Photo of Taylor Swift
Photo: iHeartRadioCA · CC BY 3.0

Solo Artist

Taylor Swift

Active2004-present
OriginWest Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
Albums12
Tracks172

Most frequent collaborator: Nathan Chapman  ·  47 tracks

PopCountry PopIndie FolkAlternative
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 172 of 172 tracks

Did Taylor Swift write her own songs?

Yes. Swift has co-written every song she has released as a studio recording, a condition she negotiated when Big Machine Records signed her at 14, so her authorship rate is effectively 100%. She wrote 'Love Story' and 'Mean' on her own and co-wrote hits like 'Shake It Off' and 'Anti-Hero' with collaborators such as Max Martin and Jack Antonoff.

By the Numbers

12
Studio Albums
172
Tracks Credited
100%
Self-Written
22
Years Active
61
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 172 / 172 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 172 tracks: how many Taylor Swift wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Taylor Swift has a writing credit100%
24%
76%
Sole author41tracks24%
Co-written131tracks76%
Outside writers0tracks0%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Taylor Swift's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 172 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)100%
Composer (music)100%
Producer77%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Taylor Swift's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
2006Taylor Swift
2008Fearless
2010Speak Now
2012Red
20141989
2017Reputation
2019Lover
2020Folklore
2020Evermore
2022Midnights
2024The Tortured Poets Department
2025The Life of a Showgirl
Early · 100% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
2000s
Taylor Swift, Fearless
100%
2010s
Speak Now, Red +3 more
100%
2020s
Folklore, Evermore +3 more

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Taylor Swift sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Taylor Swift
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

BLACKPINK13%
Britney Spears32%
Carrie Underwood43%
One Direction57%
Destiny's Child69%
Kesha77%
Miley Cyrus92%
100%Taylor Swift
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Tim McGraw
Taylor Swift
Written by Taylor Swift, Liz Rose
Co-wrote
Teardrops on My Guitar
Taylor Swift
Written by Taylor Swift, Liz Rose
Co-wrote
Love Story
Fearless
Written by Taylor Swift
Wrote it
You Belong with Me
Fearless
Written by Taylor Swift, Liz Rose
Co-wrote
Mine
Speak Now
Written by Taylor Swift
Wrote it
Back to December
Speak Now
Written by Taylor Swift
Wrote it
Mean
Speak Now
Written by Taylor Swift
Wrote it
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Red
Written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback
Co-wrote
I Knew You Were Trouble
Red
Written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback
Co-wrote
Shake It Off
1989
Written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback
Co-wrote
Blank Space
1989
Written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback
Co-wrote
Bad Blood
1989
Written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback
Co-wrote
Look What You Made Me Do
Reputation
Written by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Richard Fairbrass, Fred Fairbrass, Rob Manzoli
Co-wrote
...Ready for It?
Reputation
Written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback, Ali Payami
Co-wrote
Me!
Lover
Written by Taylor Swift, Joel Little, Brendon Urie
Co-wrote
You Need to Calm Down
Lover
Written by Taylor Swift, Joel Little
Co-wrote
Cruel Summer
Lover
Written by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Annie Clark
Co-wrote
cardigan
Folklore
Written by Taylor Swift, Aaron Dessner
Co-wrote
exile
Folklore
Written by Taylor Swift, William Bowery, Justin Vernon
Co-wrote
betty
Folklore
Written by Taylor Swift, William Bowery
Co-wrote
the 1
Folklore
Written by Taylor Swift, Aaron Dessner
Co-wrote
willow
Evermore
Written by Taylor Swift, Aaron Dessner
Co-wrote
Anti-Hero
Midnights
Written by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff
Co-wrote
Lavender Haze
Midnights
Written by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Mark Anthony Spears, Jahaan Sweet, Sam Dew, Zoë Kravitz
Co-wrote
Karma
Midnights
Written by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Mark Anthony Spears, Jahaan Sweet, Keanu Torres
Co-wrote
Fortnight
The Tortured Poets Department
Written by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Austin Post
Co-wrote
The Fate of Ophelia
The Life of a Showgirl
Written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Rickard Göransson
Co-wrote
Opalite
The Life of a Showgirl
Written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Rickard Göransson
Co-wrote
Elizabeth Taylor
The Life of a Showgirl
Written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Rickard Göransson
Co-wrote

Discography 12 albums

Covers all 12 studio albums.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Taylor Swift172 tracks
NC47 JA47 MM34 S32 AD28 WB13

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. NC Nathan Chapman · JA Jack Antonoff · MM Max Martin · S Shellback · AD Aaron Dessner · WB William Bowery

The Writers & Producers Behind Taylor Swift 6 key collaborators

NC
Nathan Chapman
Producer
Taylor Swift / Fearless / Speak Now / Red47 tracks
JA
Jack Antonoff
Songwriter & Producer
1989 / Reputation / Lover / Folklore47 tracks
MM
Max Martin
Songwriter
Red / 1989 / Reputation / The Life of a Showgirl34 tracks
S
Shellback
Songwriter & Producer
Red / 1989 / Reputation / The Life of a Showgirl32 tracks
AD
Aaron Dessner
Songwriter & Producer
Folklore / Evermore / The Tortured Poets Department28 tracks
WB
William Bowery
Songwriter
Folklore / Evermore / Midnights13 tracks

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Taylor Swift has co-written literally every song she has released as a studio recording, a condition she negotiated when first signed at age 14 and has never broken. This makes her authorship rate effectively 100% across a discography that spans country, pop, indie folk, and alternative music. Particularly notable on 1989, where several global smash hits like 'Shake It Off' and 'Blank Space' were co-written with professional hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback, writers who ordinarily drive the creative process, but Swift held her co-writer role throughout.

