It may feel like Taylor Swift has been around forever, but the pop superstar is just now turning 30 on Friday. As she gets ready for a headlining performance on her birthday at the Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden, here’s a look back at 30 memorable moments in the life story of T-Swizzle.
1. Baby Tay-Tay was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, to Scott and Andrea Swift, who, giving their daughter her first musical inspiration, named her after James Taylor.
2. Known for her lyrical prowess, Swift was a songwriting wunderkind, netting her first publishing deal with Sony/ATV at just 14.
3. After her first industry showcase at the famed Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2005, Swift signed to Big Machine Records — and, backing his daughter all the way, her dad purchased a 3% stake in the fledgling label.
4. Swift wrote her 2006 debut single, “Tim McGraw,” as a fangirl of the country-music honcho during her freshman year of high school. The two artists would later collaborate on the 2013 hit “Highway Don’t Care.”
5. After breaking up with Joe Jonas, Swift called him out on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2008 for dumping her over the phone.
6. In a true show of girl power, Swift teamed up with Miley Cyrus in 2009’s “Hannah Montana: The Movie.”
7. Back before she went completely pop, Swift won country’s top prize when she was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2009 CMAs.
8. In an “I’ma let you finish” moment that has gone down in VMA history, Swift was interrupted by a very vocal Beyoncé supporter, Kanye West, when she was accepting the Best Female Video award in 2009 for “You Belong to Me.”
9. Swift won her first Album of the Year Grammy for her second LP, “Fearless,” in 2010, becoming the youngest person to ever receive that award at age 20.
10. It was a Taylor-made role for Swift when she appeared in the 2010 romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day” as the girlfriend of “Twilight” actor Taylor Lautner, her real-life beau at the time.
11. After dating John Mayer — and even duetting with him on “Half of My Heart” — Swift spilled the tea on their breakup in 2010’s “Dear John.”
12. In 2010, Swift underwent a major hair makeover, straightening the naturally curly locks that had become her signature style for a sleek new look.
13. Swift became just the second woman to win Entertainer of the Year at the CMAs twice when she took home the award again in 2011.
14. To the envy of One Direction fans everywhere, Swift had a short-lived romance with Harry Styles in 2012.
15. Swift earned a movie credit with none other than Meryl Streep by appearing in the 2014 film “The Giver.”
16. She opened her “1989” album with “Welcome to New York,” and Swift herself became a New Yorker when she bought her Tribeca loft in 2014.
17. In a real power move, Swift pulled her music off of Spotify in 2014 because of her issues with the streaming service’s royalties.
18. Swift famously feuded with Katy Perry after accusing the “Teenage Dream” singer of stealing background dancers from her “Red” tour. After Swift wrote about the drama in her 2015 hit “Bad Blood,” the two kissed and made up in her “You Need To Calm Down” video this year.
19. Swift found a kindred singer-songwriter soul in Ed Sheeran, who opened for her on her “Red” tour and has collaborated with her on songs such as “Everything Has Changed” and “End Game.”
20. Swift’s 2015 “Bad Blood” video featured members of her infamous squad, including models Gigi Hadid, Lily Aldridge and Cara Delevingne.
21. Six years after first winning the Album of the Year Grammy, Swift became the first woman to take that prize twice in 2016, when she triumphed again for “1989.”
22. A wax figure of Swift was caught naked in bed with West in his 2016 “Famous” video, prompting accusations of bullying from Swift and her camp. Kim Kardashian retaliated by exposing a recorded phone call between West and Swift in which Swift gives consent to be featured in the “Famous” lyrics. Kardashian deemed the singer a “snake” on social media, which led the reptile to become a central figure in Swift’s “Reputation” campaign.
23. While running along to “Jumpman” by Drake and Future, Swift fell off a treadmill in a 2016 Apple Music commercial.
24. After dating DJ-producer Calvin Harris, Swift moved on to Tom Hiddleston. But now she’s boo’d up with another British actor: Joe Alwyn.
25. In 2019, Swift became embroiled in a battle with Scooter Braun, who bought Big Machine Records, over the rights to her songs that she recorded for her old label.
26. Swift made a surprise appearance at the Stonewall Inn, the West Village gay-bar institution, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in June.
27. Just three days after dropping her new album, “Lover,” Swift opened the 2019 VMAs before winning Video of the Year for “You Need To Calm Down.” No sign of Kanye.
28. After performing a medley of hits, Swift was crowned artist of the decade at the American Music Awards last month, receiving the honor from her idol, Carole King.
29. Swift dropped a holiday single, “Christmas Tree Farm,” earlier this month, complete with a music video featuring home footage of her as a curly haired child.
30. Co-writing a new song, “Beautiful Ghosts,” with Andrew Lloyd Webber, feline lover Swift appears as Bombalurina in the movie version of the musical “Cats,” out Dec. 20.