Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Swift moved toNashville, Tennessee at the age of fourteen to pursue a career in country music. She signed to the independent label Big Machine Recordsand became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. The release of Swift's eponymous debut albumin 2006 established her as a country music star. "Our Song", her third single, made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number one song on the country chart. She received a Best New Artist nomination at the 2008 Grammy Awards.
Swift's third album, 2010's Speak Now, sold over one million copies in its first week of US release and was supported by the Speak Now World Tour. The album's third single, "Mean", performed on a Deering Boston 6-String Acoustic/Electric banjo, won two Grammy Awards.