document_title: Money in the Bank ladder match

question_text: who won the most money in the bank

question_tokens: who won the most money in the bank

text: Money in the Bank ladder match

text: Concept[edit]

text: The Money in the Bank ladder match can feature anywhere from 5–10 participants, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring. The match was originally only for male wrestlers until 2017 when women began to have their own ladder match.[1] The briefcase contains a contract that guarantees a match for a world championship, and beginning in 2017, a women's championship. Originally, wrestlers had the option between the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship, regardless of the brand the wrestler belonged to. In 2006, ECW's world title, the ECW Championship, became a third option until 2010 as in February that year, the ECW brand along with the title was deactivated. Beginning with the inaugural Money in the Bank pay-per-view in 2010, the event featured two ladder matches, one for the Raw brand and one for SmackDown; Raw's ladder match featured a contract for a WWE Championship match while SmackDown's contract was for a World Heavyweight Championship match. Although the brand extension ended after the 2011 event, a ladder match dedicated to each championship continued through the 2013 event. In December 2013, the titles were unified into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The next three years' events featured a sole ladder match with a contract guaranteeing a match for the unified title. The brand extension returned after the 2016 event. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship was reverted to WWE Championship and made exclusive to SmackDown while Raw established the WWE Universal Championship as their top title. Despite this, the 2017 event was made a SmackDown exclusive pay-per-view and the contract was for its world title. Also at the 2017 event, the first-ever Women's Money in the Bank ladder match occurred with its contract for a SmackDown Women's Championship match.[1][2] Although the 2017 event was brand-exclusive, the 2018 event will be dual branded, featuring both the Raw and SmackDown brands.

text: The primary gimmick of the Money in the Bank briefcase is that it can be cashed in at the holder's sole discretion, at literally any time on any WWE programming, unless the contract is brand specific. This enables the holder to take advantage of a moment's weakness in the champion, even if the champion had just finished a title defense for the night. This strategic use of the briefcase was popularized by Edge, the first Money in the Bank holder, who cashed it in at New Years Revolution in January 2006, immediately after defending champion John Cena had finished a grueling Elimination Chamber match against five other wrestlers. Because Cena was exhausted and barely able to defend himself, Edge made quick work of the champion, thus setting a powerful precedent for all Money in the Bank holders to come.

text: The contract is valid for one year and the briefcase holder – dubbed "Mr./Ms. Money in the Bank" – can cash in the contract at the date, place, and time of their choosing.[1][3] The briefcase may also be defended in matches, similar to how championships are defended. All of the briefcase holders have successfully defended and cashed in the contract except Mr. Kennedy.[4] John Cena, Damien Sandow, and Baron Corbin are the only Money in the Bank contract holders to cash in and fail to gain a championship. To date, Cena has had the contract cashed in against him the most (three times) as Edge, Rob Van Dam, and Damien Sandow have all cashed in against him. Cena was also involved in all instances where the championship failed to change hands after cashing in the contract, once as the challenger (which he won by DQ against CM Punk) and the second time as champion (defeating Sandow clean), and lastly as a distraction causing Corbin to lose to champion Jinder Mahal. Edge, Daniel Bryan, and Seth Rollins are the only Money in the Bank contract holders to be given a title shot for a championship without having cashed in the contract for the title shot (Edge won a championship tournament in 2005 on Raw to earn him a title match against Batista, Bryan faced then-World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry in a steel cage match on a live Christmas episode of SmackDown in 2011, and Rollins received a title shot in a triple threat match, also involving Cena and champion Brock Lesnar, at the 2015 Royal Rumble).

text: History[edit]

text: In WWE storyline, the concept for the Money in the Bank match was introduced in March 2005 by Chris Jericho. Jericho then pitched the idea to Raw general manager Eric Bischoff, who liked it and promptly began to book the match for WrestleMania 21. Edge won the inaugural match and held the contract until New Year's Revolution in January 2006. There, he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract against WWE Champion John Cena, who had just successfully defended the title in an Elimination Chamber match. Edge defeated Cena to become WWE Champion.

text: The Money in the Bank idea was revived by Carlito on a February 2006 episode of Raw. Mr. McMahon approved the suggestion and set up qualifying matches for the match that would take place at WrestleMania 22. It was later announced that the match was to be interpromotional, and SmackDown general manager Theodore Long also set up qualifying matches to select three members of his roster to compete. In the Raw brand qualifying matches, Rob Van Dam defeated Trevor Murdoch, Shelton Benjamin defeated Chavo Guerrero, and Ric Flair defeated Carlito. On SmackDown!, Finlay defeated Bobby Lashley, Matt Hardy defeated Road Warrior Animal, and Bobby Lashley won a "last chance battle royal".

text: Rob Van Dam won the WrestleMania 22 Money in the Bank ladder match after pushing Shelton Benjamin and Matt Hardy off of a ladder, while he was on another ladder, and retrieving the briefcase. That April, he defended the contract and won the WWE Intercontinental Championship in a contract vs. title/winner take all match against Benjamin at Backlash. Van Dam announced in May 2006 that he would cash in his contract at One Night Stand against Cena in an Extreme Rules match. The match ended with Cena losing after Van Dam performed a Five Star Frog Splash. Van Dam is the first person to give prior notice to an opponent before cashing in his contract, presumably to ensure Cena appeared at the event. He is also the first person to win the title in a match where the contract was cashed in with prior notice.

text: The third Money in the Bank ladder match was held at WrestleMania 23, and was the first to feature eight participants from Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW. Qualifying matches began on the February 19 episode of Raw.[5] On the February 19 episode of Raw, two former Money in the Bank winners (Edge and Rob Van Dam) faced off, with Edge earning a pinfall win to earn the first spot in the match.[6]

text: The next night on ECW, another cross-brand match took place, with CM Punk defeating Johnny Nitro to qualify.[7] On that week's SmackDown!, King Booker defeated Kane in a Falls Count Anywhere match following interference from The Great Khali to become the third man to qualify.[8] On the following episode of Raw, Jeff Hardy defeated Shelton Benjamin to become the fourth man to qualify.[9] The next night on ECW, Mr. Kennedy defeated Sabu in an Extreme Rules match to earn the fifth spot.[10] Two qualifying matches took place on the next SmackDown!'s episode, with Matt Hardy defeating Joey Mercury, while Finlay won a triple threat match against Chris Benoit and Montel Vontavious Porter to qualify.[11] What was to be the final qualifying match on Raw between Carlito and Ric Flair, it was deemed to be a no contest when The Great Khali interfered and attacked both men.[12] The match was rescheduled for the next week on Raw, with Randy Orton bribing his way into the match, which was to be a triple threat elimination match that Orton won by pinning both Carlito and Flair after performing an RKO on each of them.[13] Edge and Orton had recently stopped teaming together, and there was a lot of tension between them as they both attempted to get the other taken out of the Money in the Bank ladder match; both failed, as Edge ultimately won a "last chance battle royal" after feigning injury to retain his slot.[14] Orton was forced to fight Bobby Lashley on ECW to retain his spot, which he did.[15]

text: Kennedy ultimately won at WrestleMania 23, after ramming Punk off the ladder using another ladder (Edge had been taken out earlier by Jeff Hardy).[16] During the next few weeks, Kennedy kept declaring that he would cash in the briefcase at WrestleMania XXIV, but he suffered a legit injury, and on the May 7, 2007 episode of Raw, he lost the Money in the Bank briefcase to Edge. Kennedy is currently the only wrestler to lose the briefcase without cashing it in. The following night at the taping for the May 11, 2007 SmackDown!, episode World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker and Batista fought to a draw in a steel cage match, after which a returning Mark Henry assaulted Undertaker and left him injured in the ring. As Henry was leaving, Edge came to the ring with his briefcase, handed it to referee Jim Korderas, and defeated the Undertaker after one spear to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time.

text: The fourth Money in the Bank ladder match took place at WrestleMania XXIV and was intended to be another eight-man match-up, consisting of wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown, and ECW. Qualifying matches began on the February 18 episode of Raw, as both Jeff Hardy and Mr. Kennedy qualified by defeating Snitsky[17] and Val Venis, respectively, in singles matches.[17] On the February 22 episode of SmackDown, Shelton Benjamin qualified by defeating Jimmy Wang Yang in another singles match.[18] Back on Raw, general manager William Regal placed Chris Jericho in a match against Jeff Hardy with the stipulation that if Jericho won, he would be in the ladder match. Jericho defeated Hardy in that match on February 25.[19] The following week on Raw, the two faced off once again, this time for Hardy's WWE Intercontinental Championship. Jericho won the match and title, and it was revealed that Hardy was suspended from WWE for 60 days for violating the wellness policy.[20] Hardy was subsequently removed from the Money in the Bank ladder match and WrestleMania altogether, making this ladder match a seven-man contest. Also on this episode of Raw, Carlito defeated Cody Rhodes to qualify.[21] On a SmackDown/ECW live event on March 9, United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter defeated Jamie Noble to qualify.[22] On the March 11 episode of ECW, CM Punk defeated Big Daddy V to qualify.[23] On the March 14 episode of SmackDown, John Morrison defeated his tag team partner The Miz to be the last man to qualify.[24]

text: Punk won the WrestleMania XXIV match after trapping Jericho's leg in a ladder and then climbing the ladder. Punk cashed in his title shot on the June 30 episode of Raw. A farewell speech by Jim Ross was interrupted by then-World Heavyweight Champion Edge who had him removed from the ring and then began to insult the crowd, saying that they would never get to see a world championship being defended on Raw (as at the time both Edge and WWE Champion Triple H were members of the SmackDown brand and the ECW Championship was on the ECW brand after Mark Henry defeated then champion Kane of Raw and Big Show of Smackdown at Night of Champions (2008) in a triple threat match to win the title). When he was about to leave the arena, Batista came out and assaulted Edge in retaliation for Edge cheating to win their title match the previous night at Night of Champions. Punk then immediately ran to the ring with a referee to cash in his contract, then performed a Go to Sleep on Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship, making it Raw-exclusive in the process.

