00:00With 12 No. 1s on the Hot 100 chart, 14 No. 1s on the Billboard 200, and 14 Grammy Awards,
00:06Billboard staff has named Taylor Swift as No. 2 on our Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century Countdown.
00:18Taylor started out making country music inspired by Shania Twain, Leigh-Anne Rimes, The Chicks,
00:23and had a successful start with several Top 40 hits like Our Song, Should've Said No, and Picture the Bird.
00:29Her second album, Fearless, became Taylor's first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and ruled the No. 1 spot for 11 weeks.
00:36She earned her first Top 5 hits during this era with You Belong With Me and Love Story.
00:46Fearless won Taylor her first Grammy for Album of the Year. Her third album, Speak Now, earned her her second No. 1 album.
00:53Her fourth album, Red, produced Taylor's first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,
01:00and showed that Taylor was ready to experiment with her sound.
01:12The album became her third consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and gained a second life when Taylor's version was released in 2021.
01:20But Taylor Swift's fifth album, 1989, changed everything.
01:31Establishing her as the biggest force in pop music.
01:341989 gave a style, wildest dreams, and three No. 1 hits with Shake It Off, Blank Space, and her collab with Kendrick Lamar, Bad Blood.
01:431989 earned Taylor her fourth consecutive No. 1 album and it topped the chart for 11 weeks,
01:48helping her snatch a second Album of the Year Grammy.
01:51And although 1989 put Taylor on top, the spotlight sparked public backlash.
02:03Following a social media feud with Kim and Kanye over the lyrics in Famous.
02:12Taylor took a break from music before responding with her sixth album, Reputation.
02:17Earning her fifth consecutive No. 1 album and another No. 1 song in Look What You Made Me Do.
02:22Her seventh album, Lover, became her sixth No. 1 album and yet another No. 1 song in 2023 with Kewl Summer in Aera's tour Favorite.
02:36When COVID hit, Taylor went to work and surprised Swifties when she dropped her eighth studio album, Folklore, in July 2020.
02:44The album was a departure from her pop sound and featured a more folk vibe.
02:48Folklore quickly became one of Taylor's most critically acclaimed albums. In fact, Billboard staff named it the best album of 2020.
02:55Folklore earned Taylor her seventh No. 1 album and another No. 1 song with Cardigan.
03:00And Folklore earned her a third Grammy for Album of the Year, making Taylor the first woman to win the award three times.
03:06Taylor quickly followed up Folklore with her ninth album, Evermore, in December of 2020.
03:11It became Taylor's eighth No. 1 album. Taylor shocked Swifties again when she announced her tenth album, Midnightz, at the 2022 VMAs.
03:19Midnightz became Taylor's seventh No. 1 album and the lead single, Antihero, became her longest-running No. 1 on the Hot 100 at eight weeks.
03:33Midnightz helped Taylor win her fourth Grammy for Album of the Year, making her the first artist to win the category four times.
03:40Since then, Taylor has released a couple more Taylor's version albums and has been captivating the world with the Eras Tour.
03:46Plus, her latest album, The Torture Poets Department. The lead single, Fortnite, became Taylor's twelfth No. 1 on the Hot 100.
03:53And The Torture Poets Department has become Taylor's longest-running No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 at 15 weeks.
04:00We know the Swifties are still waiting for two more re-recorded albums. And we can't wait till we get to hear more from Taylor.
04:07Who will be our No. 1? Tune in next Tuesday when we reveal the greatest pop star of the 21st century.
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