Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her narrative songwriting, which is often inspired by her personal life, has received widespread media coverage and critical praise.
Born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Swift relocated to Nashville, Tennessee in 2004 to pursue a career in country music. She broke into the country music scene with her eponymous self-titled debut studio album, "Taylor Swift" in 2006, which included the singles "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "Our Song".
The fifteenth track of Tay’s sophomore album is about her path into the spotlight. At age sixteen, she was signed to the emerging Big Machine Records, which was the smallest record label in Nashville. There were only about a dozen employees, and she was the only artist. Despite the unpromising situation, she trusted that the label would eventually rise.
After writing the beginning of it, she let the track rest for a while, waiting for a significant moment in her life that could conclude it. That moment came in 2007 when she won the Horizon Award at the CMAs. After looking out into the audience and seeing her manager Scott Borchetta, crying, she felt like she could finally finish the song, and did so the following day.
"That’s when I finished it, because I knew I couldn’t finish it until something like that happened. It was absolutely the most amazing night of my life, getting to see the emotion of all the people who worked so hard for me."