text: The fifth annual Money in the Bank ladder match was announced for WrestleMania XXV. Qualifying matches began on the February 23 episode of Raw, in which CM Punk qualified by defeating John Morrison and The Miz in a triple threat match.[25] On the March 2 episode of Raw, Kane defeated Mike Knox and Rey Mysterio in another triple threat match.[26] On the March 3 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Mark Henry qualified for the match by defeating Santino Marella.[27] Both Montel Vontavious Porter and Shelton Benjamin qualified for the match on the March 6 episode of SmackDown, defeating Matt and Jeff Hardy in respective single matches.[28] On the March 9 episode of Raw, Kofi Kingston qualified by defeating Chris Jericho, after Jericho was distracted by Ric Flair.[29] Christian qualified the following night on ECW on Sci Fi by winning a tri-brand battle royal.[30] Finlay was the final person to qualify for the match when he defeated The Brian Kendrick on the March 13 episode of SmackDown.[31]

text: At WrestleMania XXV, Punk won the match and became the first wrestler to win two Money in the Bank ladder matches, and the only one to win the match for two consecutive years.[32] On the May 1 episode of SmackDown, Punk challenged the World Heavyweight Champion Edge for a non-title match with the intent that if he defeated Edge, he would cash in his title shot right after the match. Later that night, Punk defeated Edge and attempted to cash in. However, before the ringside bell could ring to start the title match, Punk and Edge were both attacked by Umaga and Jeff Hardy respectively. As a consequence, the match never started and Punk retained his contract.[33] Punk again tried to cash in for a World Heavyweight Championship match against Edge on the May 15 episode of SmackDown, but was again stopped by Umaga.[34] After Jeff Hardy defeated Edge in a ladder match to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules, Punk cashed in to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time. As a result of the fans booing him for cashing on Hardy, who was very popular with the fans, Punk began a gradual change of character into a villain.[35]

text: February–April[edit]

text: On the February 22 episode of Raw, it was announced that the sixth annual Money in the Bank ladder match would take place at WrestleMania XXVI. The first qualifying match was held later that night, where Christian defeated Carlito to qualify.[36] Three more qualifying matches were held on the February 26 episode of SmackDown, with Dolph Ziggler defeating John Morrison and R-Truth in a Triple Threat match, Kane defeating Drew McIntyre, and Shelton Benjamin defeating CM Punk to qualify.[37] The March 1 episode of Raw saw both Jack Swagger and Montel Vontavious Porter qualify by defeating Santino Marella and Zack Ryder respectively.[38] Matt Hardy was the next to qualify for the match when he defeated Drew McIntyre on the March 5 episode of SmackDown.[39] In what was initially declared as the final qualifying match, Evan Bourne defeated William Regal on the March 8 episode of Raw to become the eighth competitor.[40] Due to his favorable association with WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, McIntyre was given a third chance on the March 12 episode of SmackDown to qualify for the match. In what would also be made a WWE Intercontinental Championship defense by SmackDown general manager Theodore Long, McIntyre defeated local competitor Aaron Bolo to qualify.[41] On the March 22 episode of Raw, the number of participants was once again increased to a record ten, when Kofi Kingston defeated Vladimir Kozlov to qualify.[42]

text: At WrestleMania XXVI, Jack Swagger won the match after knocking Christian off a ladder with the briefcase itself.[43] The following night on Raw, Swagger attempted to cash in his shot against the WWE Champion John Cena after ambushing Cena. However, as Cena recovered too quickly from the ambush, Swagger cancelled his match and retained his contract.[44] The next night, at the taping for the April 2, 2010 episode of SmackDown, after Edge attacked then World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho, Swagger cashed in his contract and successfully claimed the World Heavyweight Championship.

text: June–November[edit]

text: In February 2010, WWE announced that "Money in the Bank" would be the title to their July 18 pay-per-view event at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.[45] The event included two Money in the Bank ladder matches featuring the Raw and SmackDown brands respectively. Unlike previous iterations of the match, the winners could only challenge for their own brand's World Championship.[46] All eight competitors for the Raw brand's match were announced on the June 28 episode of Raw by guest host Rob Zombie. The eight competitors were Randy Orton, The Miz, R-Truth, Chris Jericho, Evan Bourne, Ted DiBiase, John Morrison and Edge. On the July 5th episode of Raw, R-Truth was involved in an injury storyline with The Miz and was subsequently removed from the match and replaced by Mark Henry.[47] Two days later, WWE announced six of the competitors for the SmackDown brand's match through its official website: Matt Hardy, Kane, Cody Rhodes, Christian, Kofi Kingston and Big Show. On the July 9 episode of SmackDown, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler both competed in qualifying matches and were added to the match.[48]

text: At the PPV, Kane won the SmackDown Money in the Bank match. Kane later cashed it in the same night by defeating Rey Mysterio to win the World Heavyweight Championship. He also became the quickest man to cash in the briefcase. For Raw, The Miz won that brand's Money in the Bank contract. After a couple of aborted attempts (which due to the bell not sounding to start the matches, which allowed Miz to keep the briefcase on said occasions), Miz finally cashed in his title opportunity on the November 22, 2010 episode of Raw, immediately after Randy Orton successfully retained the WWE Championship against Wade Barrett in which The Nexus attacked Orton before the match and injured his right leg. Miz defeated Orton to win his first WWE Championship.

text: The second Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place on July 17, 2011 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Raw's Alberto Del Rio and SmackDown's Daniel Bryan won their respective brands' 2011 Money in the Bank Ladder Match. At the end of the night, after CM Punk won the WWE Championship from John Cena, Mr. McMahon ordered Del Rio to come in and attempt to cash in his briefcase against Punk. (Punk had threatened to leave the company after the pay-per-view, as his contract was expiring.) Del Rio came out to do so, but Punk attacked him and fled through the crowd. A similar cash-in attempt was performed on then-champion Rey Mysterio on the July 25, 2011 episode of Raw, but Del Rio was again unable to cash in the briefcase. However, Del Rio was able to cash in his briefcase and defeated CM Punk for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam on August 14, 2011.

text: On the July 22, 2011 episode of SmackDown, Daniel Bryan announced that he was going to cash his contract in at WrestleMania XXVIII. On the November 25, 2011 episode of SmackDown, Daniel Bryan cashed in on World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry, who had been knocked out by The Big Show. Bryan got the pinfall victory and was awarded the championship, however SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long overruled the match due to Henry not being medically cleared to compete, the first time a Money in the Bank cash-in match was reversed. Since the match never officially took place, Bryan was given the briefcase back and again reiterated that he planned on cashing in at WrestleMania XXVIII, although he was given a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship against Henry in a Steel Cage match on a live holiday-themed episode of SmackDown the following Tuesday, which Bryan lost. On December 18, 2011 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, after Big Show defeated Henry to win the World Heavyweight Championship, Henry attacked Big Show with a steel chair, allowing Bryan to cash in his briefcase on Big Show to win his first World Heavyweight Championship.

text: The third Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place on July 15, 2012 at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. There were the usual two Money in the Bank ladder matches; however, the matches were no longer separated by brands (as both Raw and SmackDown by this time had become full roster "Supershows"). Instead, they were separated by Championship (WWE and World Heavyweight).[49][unreliable source]

text: In the first match of the night Dolph Ziggler defeated seven other competitors to win the World Heavyweight Championship contract Money in the Bank ladder match. He attempted to cash it in on that same night for a title shot against Sheamus but was attacked before the referee could call for the bell so he retained his contract.

text: On the August 20 episode of Raw, Ziggler successfully defended his briefcase against Chris Jericho in career vs. contract match. As a result, Jericho was forced to leave WWE.

text: In the last match of the evening, John Cena defeated Kane, The Big Show, The Miz, and Chris Jericho to win the WWE Championship Money in the Bank briefcase in his first Money in the Bank ladder match. A special stipulation had been added before hand that only former WWE Champions could participate in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match for 2012. Cena won when the briefcase's handle snapped off while using it against Big Show, having previously blocked Show's KO Punch with it.

text: On the July 16, 2012 episode of Raw, Cena announced that he would cash his contract in the following week at Raw 1000. He became only the second wrestler after Rob Van Dam to give prior notice to the opponent. At Raw 1000, Cena failed to win the WWE Title when Big Show interfered in the match, causing champion CM Punk to be disqualified and retain the title (as championships don't change hands on disqualifications). This made Cena the first Money in the Bank winner to fail to win a title.

text: During the December 3, 2012, episode of Raw, managing supervisor Vickie Guerrero was forced by Mr. McMahon to make Cena and Ziggler's match at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs a ladder match for Ziggler's World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract. On December 16, at the event, he successfully defended the briefcase with help from AJ Lee.

