the Beach"?

Lana Del Rey sang only backing vocals on the original. The reaction led Swift to release a "More Lana Del Rey" version, on which Del Rey sings the entire second verse.