When it comes to dominating the charts, nobody does it quite like Taylor Swift. The “Shake It Off” singer proved herself as a force to be reckoned with after the enormous amount of success that poured her way throughout 2020.
During the coronavirus pandemic, while many artists decided to push back their album release dates, Swift had quietly begun working on her eighth studio album Folklore, which she confirmed was to drop in July of that year.
The record, which was supported by the singles “Cardigan,” “Exile,” “Betty,” and “The 1,” sold an impressive 1.3 million copies worldwide on its opening day and over two million units in its first week, subsequently earning Swift the top spot in countries such as the US, the UK, Ireland, Canada, and Australia, to name a few.
But that wasn’t all: Swift then surprised fans with her ninth album, Evermore, which was released in December 2020, and sold another one million copies worldwide in its first week.
Swift put out two widely successful albums in 2020, which heavily contributed to her earnings reaching $90 million in the span of 12 months, but what other ways was the Pennsylvania native able to accumulate such high numbers to her $400 million net worth? Here’s the lowdown…
Taylor Swift Dominates 2020
While Swift initially had no plans of putting out two albums in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic appeared to have changed all of that.
Spending months at home at the start of the year after canceling her entire Lover Fest tour gave the former country singer enough free time to sit back, relax, and work on new music material.
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Before the world health crisis, Swift had been preparing for her world tour, so to go from that to spending every day in her home was quite the switch-up.
The Grammy winner utilized her free time to record a string of new songs, and it wasn’t long before she realized she had enough material to put together a new album, which ended up becoming Folklore.
“I wrote and recorded this music in isolation but got to collaborate with some musical heroes of mine; @aarondessner (who has co-written or produced 11 of the 16 songs), @boniver (who co-wrote and was kind enough to sing on one with me), William Bowery (who co-wrote two with me) and @jackantonoff (who is basically musical family at this point)” Swift shared in a lengthy Instagram post.
“Before this year I probably would’ve overthought when to release this music at the ‘perfect’ time, but the times we’re living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed. My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world. That’s the side of uncertainty I can get on board with. Love you guys so much.”
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Of course, Folklore, which had swept up dozens of accolades after its release, was followed by Evermore in December 2020, which was just as commercially successful.
Swift arguably doesn’t get enough credit for the fact that she writes her own songs, but considering how successful both Folklore and Evermore fared on the charts worldwide, selling over 10 million copies accumulatively, it’s not surprising that she pulled in close to $100 million by the year’s end.
In February 2020, just months before dropping Folklore, Swift had signed a publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group.
The partnership was a no-brainer to the “Love Story” chart-topper, who already has Universal Music Group serve as her exclusive worldwide recorded music partner while UMG’s Republic Records remains her U.S. label partner.
In a statement from the blonde beauty, she said, “I’m proud to extend my partnership with Lucian Grainge and the Universal Music family by signing with UMPG, and for the opportunity to work with Jody Gerson, the first woman to run a major music publishing company.
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“Jody is an advocate for women’s empowerment and one of the most respected and accomplished industry leaders.”
“Troy Tomlinson has been an amazing part of my team for over half my life and a passionate torchbearer for songwriters. It’s an honor to get to work with such an incredible team, especially when it comes to my favorite thing in the world: songwriting.”
While 2020 was a big year for the songstress, 2021 appears to be going just as well, with the release of her first re-recorded album, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), in April 2021.
Then in June, Swift was confirmed to have signed up for a new movie role in the upcoming period comedy directed by David O. Russell, who has helmed blockbuster flicks such as American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook, Joy, and The Fighter.
For the film, she will join a star-studded cast including Robert De Niro, David Washington, Mike Myers, Chris Rock, and Margot Robbie.
Swift remains one of the best-selling artists of all time, with sales surpassing over 200 million worldwide.
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