text: On April 8, 2013, an episode of Raw, Ziggler cashed in his contract on World Champion Alberto Del Rio, following Del Rio's handicap match win over Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter. Ziggler defeated Del Rio to win his second World Heavyweight Championship following nearly nine months of holding the briefcase.

text: A fourth Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place on July 14, 2013 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There was the traditional two Money in the Bank ladder matches – one for a WWE Championship contract, and the other for a World Heavyweight Championship contract.

text: On the June 24, 2013 episode of Raw, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Christian, Kane, and Rob Van Dam were announced by WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon as the participants in the WWE Championship contract match. Kane was later removed after being injured due to an attack by The Wyatt Family on the July 8th episode of Raw. Orton went on to win the contract at the PPV.

text: At the tapings for SmackDown on June 25 (aired June 28), SmackDown Senior Advisor Theodore Long announced that the participants in the World Heavyweight Championship contract match would be WWE United States Champion Dean Ambrose, Fandango, Antonio Cesaro, Jack Swagger, Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. Sandow won the contract at the PPV.

text: At SummerSlam, Orton cashed in his contract on WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, who had defeated John Cena to win the championship. Orton defeated Bryan to win his seventh WWE Championship, after WWE COO Triple H, who was the special guest referee between Bryan and Cena, attacked Bryan with a pedigree, following five weeks of holding the briefcase.

text: On the October 28, 2013, episode of Raw, Sandow cashed in his contract on World Heavyweight Champion John Cena. Cena defeated Sandow, making Sandow the second wrestler to unsuccessfully cash in the contract and the first to lose a cash-in match via pinfall.

text: On December 15, 2013 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships were unified into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

text: A fifth Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place on Sunday, June 29, 2014, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The original plan for the event was that the winner of the ladder match would receive a contract for a match for the now unified title as normal. However, on June 9, defending WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan was forced to vacate the title due to a neck injury, and so the already announced ladder match (consisting of John Cena, Randy Orton, Alberto Del Rio, Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, Sheamus, Kane and Roman Reigns) became for the vacant championship instead.

text: On the June 17 episode of Main Event, Seth Rollins announced that in addition to the ladder match for the title, there would be a traditional Money in the Bank ladder match for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract at the PPV, and that Rollins would be the first entrant.[50] Further entrants were Bad News Barrett, Dolph Ziggler, Rob Van Dam, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston and Dean Ambrose. The latter, who had threatened to disrupt the match, was added to the match on Rollins' request. Bad News Barrett was later removed from the match due to an injury.

text: Seth Rollins won the match and the contract after Kane interfered on behalf of The Authority and knocked Dean Ambrose off the ladder. He attempted to cash in the following night on new champion John Cena, but was stopped from doing so by Ambrose. Rollins once again failed to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, this time against WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at Night of Champions after attacking him with a curb stomp. This failed attempt to cash in came after John Cena attacked Rollins, before the bell could be rung, due to Rollins costing Cena the championship minutes earlier.

text: At WrestleMania 31, Seth Rollins cashed in his briefcase during the main event championship match between defending champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Roman Reigns. By doing so, he turned the singles match between Lesnar and Reigns into a Triple Threat match. Rollins then proceeded to pin Reigns following a curb stomp and successfully captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. As a result, Rollins set various records: first, Rollins became the first person to cash in a contract while a championship match was in progress. He also became the first person to successfully cash in to win the then unified WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He became the first person to cash in his briefcase at WrestleMania. He also became the first to win the championship after cashing in without pinning the champion.

text: On June 14, 2015, the sixth annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place in Columbus, Ohio. Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Neville, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Kane participated in the traditional Money in the Bank ladder match. Sheamus won the match and received a WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract.

text: At Survivor Series, Sheamus cashed in his contract by defeating Roman Reigns, who had just won the vacant championship after defeating Dean Ambrose in the tournament finals.[51]

text: On June 19, the seventh annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place in Las Vegas. For the traditional Money in the Bank ladder match, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio, and Dean Ambrose all won their qualifying matches on the May 23 episode of Raw to become entrants into the match. Originally slated to be a 7-man ladder match, the seventh slot was later removed. Ambrose won the match and received a WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract. After the conclusion of the main event, he cashed in the contract to challenge Seth Rollins, who had just won the title against Roman Reigns, and become WWE World Heavyweight Champion, thus making him the second wrestler after Kane to successfully cash in the contract on the same night as winning it.

text: The 2017 Money in the Bank pay-per-view took place on June 18, 2017 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri as a SmackDown brand exclusive event. For the traditional ladder match, which had a contract for a match for SmackDown's WWE Championship, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon announced AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Dolph Ziggler, Sami Zayn, and Baron Corbin as the original five participants. United States Champion Kevin Owens was added after he convinced Shane to make him the sixth participant. Mojo Rawley had the opportunity to make it a seven-man match if he could defeat WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, but failed to do so. At the event, Baron Corbin won the match and received a WWE Championship match contract. On the August 15, 2017 episode of SmackDown Live, John Cena had a non-title match against WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. As Cena was pinning Mahal, Corbin attacked him, causing a disqualification. Corbin then cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Mahal, but as soon as the bell rung, he attacked Cena, who was on the apron, allowing Mahal to quickly roll-up Corbin for the win. This made Corbin the third wrestler to unsuccessfully cash in the contract and the second to lose a cash-in match.

text: On the May 30 episode of SmackDown Live, another Money in the Bank ladder match was added to the event, and for the first time, involving women. Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Carmella, and Tamina were originally scheduled to compete in a fatal five-way elimination match on that night to determine the number one contender for the SmackDown Women's Championship against Naomi at Money in the Bank. Before their match could begin, a brawl broke out between the five and the match never occurred. McMahon then scheduled the five to compete in the first-ever women's Money in the Bank ladder match at the event where the winner would receive a contract for a SmackDown Women's Championship match. Carmella won the match after James Ellsworth retrieved the briefcase, and threw it to her. On the following episode of SmackDown Live, however, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan forced Carmella to relinquish the briefcase since Ellsworth retrieved it for her.[52] On that same episode, Bryan also scheduled a Money in the Bank ladder match rematch for the June 27 episode with Ellsworth banned from ringside (later from the arena). That episode, Carmella, with some aid from the banned Ellsworth, retrieved the briefcase herself and reclaimed the SmackDown Women's Championship match contract.

text: Matches[edit]

text:
Raw Brand

SmackDown Brand

text:
Year
Event
Prize
Winner
Other competitors
Time

2005
WM 21
World Heavyweight Championship match
Edge
Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Kane, and Christian
15:17

In the 2005 WWE draft, World Heavyweight Champion Batista was drafted to SmackDown and WWE Champion John Cena was drafted to Raw, thus enabling Edge to challenge for the WWE Championship instead.[53]
Successfully defended his contract in a Ladder match against Matt Hardy at WWE Homecoming on the October 3, 2005 episode of Raw.
Edge held the contract for 280 days.

2006
WM 22
Winner's brand's world championship match
Rob Van Dam
Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, Ric Flair, Finlay, and Bobby Lashley
12:14[54]

Successfully defended his contract against Shelton Benjamin at Backlash in a contract vs championship winner take all match on April 30, 2006, winning Benjamin's Intercontinental Championship in the process.[55]
Van Dam is the first person to choose the event where he cashed in the contract and the first person to win a title in a match where opponent was given prior notice to the cashing in of the contract.
Van Dam held the contract for 70 days.

2007
WM 23
Any world championship match
Mr. Kennedy
Edge, Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, King Booker, Finlay, Matt Hardy, and Randy Orton
19:10[56]

Lost his contract in a match against Edge on the May 7, 2007 episode of Raw.[4]
Mr. Kennedy held the contract for 36 days.
As a result of the switch, Edge became a member of the SmackDown brand, marking the first time this occurred.
Edge held the contract for 1 day. (4 days according to WWE, due to the episode of WWE SmackDown airing on tape delay.)

2008
WM XXIV
Any world championship match
CM Punk
Mr. Kennedy, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, John Morrison, and Montel Vontavious Porter
15:12[57]

As a result of the cash-in, the World Heavyweight Championship transferred back to Raw, marking the first (and only) time this occurred.
CM Punk held the contract for 92 days.

2009
WM XXV
Any world championship match
CM Punk
Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Kane, Finlay, Montel Vontavious Porter, Kofi Kingston, and Mark Henry
14:32

CM Punk held the contract for 63 days.
CM Punk was the first back-to-back Money in the Bank contract winner.

2010
WM XXVI
Any world championship match
Jack Swagger
Shelton Benjamin, Christian, Kane, Matt Hardy, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, Montel Vontavious Porter, and Dolph Ziggler
13:44

Swagger becomes second MITB winner to switch brands after cashing in his contract.
Swagger held the contract for 2 days. (5 days according to WWE, due to the episode of WWE SmackDown airing on tape delay.)

Money in the Bank
World Heavyweight Championship match
Kane
Christian, Matt Hardy, Big Show, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Drew McIntyre, and Cody Rhodes
26:18

Kane held the contract for 49 minutes. He was the first wrestler to cash in the contract on the same night as winning it.
Kane is the fastest wrestler to cash the money in the bank contract.

Money in the Bank
WWE Championship match
The Miz
Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Edge, John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Ted DiBiase, and Mark Henry
20:26

The Miz held the contract for 127 days.

