Outside of her incredible music career, Taylor Swift is known for her close-knit support system of friends and family. The 12-time Grammy winner’s friend circle includes stars like Blake Lively and Selena Gomez, but they aren’t the only ones that have been cheering for Swift throughout her musical journey. Since she was a child, the “Anti-Hero” singer’s parents, Scott and Andrea Swift, encouraged her love for music and pushed her to pursue her dreams of singing professionally.
“She was always singing music when she was 3, 5, 6, 7 years old,” Scott revealed to the University of Delaware’s UDaily. “It’s Taylor doing what she likes to do.”
According to People, Scott and Andrea married in Harris, TX, on Feb. 20, 1988, and welcomed Taylor into the world on Dec. 13, 1989. Along with her younger brother, Austin (born 1992), Swift was raised in a home on a Christmas Tree farm in Wyomissing, PA. “It was such a weird place to grow up. But it has cemented in me this unnatural level of excitement about fall and then the holiday season,” Swift previously explained to Esquire in 2014.
During that time, Swift took an interest in songwriting, and after landing an artist development deal with RCA, the Swift family moved from Pennsylvania to Hendersonville, TN, in hopes that she would make it big one day, and she did. “I never wanted to make that move about her ‘making it,”‘ Andrea previously explained to Entertainment Weekly (via E! News). “Because what a horrible thing if it hadn’t happened, for her to carry that kind of guilt or pressure around . . . We’ve always told her that this is not about putting food on our table or making our dreams come true.”
At 14 years old, Swift signed a record deal with Sony, and in 2006, she released her self-titled debut album that featured tracks like “Teardrops on My Guitar,” and “Our Song,” which helped propel her into the country music world. From there, Swift’s sound has transformed over the years from pop to folk, and she has continued to have the support of her parents through every music phase.
Keep reading to learn more about the “Karma” singer’s parents, Scott and Andrea!