From winning VMA awards to receiving Oscar buzz, Taylor Swift is on a roll by adding the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade to her collection of accolades.

Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images

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Taylor Swift Celebrates Remarkable Career as Songwriter-Artist of the Decade

by Stephanie Orellana posted on September 26, 2022
From winning VMA awards to receiving Oscar buzz, Taylor Swift is on a roll by adding the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade to her collection of accolades.
Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images

From winning VMA awards to receiving Oscar buzz, Taylor Swift is on a roll by adding the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade to her collection. On September 20, Taylor Swift attended the Nashville ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium, where she would be announced the well-deserved honor for her talented songwriting.

Before introducing Swift on stage, NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) Executive Director, Bart Herbison, reminisced the day he met a young Taylor Swift. As soon as he met the singer, he knew there was something special about her. He proudly states that Swift had played him her future hit songs “Tim McGraw” and “Picture to Burn.” Years Later, Herbison would award Taylor Swift Songwriter-Artist of the Decade, commemorating her achievements.

Fans who attended the ceremony congratulated their beloved icon.

It’s no surprise the 32-year-old artist was welcomed on Nashville’s stage. In fact, Taylor has won NSAI’s Songwriter of the Year seven times. Before the glitz and glam, Swift was recognized as the youngest person to achieve Songwriter of the year in 2007.

Three years later she would win the award for a third time for her popular hit songs “Fifteen,” “Love Story,” and “You Belong With Me.” These songs would be a staple to Swift’s legacy, beginning her career with an autobiographical look into her love life. Between the years 2012 and 2015, the pop icon would receive songwriting awards consecutively from the NSAI. 

In addition, she has crafted nine albums that broke through the gates of pop culture. Swift would break into the industry with her album Fearless featuring hit singles such as “Love Story,” and “You Belong With Me.” She would later go on a world tour to promote her album Speak Now, where she transitions to a pop-rock genre mixed with her country roots. Swift would then fully embrace the pop genre, releasing audacious albums like Red, 1989, and her anticipated comeback Reputation.

However, her most recent albums unravel a vulnerable, idyllic side of Taylor Swift we haven’t seen in years. These life-changing albums include Lover, Folklore, and Evermore. When Swift’s ownership of her classic tracks was being threatened by her former record label, Swift revitalized her songs and labeled them “Taylor’s Version.” These revamped iterations reminded fans that Swift has always been a strong lyrical storyteller.

Throughout her career, Swift narrated her life, romances, and struggles as a female artist. It was as though fans could take an intimate look at Swift’s diary over the years, seeing her music and mind evolving, from classic country to spit-fire pop and alternative indie.

Because of this, Swift views her NSAI trophy as a celebration of her life as an artist. She expresses in her acceptance speech “this is an award that celebrates a culmination of moments. Challenges. Gauntlets were laid down. Albums I’m proud of.” She adds that her career was filled with “Triumphs. Strokes of luck or misfortune. Loud, embarrassing errors and the subsequent recovery from those mistakes, and the lessons learned from all of it.”

“Because when it comes to my songwriting and my life, they are one and the same,” Taylor affirmed.

In addition to expressing her thanks to her family and friends, the renowned singer also revealed details about her songwriting process she has never revealed before.

Swift states that she has three specific categories for the lyrics she writes. She reveals “They are affectionately titled Quill Lyrics, Fountain Pen Lyrics, and Glitter Gel Pen Lyrics.” She came up with these categories based on the writing tools she would imagine having in her hand when she wrote down the words to her music. 

If Swift’s lyrics felt antiquated or sounded like they were written by “Emily Dickenson’s great-grandmother,” they would be classified in the quill genre. As if she read our minds, she names the track “ivy,” as an example, from her wistful album Evermore. The audience cried out in excitement as she recited “How’s one to know/ in a faith forgotten land/ in from the snow your touch brought/ forth an incandescent glow tarnished but so grand.” 

Swift continues to explain the next category, the fountain pen style. This genre classifies a section of her lyrics as “modern storytelling” with a “poetic twist.” She then recounts the lyrics from the 10-minute version of “All Too Well.” The crowd erupts, chanting along with her, ” ‘Cause there we are again in the middle of the night/ We’re dancing ’round the kitchen in the refrigerator light/ Down the stairs, I was there/ I remember it all too well.” 

Her final category, Glitter Gel Pen, represents the “Frivolous carefree bouncy,” lyrics in her discography. She uses her 2014 hit single “Shake It Off,” as the perfect encapsulation for this category.

As she wrapped up her speech, Taylor reflected on her writing process for “All Too Well.” She remembered trimming the song down to the appropriate time limit, never believing that in 10 years the song would resurface in its fullest version to the masses. 

She ends her acceptance speech with a performance of “All Too Well,” returning to her roots as a one-woman show, singing with her acoustic white guitar to a loving fan base.

Many of us have experienced Taylor Swift’s music during a defining moment in our lives, whether it be love, heartbreak, betrayal, or loss. But one thing is certain, her music has been able to narrate the universal experiences of her fans, making them feel understood and heard.

Fans can rest assured that Swift’s music career doesn’t end here. Her next album Midnights will be released on October 21. But if you think you have to wait a month before getting the new album, look no further than Taylor Swift’s new TikTok series: Midnights Mayhem With Me. Every couple of weeks, she will reveal a track from Midnights to her fans. She does this by spinning a bingo cage and picking a randomly numbered ping-pong ball. So far, she has revealed her thirteenth track “Mastermind” and her eighth track “Vigilante Sh*t.” Last night Swift had the pleasure of revealing her seventh song, “Question…?” You can pre-order the long-awaited album here.

Fans can stay tuned to Midnights updates on Taylor Swift’s TikTok and Twitter. Fans can also watch Taylor’s NSAI acceptance speech down below.

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