2011
Money in the Bank
World Heavyweight Championship match
Daniel Bryan
Wade Barrett, Kane, Cody Rhodes, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Justin Gabriel, and Heath Slater
24:27

His first cash-in and win against Mark Henry was nullified. This marks the first time that a successful cash-in was reverted.
Bryan held the contract for 154 days.

Money in the Bank
WWE Championship match
Alberto Del Rio
The Miz, Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, and Alex Riley
15:54

Del Rio held the contract for 28 days.

2012
Money in the Bank
World Heavyweight Championship match
Dolph Ziggler
Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Christian, Tyson Kidd, Sin Cara, Tensai, and Santino Marella
18:23

Successfully defended his contract against Chris Jericho on the August 20, 2012 episode of Raw in a career vs contract match.
Successfully defended his contract in a Ladder match against John Cena at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs.[58]
Ziggler held the contract for 267 days.

Money in the Bank
WWE Championship match
John Cena
Chris Jericho, The Miz, Kane, and Big Show
20:15

Cena is the first wrestler to not win a world championship in a cash-in match. He is also the second wrestler to announce when he was going to cash it in.
Cena held the contract for 8 days.

2013
Money in the Bank
World Heavyweight Championship match
Damien Sandow
Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett, Dean Ambrose, Jack Swagger, Fandango, and Antonio Cesaro
16:24

Second Money in the Bank winner to fail to win a world championship in a cash-in match.
First wrestler to cleanly lose a cash-in match
Sandow held the contract for 106 days

Money in the Bank
WWE Championship match
Randy Orton
CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Christian, Sheamus, and Rob Van Dam
28:38

Orton held the contract for 35 days.

2014
Money in the Bank
WWE World Heavyweight Championship match
Seth Rollins
Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Rob Van Dam, and Dean Ambrose
23:10

Rollins held the contract for 273 days.
Rollins is the first to cash in at WrestleMania, the first to win the championship after cashing in without pinning the champion and the first to cash in while a championship match was in progress.

2015
Money in the Bank
WWE World Heavyweight Championship match
Sheamus
Dolph Ziggler, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Neville, Randy Orton, and Roman Reigns
20:50

Sheamus held the contract for 161 days.

2016
Money in the Bank
WWE World Heavyweight Championship match
Dean Ambrose
Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, and Alberto Del Rio
21:38

Ambrose held the contract for 57 minutes. Ambrose was the second wrestler to cash in the contract on the same night as winning it.
Ambrose was the third winner to announce that he would cash in the contract in advance, albeit without a set date and before he had won the ladder match to collect the contract.

2017
Money in the Bank
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship match
Carmella
Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Natalya, and Tamina
13:20

This was the first Women's Money in the Bank ladder match.
Carmella held the contract for 2 days.
SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan stripped Carmella of the briefcase two days after the event because of interference by Carmella's manager James Ellsworth, who retrieved the briefcase for Carmella and dropped it to her. A rematch was scheduled for the June 27 episode of SmackDown Live.

Money in the Bank
WWE Championship match
Baron Corbin
AJ Styles, Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Shinsuke Nakamura
29:45

Third Money in the Bank winner to fail to win a world championship in a cash-in match and the second to cleanly lose a cash-in match.
Corbin held the contract for 58 days.

SmackDown Live
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship match
Carmella
Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Natalya, and Tamina
24:00

This was a rematch ordered by SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan after he stripped Carmella of the briefcase following the controversial finish at the Money in the Bank PPV. As a result of his actions during the original match, James Ellsworth was banned from the arena, though Ellsworth still interfered in the match on Carmella's behalf.
This was the first Money in the Bank ladder match to not air on pay-per-view, as well as the first to take place on SmackDown.
Carmella has held the contract for 7002282000000000000♠282+ days, which is the longest of any wrestler to hold the contract.

text: Record[edit]

text:
Championship
Successful cash-ins
Attempts
%

WWE (World Heavyweight) Championship
8
10
.800

World Heavyweight Championship
7
8
.875

WWE SmackDown Women's Championship
0
0
–

Total
15
18
.833

text: Cash-in matches[edit]

text:
Won match and title

Won match but not title

Lost match

text: Males[edit]

text:
No.
Case Holder
Championship
Date
Location
Event
Results

01 !1
Edge
WWE Championship
January 8, 2006
Albany, NY
New Year's Revolution
Edge defeated John Cena after two Spears to win the championship following Cena's victory in an Elimination Chamber match

02 !2
Rob Van Dam
WWE Championship
June 11, 2006
New York, NY
ECW One Night Stand
Van Dam defeated John Cena in an Extreme Rules match after an attack by Edge and a Five-Star Frog Splash to win the championship

03 !3
Edge
World Heavyweight Championship
May 8, 2007 (aired May 11, 2007)
Pittsburgh, PA
SmackDown!
Edge defeated The Undertaker after a Spear to win the championship after Undertaker went to a draw in a steel cage match with Batista and was attacked by Mark Henry

04 !4
CM Punk
World Heavyweight Championship
June 30, 2008
Oklahoma City, OK
Raw
CM Punk defeated Edge after GTS to win the championship after Edge was attacked by Batista

05 !5
CM Punk
World Heavyweight Championship
June 7, 2009
New Orleans, LA
Extreme Rules
CM Punk defeated Jeff Hardy after two GTSs to win the championship following Hardy defeating Edge in a ladder match to win the championship

06 !6
Jack Swagger
World Heavyweight Championship
March 30, 2010 (aired April 2, 2010)
Las Vegas, NV
SmackDown
Swagger defeated Chris Jericho after a gutwrench powerbomb to win the championship after Edge attacked an already injured Jericho

07 !7
Kane
World Heavyweight Championship
July 18, 2010
Kansas City, MO
Money in the Bank
Kane defeated Rey Mysterio after a Tombstone Piledriver to win the championship after Mysterio successfully defended the championship against Jack Swagger

08 !8
The Miz
WWE Championship
November 22, 2010
Orlando, FL
Raw
Miz defeated Randy Orton after a Skull Crushing Finale to win the championship after Orton was attacked by The Nexus following a successful defense of the championship against Nexus leader Wade Barrett

09 !9
Alberto Del Rio
WWE Championship
August 14, 2011
Los Angeles, CA
SummerSlam
Del Rio defeated CM Punk after a step-up enzuigiri to win the championship after Punk defeated John Cena to become undisputed champion and was then attacked by Kevin Nash

10 !10
Daniel Bryan
World Heavyweight Championship
December 18, 2011
Baltimore, MD
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
Bryan defeated Big Show after an attack by Mark Henry to win the championship after Show defeated Henry in a chairs match to win the title

11 !11
John Cena
WWE Championship
July 23, 2012
St Louis, MO
Raw 1000
Cena won his cash-in match against CM Punk via disqualification after Big Show interfered, but failed to win the title because championships cannot change hands via count-outs or disqualifications (unless the match stipulation says otherwise)

12 !12
Dolph Ziggler
World Heavyweight Championship
April 8, 2013
East Rutherford, NJ
Raw
Ziggler defeated Alberto Del Rio after a Zig Zag to win the championship after Del Rio was attacked by Jack Swagger, who he had defeated along with Zeb Colter in a 2-on-1 handicap match

13 !13
Randy Orton
WWE Championship
August 18, 2013
Los Angeles, CA
SummerSlam
Orton defeated Daniel Bryan after a Pedigree from Triple H (who was special guest referee) to win the championship after Bryan had defeated John Cena to win the title. This was the first cash-in to feature a special guest referee

14 !14
Damien Sandow
World Heavyweight Championship
October 28, 2013
Orlando, FL
Raw
Sandow attacked champion John Cena and immediately cashed in the contract, but became the first man to lose a cash-in match when Cena won the match after an Attitude Adjustment

15 !15
Seth Rollins
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
March 29, 2015
Santa Clara, CA
WrestleMania 31
During the main event between Roman Reigns and defending champion Brock Lesnar, Rollins cashed in his briefcase. The referee accepted the cash-in while the match was in progress and converted the singles match into a triple-threat match. Rollins then pinned Reigns after a Curb Stomp to win the title. This was the first cash-in where the contract holder did not pin the champion

16 !16
Sheamus
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
November 22, 2015
Atlanta, GA
Survivor Series
Sheamus defeated Roman Reigns after a Brogue Kick to win the championship after Reigns defeated Dean Ambrose to win the vacant title

17 !17
Dean Ambrose
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
June 19, 2016
Las Vegas, NV
Money in the Bank
Ambrose defeated Seth Rollins after a Dirty Deeds to win the championship after Rollins defeated Roman Reigns to win the title

18 !18
Baron Corbin
WWE Championship
August 15, 2017
Providence, RI
SmackDown Live
Corbin interfered in a match between John Cena and WWE Champion Jinder Mahal and attacked Cena, who won by disqualification. He then cashed in the contract after almost departing, but after the match started, he attacked Cena who was on the apron and was then rolled-up by Mahal.

