Ameican pop music star and songwriter Taylor Swift is reportedly engaged to Joe Alwyn, her long time boyfriend, a British actor most known for his role in ‘The Favourite.’ The pair have been dating for five years, and on 30 June, The Sun reported that the pair have been secretly engaged for a few months, with Taylor only wearing her engagement ring “behind closed doors.”
“Taylor and Joe are incredibly happy”
On July 1, Cosmopolitan UK quoted a source reportedly close to Joe that said: “Taylor and Joe are incredibly happy, and very, very in love. They’ve actually been engaged for a few months but have only told their inner-inner circle — basically immediate family, and trusted, very old friends. Everyone has been sworn to secrecy, too.
“Taylor has a beautiful ring but she only wears it when she’s at home — ie behind closed doors. Again, only a handful of people know details about the wedding and Taylor hasn’t even told some of her team about the engagement.”
The source continued, “They want their love to stay away from the cameras as much as possible. This is just for them. And if and when they do exchange vows, there most definitely won’t be any Vogue, Rolling Stone or Hello! magazines there. It will be simple and elegant — like them.”
According to the Cosmopolitan UK, Taylor has been romantically linked to Joe Alwyn since 2016 but they’ve since kept their relationship very private. In November 2020, she discussed their relationship with Rolling Stone, saying, “I think that in knowing him and being in the relationship I am in now, I have definitely made decisions that have made my life feel more like a real life and less like just a storyline to be commented on in tabloids.”
In April 2022, Joe Alwyn also opened up about engagement rumours, telling The Wall Street Journal, “If I had a pound for every time I think I’ve been told I’ve been engaged, then I’d have a lot of pound coins,” adding “I mean, the truth is, if the answer was yes, I wouldn’t say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn’t say.”
After starting their relationship, Alwyn co-wrote songs on Swift’s albums ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore.’ But Taylor and Joe have yet to publicly confirm or deny the reports.
Background
Taylor Swift, in full Taylor Alison Swift, was born on December 13, 1989 in West Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. She is a daughter of Scott Swift and Andrea Swift, and her sister is Austin Swift.
She first showed an interest in music at an early age. She started from children’s theatre, and after that, she progressed quickly to her first appearance before a crowd of thousands. She was age 11 when she sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game. The following year she picked up the guitar and began to write songs. Her inspiration came from country music artists such as Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks.
According to the facts in Encyclopaedia Britannica, a development deal with RCA Records allowed Swift to make the acquaintance of recording-industry veterans. In 2004, at age 14, she signed with Sony/ATV as a songwriter. At venues in the Nashville area, she performed many of the songs she had written, and it was at one such performance that she was noticed by record executive Scott Borchetta. Borchetta signed Swift to his fledgling Big Machine label, and her first single, “Tim McGraw” (inspired by and prominently referencing a song by Swift’s favourite country artist), was released in the summer of 2006.
The song “Tim McGraw” was an immediate success which spent eight months on the Billboard country singles chart. At 16, she followed with a self-titled debut album, and then went on tour, opening for Rascal Flatts. In 2007, she was certified platinum, and sold more than one million copies in the United States. Thereafter, she began a rigorous touring schedule, opening for artists such as George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill. Swift received the Horizon Award for best new artist from the Country Music Association (CMA) in November 2007, and in that year she emerged as country music’s most-visible young star.
In this way, Swift’s tales of young heartache achieved widespread success in the early 21st century.
Awards
Swift has won 11 Grammys and received 42 nominations. She won her first album of the year trophy at the age of 20, and it was for the album ‘Fearless’. With that, she became the youngest winner of this award in history. In 2021, she was the first woman to win album of the year three times with ‘folklore.’ And its sister record ‘evermore’ is nominated for album of the year at the 64th annual Grammy Awards.
Among her music awards and honours include: Grammy Award (2021), Grammy Award (2011), Grammy Award (2009), Emmy Award (2015), Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media - Original Interactive Program Grammy Award (2021), Album of the Year Grammy Award (2016), Album of the Year Grammy Award (2016), Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy Award (2016), Best Music Video Grammy Award (2013), Best Song Written for Visual Media Grammy Award (2012), Best Country Solo Performance Grammy Award (2012), Best Country Song Grammy Award (2010), Album of the Year Grammy Award (2010), Best Female Country Vocal Performance Grammy Award (2010), Best Country Song Grammy Award (2010), and Best Country Album.
Top songs
Taylor Swift made her Billboard debut with her first single, “Tim McGraw,” from her 2006 self-titled album. The song remained on the charts for 20 weeks.
The top-performing songs of her that dominated the charts include “Look What You Made Me Do,” “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space,” “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” “Bad Blood,” “1989,” “Fearless,” “Lover,” “Red,” “Tim McGraw,” and “folklore.” Recent hits such as “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” “Cardigan,” and “Willow” have also topped the Billboard Hot 100.
Recent releases
Taylor Swift’s most recent release is “This Love” (Taylor’s Version) which was released at midnight on May 6. In November 2021, she dropped her eight studio album “The Storm”. It was released by Republic Records through digital download, CD, cassette and vinyl. The album debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, coming in at #2 with 90,000 total copies sold in its first week. The album was also certified Platinum on February 24th, 2022, by RIAA.
In 2019, she launched her seventh album “Lover”, which she described as “a love letter to love itself.” That year she also appeared in the musical Cats, a film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hugely successful stage production.
“Miss Americana” (2020) is a documentary about her life and career. Swift’s eighth studio album drew praise for its introspection and restraint, and it won the Grammy for album of the year.