Quick Facts

  • BreakthroughSigned to Big Machine Records at age 14
  • Grammys14 wins, including a record 4 Album of the Year
  • Eras TourHighest-grossing concert tour ever, about $2 billion
  • RIAA milestoneFirst woman past 100M certified album units (US)

Creative Fingerprint

A songwriter first: she has co-written every track she released from her teens onward, holding effectively 100% authorship as she moved from country to pop to indie folk.

The Story

Taylor Swift (born Taylor Alison Swift, December 13, 1989) is a Pennsylvania-born singer-songwriter who has become one of the best-selling music artists of all time and arguably the defining pop superstar of her generation. She began her career as a teenage country artist signed to Big Machine Records at age 14, with one condition she insisted on from the start: she would co-write every song she released. Her 2006 self-titled debut and the Grammy-winning Fearless (2009) established her as the biggest act in country music before she pivoted to mainstream pop with the global phenomenon 1989 (2014), which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and spawned five top-ten singles including 'Shake It Off' and 'Blank Space.' In 2020 she made a dramatic artistic turn with the surprise-released Folklore, a collaboration with The National's Aaron Dessner and longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff that received critical acclaim, a Grammy for Album of the Year, and was widely seen as among the finest albums of her career. Swift has engaged in a prolonged public dispute over her master recordings, her first six albums were sold to Scooter Braun without her consent, prompting her to embark on an ongoing project to re-record them as 'Taylor's Version' albums. Her Eras Tour (2023-2024) became the highest-grossing concert tour in history, generating over two billion dollars in revenue and spawning a concert film. Across her career, Swift has won 14 Grammy Awards including four Albums of the Year, a record shared with no other artist.

Awards & Recognition

14 Grammy Awards, including a record four Album of the Year wins (Fearless, 2010; 1989, 2016; Folklore, 2021; Midnights, 2024)
Most Album of the Year wins of any artist in Grammy history (4)
First woman to surpass 100 million RIAA-certified album units in the US (2025)
Time Person of the Year (2023), the first individual honored for work in the arts
The Eras Tour (2023-2024): first tour to gross over $1 billion and the highest-grossing concert tour in history, about $2 billion

Frequently Asked Questions Taylor Swift

Did Taylor Swift write her own songs?
Yes. Swift has co-written every song she has released as a studio recording, a condition she negotiated when Big Machine Records signed her at 14, so her authorship rate is effectively 100%. She wrote 'Love Story' and 'Mean' on her own and co-wrote hits like 'Shake It Off' and 'Anti-Hero' with collaborators such as Max Martin and Jack Antonoff.
Did Taylor Swift write 'Love Story'?
Yes, she wrote 'Love Story' by herself. It appears on Fearless (2008) and reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
Who wrote 'Shake It Off'?
Taylor Swift wrote 'Shake It Off' with Max Martin and Shellback, the production team behind much of 1989 (2014). The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Who wrote 'Anti-Hero'?
Taylor Swift co-wrote 'Anti-Hero' with her frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff. The Midnights (2022) single topped the Billboard Hot 100.
Did Taylor Swift write 'All Too Well'?
Yes, she co-wrote 'All Too Well' with Liz Rose for Red (2012). The ten-minute version, released in 2021, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
How many albums has Taylor Swift released?
She has released 12 studio albums, from her 2006 self-titled debut through The Life of a Showgirl, spanning her country era (Fearless, Speak Now), her pop era (1989, Reputation, Lover), and her indie-folk turn (Folklore, Evermore).
How many Grammys has Taylor Swift won?
Swift has won 14 Grammy Awards, including a record four for Album of the Year: Fearless (2010), 1989 (2016), Folklore (2021), and Midnights (2024). No other artist has won Album of the Year four times.
Why is Taylor Swift re-recording her albums?
The master recordings of her first six albums were sold to Scooter Braun without her consent, so she began re-recording them as 'Taylor's Version' releases to own her masters and steer fans toward the new versions.
What is Taylor Swift's best-selling album?
1989 (2014) is her highest-certified album in the US at 14x Platinum, ahead of Fearless at 11x Platinum. It won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and produced the number-one singles 'Shake It Off' and 'Blank Space.'
How successful was the Eras Tour?
The Eras Tour (2023-2024) was the first concert tour to gross more than one billion dollars and became the highest-grossing tour in history at about two billion dollars.

Sources

Wikipedia: Taylor Swift discography Wikipedia: Taylor Swift Wikipedia: List of awards and nominations received by Taylor Swift RIAA milestone coverage: Taylor Swift surpasses 100 million certified album units (2025)