text: Participant list[edit]

text: Males[edit]

text:
Wrestler
Victories
Appearances

CM Punk
2
4

John Cena
1
1

Seth Rollins
1
1

Baron Corbin
1
1

Mr. Kennedy
1
2

Damien Sandow
1
2

Daniel Bryan
1
2

Alberto Del Rio
1
2

Edge
1
3

The Miz
1
3

Rob Van Dam
1
3

Sheamus
1
3

Dean Ambrose
1
3

Jack Swagger
1
4

Randy Orton
1
4

Dolph Ziggler
1
6

Kane
1
7

Chris Benoit
0
1

Ric Flair
0
1

Bobby Lashley
0
1

Jeff Hardy
0
1

King Booker
0
1

Carlito
0
1

Ted DiBiase
0
1

Heath Slater
0
1

Justin Gabriel
0
1

Rey Mysterio
0
1

Alex Riley
0
1

R-Truth
0
1

Santino Marella
0
1

Tensai
0
1

Tyson Kidd
0
1

Fandango
0
1

Neville
0
1

Roman Reigns
0
1

AJ Styles
0
1

Shinsuke Nakamura
0
1

Drew McIntyre
0
2

John Morrison
0
2

Mark Henry
0
2

Sin Cara
0
2

Big Show
0
2

Wade Barrett
0
2

(Antonio) Cesaro
0
2

Sami Zayn
0
2

Kevin Owens
0
2

Finlay
0
3

Montel Vontavious Porter
0
3

Evan Bourne
0
3

Matt Hardy
0
4

Cody Rhodes
0
4

Shelton Benjamin
0
5

Chris Jericho
0
5

Christian
0
6

Kofi Kingston
0
6

text: Females[edit]

text:
Wrestler
Victories
Appearances

Carmella
2
2

Becky Lynch
0
2

Charlotte Flair
0
2

Natalya
0
2

Tamina
0
2


document_title: Taylor Swift

question_text: what was the first song taylor swift wrote

root

text: Taylor Swift

text: Life and career

text: 1989–2003: Early life

text: Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania.[2] Her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, was a financial advisor, and her mother, Andrea Gardner Swift (née Finlay), was a homemaker who had previously worked as a mutual fund marketing executive.[3] Swift has a younger brother named Austin.[4] The singer spent the early years of her life on a Christmas tree farm.[5] She attended preschool and kindergarten at the Alvernia Montessori School, run by Franciscan nuns,[6] before transferring to The Wyndcroft School.[7] The family then moved to a rented house in the suburban town of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania,[8] where she attended Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School.[9]

tag: p

text: At the age of nine, Swift became interested in musical theater and performed in four Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions.[10] She also traveled regularly to New York City for vocal and acting lessons.[11] Swift later shifted her focus toward country music inspired by Shania Twain's songs, which made her "want to just run around the block four times and daydream about everything".[12] She spent her weekends performing at local festivals and events.[13][14] After watching a documentary about Faith Hill, Swift felt sure that she needed to go to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a music career.[15] At the age of eleven, she traveled with her mother to visit Nashville record labels and submitted a demo tape of Dolly Parton and Dixie Chicks karaoke covers.[16] However, she was rejected since "everyone in that town wanted to do what I wanted to do. So, I kept thinking to myself, I need to figure out a way to be different".[17]

text: When Swift was about 12 years old, computer repairman and local musician Ronnie Cremer taught her how to play guitar and helped with her first efforts as a songwriter, leading to her writing "Lucky You".[18][19] In 2003, Swift and her parents started working with New York-based music manager Dan Dymtrow. With his help, Swift modelled for Abercrombie & Fitch as part of their "Rising Stars" campaign, had an original song included on a Maybelline compilation CD, and attended meetings with major record labels.[20] After performing original songs at an RCA Records showcase, Swift was given an artist development deal and began making frequent trips to Nashville with her mother.[21][22]

text: To help Swift break into country music, her father transferred to the Nashville office of Merrill Lynch when she was 14, and the family relocated to a lakefront house in Hendersonville, Tennessee.[23][24] Swift attended Hendersonville High School,[25] but after two years transferred to the Aaron Academy, which through homeschooling could accommodate her touring schedule, and she graduated a year early.[26]

text: 2004–2008: Career beginnings and Taylor Swift

text: In Nashville, Swift worked with experienced Music Row songwriters such as Troy Verges, Brett Beavers, Brett James, Mac McAnally, and The Warren Brothers.[27][28] She eventually formed a lasting working relationship with Liz Rose.[29] They began meeting for two-hour writing sessions every Tuesday afternoon after school.[30] Rose thought that the sessions were "some of the easiest I've ever done. Basically, I was just her editor. She'd write about what happened in school that day. She had such a clear vision of what she was trying to say. And she'd come in with the most incredible hooks". Swift was signed by the Sony/ATV Tree publishing house,[31] but left RCA Records when she was 14.[14] She later recalled: "I genuinely felt that I was running out of time. I wanted to capture these years of my life on an album while they still represented what I was going through".[32]

text: Swift was at an industry showcase at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe in 2005 when she caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, a DreamWorks Records executive who was preparing to form his own independent record label, Big Machine Records. She had met Borchetta in 2004.[33] She became one of the first signings, and her father purchased a three percent stake in the fledgling company at an estimated cost of $120,000.[34][35] The singer began working on her eponymous debut album shortly after signing the record deal. She persuaded Big Machine to hire her demo producer Nathan Chapman, with whom she felt she had the right "chemistry".[14] Swift wrote three of the album's songs alone, and co-wrote the remaining eight with writers Rose, Robert Ellis Orrall, Brian Maher, and Angelo Petraglia.[36] Taylor Swift was released on October 24, 2006.[37] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times described it as "a small masterpiece of pop-minded country, both wide-eyed and cynical, held together by Ms. Swift's firm, pleading voice".[38] Taylor Swift peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States and spent 157 weeks on the ranking, marking the longest stay on the chart by any release in the country in the 2000s decade.[39] As of August 2016 the album has sold over 7.75 million copies worldwide.[40]

text: Big Machine Records was still in its infancy during the June 2006 release of the lead single, "Tim McGraw", and Swift and her mother helped "stuff the CD singles into envelopes to send to radio".[41] She spent much of 2006 promoting Taylor Swift with a radio tour and television appearances.[42][43] Borchetta has said that record industry peers disliked his signing of a 16-year-old singer-songwriter at first, but that Swift tapped into a previously unknown market—teenage girls who listen to country music.[23] Following "Tim McGraw", four more singles were released throughout 2007 and 2008: "Teardrops on My Guitar", "Our Song", "Picture to Burn" and "Should've Said No". All were highly successful on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in the United States, with "Our Song" and "Should've Said No" both reaching number one. For the former, Swift became the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number-one song on the chart.[44] "Teardrops on My Guitar" became a moderate commercial success, reaching number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart in the United States.[45] Swift also released the holiday album Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection in October 2007 and the EP Beautiful Eyes in July 2008.[46][47] She promoted her debut album extensively as the opening act for other artists on their tours.[48]

text: Swift won accolades for Taylor Swift. She was one of the recipients of the Nashville Songwriters Association's Songwriter/Artist of the Year in 2007, becoming the youngest person to be honored with the title.[49] She also won the Country Music Association's Horizon Award for Best New Artist,[50] the Academy of Country Music Awards' Top New Female Vocalist,[51] and the American Music Awards' Favorite Country Female Artist honor.[52] She was also nominated for Best New Artist at the 2008 Grammy Awards.[53] In July of that year, Swift began a romance with Joe Jonas that ended three months later.[54][55]

text: 2008–2010: Fearless and acting

text: Swift's second studio album, Fearless, was released on November 11, 2008.[37] The lead single, "Love Story", was released in September 2008. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100[56] and number one in Australia.[57] Four more singles were released throughout 2008 and 2009: "White Horse", "You Belong with Me", "Fifteen" and "Fearless". "You Belong with Me" was the album's highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two.[58] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was the top-selling album of 2009 in the United States.[59] The album received promotion from Swift's first concert tour, the Fearless Tour,[60] which grossed over $63 million.[61] Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless, a concert film, was aired on television and later released on DVD and Blu-ray.[62] Swift also performed as a supporting act for Keith Urban's Escape Together World Tour.[63]

text: In 2009, the music video for "You Belong with Me" was named MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video.[66] Her acceptance speech was interrupted by rapper Kanye West.[67] The incident was the subject of controversy and frequent media attention, resulting in many Internet memes.[68] James Montgomery of MTV argued that the incident and subsequent media attention turned Swift into "a bona-fide mainstream celebrity".[69] Also that year, she won five American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year and Favorite Country Album.[70] Billboard named her 2009's Artist of the Year.[71] The album ranked number 99 on NPR's 2017 list of the 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women.[72]

text: At the 52nd Grammy Awards, Fearless was named Album of the Year and Best Country Album, and "White Horse" was named Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Swift was the youngest artist ever to win Album of the Year.[73] During the ceremony, Swift sang "You Belong with Me" and "Rhiannon" with Stevie Nicks. Her vocal performance received negative reviews and a media backlash.[69][74] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times found it "refreshing to see someone so gifted make the occasional flub" and described Swift as "the most important new pop star of the past few years".[75] Swift became the youngest ever artist to be named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association.[76] Fearless also won the Association's Album of the Year award.[77]

text: Swift contributed backing vocals to John Mayer's "Half of My Heart", a single featured on his fourth album, Battle Studies (2009).[78] She co-wrote and recorded "Best Days of Your Life" with Kellie Pickler,[79] and co-wrote two songs for the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack—"You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" and "Crazier".[65] Swift also provided vocals for Boys Like Girls' "Two Is Better Than One".[80] She contributed two songs to the Valentine's Day soundtrack, including "Today Was a Fairytale", which became her first number one on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.[81][82] While filming her cinematic debut Valentine's Day in October 2009, Swift began a romantic relationship with co-star Taylor Lautner, but they broke up later that year.[83][84] The romantic comedy, released the following year, saw her play the ditzy girlfriend of a high school jock, a role in which Los Angeles Times found "serious comedic potential".[85] In a scathing review, the critic for Variety deemed her "entirely undirected", arguing that "she needs to find a skilled director to tamp her down and channel her obviously abundant energy".[86]

text: Swift made her acting debut in a 2009 episode of CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, playing a rebellious teenager. The New York Times noted that the character allowed Swift to be "a little bit naughty, and credibly so".[87] Later that year, Swift both hosted and performed as the musical guest for an episode of Saturday Night Live.[88] Entertainment Weekly described her as "this season's best Saturday Night Live host so far", noting that she "was always up for the challenge, seemed to be having fun, and helped the rest of the cast nail the punchlines".[89] Later in 2010, she briefly dated actor Jake Gyllenhaal.[90]

text: 2010–2014: Speak Now and Red

text: In August 2010, Swift released "Mine", the lead single from her third studio album, Speak Now. It entered the United States at number three, making Swift the second female artist in the history of the Hot 100 (after Mariah Carey) to debut multiple tracks in the top five in one year; the other was "Today Was a Fairytale" at number two.[91] Swift wrote the album alone and co produced every track.[92] Speak Now, released on October 25, 2010,[37] was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200, and becoming the 16th album to achieve opening week sales of one million copies.[93] It became the fastest-selling digital album by a female artist, with 278,000 downloads in a week, earning Swift an entry in the 2010 Guinness World Records. She earned another Guinness World Record entry after she became the first woman to achieve 10 track debuts on the Billboard Hot 100.[94][95] Three of the album's singles, "Mine", "Back to December", and "Mean", peaked in the top ten in Canada.[82]

text: "Mean" won Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.[96] Swift performed the song during the ceremony. Claire Suddath of Time felt she "delivered her comeback on-key and with a vengeance";[97] Jayme Deerwester of USA Today wrote that the criticism in 2010 seemed to have "made her a better songwriter and live performer".[98] Swift won various other awards for Speak Now, including Songwriter/Artist of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association (2010 and 2011),[99][100] Woman of the Year by Billboard (2011),[101] and Entertainer of the Year by the Academy of Country Music (2011 and 2012)[102] and the Country Music Association in 2011.[103] At the American Music Awards of 2011, Swift won Artist of the Year and Favorite Country Album.[104] Rolling Stone placed Speak Now at number 45 in its 2012 list of the "50 Best Female Albums of All Time", writing: "She might get played on the country station, but she's one of the few genuine rock stars we've got these days, with a flawless ear for what makes a song click."[105]

text: The Speak Now World Tour ran from February 2011 to March 2012 and grossed over $123 million.[106] In November 2011, Swift released her first live album, Speak Now World Tour: Live.[107] The following month, she contributed two original songs to The Hunger Games soundtrack album: "Safe & Sound", cowritten and recorded with the Civil Wars and T-Bone Burnett, and "Eyes Open". "Safe & Sound" won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.[108] After providing vocals for B.o.B's "Both of Us" in May 2012,[109] Swift dated political heir Conor Kennedy from July to September 2012.[110] In August, Swift released "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", the lead single from her fourth studio album, Red. It became her first number one in the US and New Zealand[111][112] and reached the top slot on iTunes' digital song sales chart 50 minutes after its release, earning the "Fastest Selling Single in Digital History" Guinness World Record.[113] Swift released the album's second single, "Begin Again", in October. It reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.[114] Other singles released from the album include "I Knew You Were Trouble", "22", "Everything Has Changed", "The Last Time", and "Red". "I Knew You Were Trouble" was a major commercial success,[115] peaking at number two in the United States.[114]

text: Red was released on October 22, 2012,[37] incorporating new genres for Swift, such as heartland rock, dubstep and dance-pop. The album was a critical and commercial success,[12] and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 1.21 million copies. This marked the highest opening sales in a decade in the United States, and made Swift the first female to have two million-selling album openings, a record recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.[116][117] The Red Tour ran from March 2013 to June 2014 and grossed over $150 million.[118] Red earned several accolades, including four nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.[119] Its single "I Knew You Were Trouble" won Best Female Video at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.[120] Swift was named Best Female Country Artist at the 2012 American Music Awards and Artist of the Year at the 2013 ceremony.[121][122] She received the Nashville Songwriters Association's Songwriter/Artist Award for the fifth and sixth consecutive years in 2012 and 2013 respectively.[123] Swift was also honored by the Association with a special Pinnacle Award, making her the second recipient of the accolade after Garth Brooks.[124]

text: In 2013, Swift cowrote "Sweeter Than Fiction" with Jack Antonoff for the One Chance soundtrack, and received a Best Original Song nomination at the 71st Golden Globe Awards.[125] She provided guest vocals for Tim McGraw's song "Highway Don't Care", featuring guitar work by Keith Urban.[126] Swift performed "As Tears Go By" with the Rolling Stones in Chicago, Illinois as part of their 50 & Counting tour,[127] and stated that the band was a major influence on her career outlook.[128] She also joined Florida Georgia Line on stage during their set at the 2013 Country Radio Seminar to sing "Cruise".[129] Outside music, Swift voiced Audrey, a tree lover, in the animated film The Lorax (2012),[130] made a cameo in the sitcom New Girl (2013),[131] and had a supporting role in the film adaptation of The Giver (2014).[132] During this time, she dated British singer Harry Styles.[133]

text: 2014–2016: 1989

text: In March 2014, Swift relocated to New York City.[134] Around this time, she was working on her fifth studio album, 1989, with writers Antonoff, Max Martin, Shellback, Imogen Heap, Ryan Tedder, and Ali Payami.[135] She promoted the album through various campaigns, including inviting fans to secret album-listening sessions, called the "1989 Secret Sessions".[136] Credited as her "first documented, official pop album", it marked a departure from her previous country albums.[137] The album was released on October 27, 2014 to positive reviews.[37][138]

text: 1989 sold 1.28 million copies in the US during the first week of release and debuted atop the Billboard 200—this made Swift the first act to have three albums sell more than one million copies in their opening release week, for which she earned a Guinness World Record.[139][140] As of June 2017, 1989 had sold over 10 million copies worldwide.[141] The album's lead single, "Shake It Off", was released in August 2014 and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[142] The album also generated two additional number-one singles—"Blank Space" and "Bad Blood" (featuring Kendrick Lamar)—as well as the top-ten entries "Style" and "Wildest Dreams", and other singles "Out of the Woods" and "New Romantics".[143] "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood" also topped the charts in Australia and Canada.[57][82] After "Blank Space" reached number-one in the US following "Shake It Off", Swift became the first woman in the Hot 100's history to succeed herself at the top spot.[144] The music video for the former briefly became the fastest video to reach one billion views on Vevo.[145] The videos for "Blank Space" and "Bad Blood" won four accolades at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, with the latter winning for Video of the Year and Best Collaboration.[146] Swift's headlining tour, the 1989 World Tour, running from May to December 2015, grossed over $250 million, and became one of the highest grossing tours of the decade.[147]

text: Swift was named Billboard's Woman of the Year in 2014, becoming the first artist to win the award twice.[148] Also that year, she received the Dick Clark Award for Excellence at the American Music Awards.[149] In 2015, "Shake It Off" was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year and Swift won the Brit Award for International Female Solo Artist.[150][151] The singer was one of eight artists to receive a 50th Anniversary Milestone Award at the 2015 Academy of Country Music Awards.[152] In 2016, Swift won three Grammy Awards for 1989—Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Music Video for "Bad Blood". She became the first woman, and fifth act overall, to win the first of these twice.[153]

text: Prior to 1989's release, Swift stressed the importance of albums to artists and fans.[154] In November 2014, she removed her entire catalog from Spotify, arguing that the streaming company's ad-supported, free service undermined the premium service, which provides higher royalties for songwriters.[155] In a June 2015 open letter, Swift criticized Apple Music for not offering royalties to artists during the streaming service's free three-month trial period and stated that she would pull 1989 from the catalog.[156] The following day, Apple announced that it would pay artists during the free trial period,[157] and Swift agreed to stream 1989 on the streaming service.[158] Swift's intellectual property rights management and holding company, TAS Rights Management, filed for 73 trademarks related to the singer and the 1989 era memes.[159] She re-added her entire catalog to Spotify, Amazon Music and Google Play in June 2017.[160]

text: In 2015, Swift performed "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Shake It Off" with Paul McCartney at the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special after-party,[161] and joined Kenny Chesney to sing "Big Star" on the opening night of his Big Revival Tour in Nashville.[162] In March 2015, Swift started dating Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris.[163] By June 2015, the duo were ranked as the highest-paid celebrity couple over the past year by Forbes with combined earnings of over $146 million.[164] In August, Swift addressed her mother's cancer diagnosis, and encouraged others to get a medical checkup.[165] Before Swift and Harris announced the end of their relationship in June 2016,[166] the two co-wrote his song "This Is What You Came For" (featuring Rihanna), for which she was initially credited under the pseudonym Nils Sjöberg.[167] In October, she penned Little Big Town's "Better Man" for their seventh album, The Breaker.[168] The song earned Swift an award for Song of the Year at the 51st CMA Awards.[169] Two months later, Swift and Zayn Malik released a single together called "I Don't Wanna Live Forever", for the soundtrack of the film Fifty Shades Darker (2017). The song reached number one in Sweden and peaked at number two in the United States.[170][171] At the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, the duo won the award for Best Collaboration for the song's music video.[172]

text: 2017–present: Reputation

text: In August 2017, Swift sued and prevailed in a civil trial against David Mueller, a former morning show personality for Denver's KYGO-FM. Four years earlier, Swift had informed Mueller's bosses that he had sexually assaulted her by groping her at an event. After being fired, Mueller accused Swift of lying and sued her for making him lose his job. Shortly after, Swift counter-sued for sexual assault. The jury rejected Mueller's claims and ruled in favor of Swift.[173] The singer thereafter cleared her social media accounts[174] and released "Look What You Made Me Do" as the lead single from her sixth album, Reputation.[175] The song topped the charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[176][177] Its music video gained over 43.2 million views during its first day on YouTube, breaking the site's record for the most-viewed music video within 24 hours.[178] In October, Swift released the album's second single, "...Ready for It?",[179] which charted at number three in Australia and at number four in the United States.[180][177]

text: Two promotional singles were released from Reputation, "Gorgeous" and "Call It What You Want"; the former later became the album's fifth single, however only being released as such in Europe.[181] The album was released on November 10 and sold 1.216 million copies in the United States—becoming 2017's top-selling album (pure sales only) in the country—and 2 million copies worldwide during its first week.[182] It topped the charts in several countries, including the US, the UK, Australia and Canada.[183][184] Later that month, Swift performed "...Ready for It?" and "Call It What You Want" on Saturday Night Live.[185] "End Game", featuring Ed Sheeran and Future, followed in November as the third single, and peaked at number 18 in the US.[186] Other singles from the album include "New Year's Day" and "Delicate"; the former of which was released exclusively to country radio.[187]

text: In support of Reputation, Swift embarked on Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018.[188] In April 2018, Swift featured on Sugarland's "Babe" from their album Bigger.[a] In July 2018, Swift was cast in the movie adaptation of the musical Cats.[190]

text: Artistry

text: Influences

text: One of Swift's earliest musical memories is listening to her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, sing in church.[3] As a child, she enjoyed Disney film soundtracks: "My parents noticed that, once I had run out of words, I would just make up my own".[191] Swift has said she owes her confidence to her mother, who helped her prepare for class presentations as a child.[192] She also attributes her "fascination with writing and storytelling" to her mother.[193] Swift was drawn to the storytelling of country music,[194] and was introduced to the genre by "the great female country artists of the '90s"—Shania Twain, Faith Hill and the Dixie Chicks.[195][196] Twain, both as a songwriter and performer, was her biggest musical influence.[197] Hill was Swift's childhood role model: "Everything she said, did, wore, I tried to copy it".[198] She admired the Dixie Chicks' defiant attitude and their ability to play their own instruments.[199] The band's "Cowboy Take Me Away" was the first song Swift learned to play on the guitar.[200] Swift also explored the music of older country stars, including Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette.[13] She believes Parton is "an amazing example to every female songwriter out there".[201] Alt-country artists such as Ryan Adams,[202] Patty Griffin[203] and Lori McKenna have inspired Swift.[23]

text: Swift lists Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones,[128] Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, and Carly Simon as her career role models: "They've taken chances, but they've also been the same artist for their entire careers".[23][204] McCartney, both as a Beatle and a solo artist, makes Swift feel "as if I've been let into his heart and his mind ... Any musician could only dream of a legacy like that".[205] She admires Springsteen for being "so musically relevant after such a long period of time".[206] She aspires to be like Harris as she grows older: "It's not about fame for her, it's about music".[207] "[Kristofferson] shines in songwriting ... He's just one of those people who has been in this business for years but you can tell it hasn't chewed him up and spat him out", Swift says.[208] She admires Simon's "songwriting and honesty ... She's known as an emotional person but a strong person".[209]

text: Swift has also been influenced by many artists outside the country genre. As a pre-teen, she enjoyed bubblegum pop acts including Hanson and Britney Spears; Swift has said she has "unwavering devotion" for Spears.[210][211] In her high school years, Swift listened to rock bands such as Dashboard Confessional,[212] Fall Out Boy,[213] and Jimmy Eat World.[214] She has also spoken fondly of singers and songwriters like Michelle Branch,[214] Alanis Morissette,[215] Ashlee Simpson,[216] Fefe Dobson,[214] Colbie Caillat[217] and Justin Timberlake;[218] and the 1960s acts The Shirelles, Doris Troy, and The Beach Boys.[219] Swift's fifth album, the pop-focused 1989, was influenced by some of her favorite 1980s pop acts, including Annie Lennox, Phil Collins and "Like a Prayer-era Madonna".[220]

text: Musical style

text: Swift's music contains elements of pop, pop rock and country.[221] She described herself as a country artist until the 2014 release of 1989, which she described as a "sonically cohesive pop album".[222] Rolling Stone wrote: "[Swift] might get played on the country station, but she's one of the few genuine rock stars we've got these days."[223] According to The New York Times, "There isn't much in Ms. Swift's music to indicate country—a few banjo strums, a pair of cowboy boots worn onstage, a bedazzled guitar—but there's something in her winsome, vulnerable delivery that's unique to Nashville".[224] The Guardian wrote that Swift "cranks melodies out with the pitiless efficiency of a Scandinavian pop factory".[225]

text: Swift's vocals were described by Sophie Schillaci of The Hollywood Reporter as "sweet, but soft".[226] The Los Angeles Times identified Swift's "defining" vocal gesture in studio recordings as "the line that slides down like a contented sigh or up like a raised eyebrow, giving her beloved girl-time hits their air of easy intimacy".[227] Rolling Stone, in a Speak Now review, wrote: "Swift's voice is unaffected enough to mask how masterful she has become as a singer; she lowers her voice for the payoff lines in the classic mode of a shy girl trying to talk tough."[228] In another review of Speak Now, The Village Voice wrote that her phrasing was previously "bland and muddled, but that's changed. She can still sound strained and thin, and often strays into a pitch that drives some people crazy; but she's learned how to make words sound like what they mean."[229] The Hollywood Reporter wrote that her live vocals are "fine", but they do not match those of her peers.[226] In 2009, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly described Swift's vocals as "flat, thin, and sometimes as wobbly as a newborn colt".[230] However, Swift has received praise for refusing to correct her pitch with Auto-Tune.[231]

text: In an interview with The New Yorker, Swift characterized herself primarily as a songwriter: "I write songs, and my voice is just a way to get those lyrics across."[23] A writer for The Tennessean conceded in 2010 that Swift is "not the best technical singer", but described her as the "best communicator that we've got".[232] Swift's vocal presence is something that concerns her and she has "put a lot of work" into improving it.[233] It was reported in 2010 that she continues to take vocal lessons.[234] She has said that she only feels nervous performing "if I'm not sure what the audience thinks of me, like at award shows".[235]

text: Songwriting

text: Swift uses her life experiences as an inspiration in her work.[236] In her songs, Swift often addresses the "anonymous crushes of her high school years" and celebrities.[237] Swift frequently criticizes ex-boyfriends,[238] an aspect of her songwriting downplayed by The Village Voice: "Being told What Songs Mean is like having a really pushy professor. And it imperils a true appreciation of Swift's talent, which is not confessional, but dramatic."[239] However, New York believes the media scrutiny over her decision to "mine her personal life for music ... is sexist, inasmuch as it's not asked of her male peers".[240] The singer herself has said that not all her songs are factual and that they are sometimes based on observations.[241] Aside from her liner note clues, Swift tries not to talk about song subjects specifically "because these are real people. You try to give insight as to where you were coming from as a writer without completely throwing somebody under the bus".[242]

text: For a female to write about her feelings, and then be portrayed as some clingy, insane, desperate girlfriend in need of making you marry her and have kids with her, I think that's taking something that potentially should be celebrated—a woman writing about her feelings in a confessional way—that's taking it and turning it and twisting it into something that is frankly a little sexist.

text: The Guardian has praised Swift for writing about teenage years "with a kind of wistful, sepia-toned nostalgia" over the course of her first two albums.[225] New York has remarked that many singer-songwriters have made great records as teens, but "none made great records so explicitly about their teens". The magazine has also compared her work to Brian Wilson.[244] In Fearless, Swift featured fairy tale imagery and explored the disconnect "between fairy tales and the reality of love".[245] Her later albums address more adult relationships.[204] In addition to romance and love, Swift's songs have discussed parent-child relationships, friendships,[246][247] alienation, fame, and career ambitions.[193] Swift frequently includes "a tossed-off phrase to suggest large and serious things that won't fit in the song, things that enhance or subvert the surface narrative".[248]

text: Rolling Stone describes Swift as "a songwriting savant with an intuitive gift for verse-chorus-bridge architecture".[249] According to The Village Voice, she uses third-verse point of view reversals frequently.[248] In terms of imagery, repetition is evident in Swift's songwriting. In The Guardian's words, "she spends so much time kissin' in the rain that it seems a miracle she hasn't developed trenchfoot".[225] Slant Magazine adds, "to Swift's credit, she explores new lyrical motifs over the course of [her fourth] album".[250] Although reviews of Swift's work are "almost uniformly positive", The New Yorker has said she is generally portrayed "more as a skilled technician than as a Dylanesque visionary".[23]

text: Public image

text: Swift's personal life is the subject of constant media attention.[251] In 2013, Abercrombie & Fitch marketed a slogan T-shirt with a "slut-shaming" remark directed toward her.[252] The New York Times asserted that her "dating history has begun to stir what feels like the beginning of a backlash" and questioned whether Swift was in the midst of a "quarter-life crisis".[253] Swift has said that she is unwilling to discuss her personal life in public,[251] as she believes that talking about it can be "a career weakness".[254]

text: Rolling Stone remarks upon her polite manner: "If this is Swift's game face, it must be tattooed on because it never drops."[255] The magazine also takes note of her "ease with glad-handing",[34] and The Hollywood Reporter credits her as "the Best People Person since Bill Clinton".[256] While presenting Swift an award for her humanitarian endeavors in 2012, Michelle Obama described her as a singer who "has rocketed to the top of the music industry but still keeps her feet on the ground, someone who has shattered every expectation of what a 22-year-old can accomplish".[257] Swift considers Michelle Obama to be a role model.[258] Swift is one of the most followed people on social media, and is known for her friendly interactions with her fans.[259][260] She has delivered holiday gifts to fans by mail and in person, dubbed "Swiftmas".[261] She considers it her "responsibility" to be conscious of her influence on young fans,[262] and has said that her fans are "the longest and best relationship I have ever had".[263]

text: Often described by the media as "America's Sweetheart",[264] Swift insists that "I don't live by all these rigid, weird rules that make me feel all fenced in. I just like the way that I feel like, and that makes me feel very free". She refuses to take part in overly sexualized photo-shoots,[265] although Bloomberg L.P. views her as a sex symbol.[266] Swift was named an Icon of American Style by Vogue in 2011.[267] In 2014 she topped People's annual best dressed list.[268] In 2015, she was named Woman of the Year at the Elle Style Awards,[269] and ranked first in Maxim's Hot 100 list.[270]

text: Swift has also appeared in various power listings. Due to her success and earnings, she was included in Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in 2010 and 2015.[271] From 2011 to 2015, she appeared in the top three of the Forbes Top-Earning Women in Music with earnings of $45 million, $57 million, $55 million, $64 million and $80 million respectively.[272] In 2015, she became the youngest woman ever to be included on Forbes' 100 most powerful women list, ranked at number 64.[273] In 2016, Swift topped Forbes' annual list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities with $170 million—a feat that entered the Guinness World Records[274]—and also ranked among the top ten in 2011, 2013 and 2015.[275] She was one of the finalists for Time Person of the Year in 2014, and was named so in 2017 as part of the "Silence Breakers" who spoke up about sexual assault.[276][277] In June 2017, Forbes estimated Swift's net worth to be $280 million.[278]

text: Other ventures

text: Philanthropy

text: Swift's philanthropic efforts have been recognized by the Do Something Awards and the Tennessee Disaster Services.[279][280] She has also received The Big Help Award for her "dedication to helping others" and "inspiring others through action",[281] and the Ripple of Hope Award because of her "dedication to advocacy at such a young age […] Taylor is just the kind of woman we want our daughters to be".[282] In 2008, she donated $100,000 to the Red Cross to help the victims of the Iowa flood of 2008.[283] The singer has performed in charity reliefs like Sydney's Sound Relief concert.[284] She also recorded a song for the Hope for Haiti Now album.[285] In response to the May 2010 Tennessee floods, Swift donated $500,000 during a telethon hosted by WSMV.[286] In 2011, Swift used a dress rehearsal of her Speak Now tour as a benefit concert for victims of recent tornadoes in the United States, raising more than $750,000.[287] In 2012, Swift supported Architecture for Humanity's Restore the Shore MTV telethon in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.[288] In 2016, she made donations to the Louisiana flood relief and Dolly Parton Fire Fund.[289][290]

text: Swift is a supporter of the arts and donated $75,000 to Nashville's Hendersonville High School in 2010 to help refurbish the school auditorium.[291] In 2012, she pledged $4 million to fund the building of a new education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.[292] Also in 2012, Swift partnered with textbook rental company Chegg to donate $60,000 to the music departments of six US colleges.[293] Swift also promotes children's literacy. In 2009, she donated $250,000 to various schools around the country for improvement of education.[294] Her other endeavors to promote literacy include donating 6,000 Scholastic books to Reading Public Library, Pennsylvania;[295] 14,000 books to Nashville Public Library, Tennessee;[296] 2,000 Scholastic books to the Reading Hospital Child Health Center's early literacy program;[297] and 25,000 books to New York City schools in 2015.[298]

text: In 2007, she launched a campaign to protect children from online predators, in partnership with the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.[299] In 2009, Swift recorded a Sound Matters public service announcement (PSA) to make listeners aware of the importance of listening "responsibly" to prevent hearing impairment.[300] Swift has donated items for auction to several charities, including: the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the UNICEF Tap Project, MusiCares, and Feeding America.[301] As a recipient of the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year in 2011, Swift donated $25,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Tennessee.[302] In 2012, Swift participated in the Stand Up to Cancer telethon, performing "Ronan", a song she wrote in memory of a four-year-old boy who died of neuroblastoma. The song was made available for digital download with all proceeds donated to cancer-related charities.[303] In 2014, she donated $100,000 to the V Foundation for Cancer Research,[304] and $50,000 to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.[305] The singer made private visits to hospitals to meet with sick patients and to support them.[306] Swift has encouraged young people to volunteer in their local communities as part of Global Youth Service Day.[307] In 2018, she collaborated with 300 women in Hollywood to set up the Time's Up initiative to protect women from harassment and discrimination.[308]

text: Politics

text: During the 2008 presidential campaign, Swift promoted the Every Woman Counts campaign, aimed at engaging women in the political process, and was one of many country stars to record a PSA for the Vote (For Your) Country campaign.[309] She stated: "I don't think it's my job to try and influence people which way they should vote."[13] Following Barack Obama's inauguration, she told Rolling Stone that she supported the president: "I've never seen this country so happy about a political decision in my entire time of being alive. I'm so glad this was my first election."[310]

text: In a 2012 interview, Swift remarked that in spite of keeping herself "as educated and informed as possible", she does not discuss politics, fearing that it might influence other people.[311] Writing about media pressure on Swift to publicly take political stances, Politico called Swift "studiously apolitical".[312] Swift has spent time with the Kennedy family[313] and has spoken of her admiration for Ethel Kennedy.[208] Swift is also a feminist.[314] She has spoken out against LGBT discrimination. Following the 2008 murder of Larry King, she recorded a GLSEN PSA to combat hate crimes.[315] On the first anniversary of King's death, Swift told Seventeen that her parents taught her "never to judge others based on whom they love, what color their skin is, or their religion".[316] The music video for Swift's anti-bullying song "Mean" deals in part with homophobia in high schools; the video was nominated for an MTV VMA social activism award in 2011.[317][318] The New York Times believes she is part of "a new wave of young (and mostly straight) women who are providing the soundtrack for a generation of gay fans coming to terms with their identity in a time of turbulent and confusing cultural messages".[317]

text: Product endorsements

text: While promoting her debut album, Swift appeared as the face of Verizon Wireless' Mobile Music campaign.[319] In the Fearless era, she launched a l.e.i. sundress range at Wal-Mart,[320] and designed American Greetings cards and Jakks Pacific dolls.[321][322] She became a spokesperson for the National Hockey League's (NHL) Nashville Predators and Sony Cyber-shot digital cameras.[323][324] In the Speak Now era, she released a special edition of her album through Target.[325] Swift became a CoverGirl spokesmodel,[326] launched two Elizabeth Arden fragrances—Wonderstruck and Wonderstruck Enchanted.[327]

text: While promoting her fourth album, Red, Swift offered exclusive album promotions through Target,[328] Papa John's Pizza,[329] and Walgreens.[330] She became a spokesmodel for Diet Coke and Keds sneakers,[331] released her third Elizabeth Arden fragrance named Taylor by Taylor Swift,[332] and continued her partnerships with Sony Electronics and American Greetings.[333][334] Swift also partnered with the companies AirAsia[335] and Qantas[336] during the Red Tour. These acted as the official airlines for the Australian and Asian legs, and Cornetto sponsored the Asian leg of the tour.[337] While promoting 1989, Swift had tie-ins with Subway, Keds, Target and Diet Coke.[338] In 2014, Swift released her fourth fragrance, Incredible Things.[339]

text: Awards and achievements

text: Swift has received many awards and honors, including 10 Grammy Awards,[340] 19 American Music Awards,[341] 23 Billboard Music Awards (the most wins by an act),[342] 12 Country Music Association Awards, 8 Academy of Country Music Awards,[343] one Brit Award,[151] and one Creative Arts Emmy Award.[344] As a songwriter, she has been honored by the Nashville Songwriters Association[49][345] and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has been listed in Rolling Stone's 2015 list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.[346][347]

text: By the beginning of 2016, Swift had sold more than 40 million albums, 130 million single downloads and was one of the top five music artists with the highest worldwide digital sales.[141] Swift's studio albums Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, and 1989 have all sold over 4 million copies in the US.[348] She is the third best-selling digital singles artist in the US with a total of 106.5 million equivalent units certified according to Recording Industry Association of America.[349]

text: Discography

text:
Taylor Swift (2006)
Fearless (2008)
Speak Now (2010)
Red (2012)
1989 (2014)
Reputation (2017)

tag: ul

text: Tours

text:
Fearless Tour (2009–2010)
Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012)
The Red Tour (2013–2014)
The 1989 World Tour (2015)
Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour (2018)