Taylor Swift singing her first song 'Lucky You' aged 13, before anyone knew her name

30 May 2025, 15:50

Unearthed early footage of Taylor Swift from 2002 shows the makings of a global superstar.

Taylor Swift was once just a 13-year-old with a guitar and a dream.

Before the stadium tours, Grammy wins, and chart-topping albums, the young starlet was an aspiring songwriter living with her family in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.

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Growing up on a Christmas tree farm, Taylor found music through her grandmother Marjorie Finlay, who was an opera singer, leading the youngster to became fascinated with music and performance.

The first step on Taylor's music journey came in the form of a song called 'Lucky You', written in her bedroom after the fateful moment a visiting computer repairman taught her three chords on a guitar.

The song marked the beginning of one of the most influential songwriting careers in modern music.

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Asked about the first song she wrote, Taylor replied: "A song called ‘Lucky You’, when I was 12,” in a 2008 interview with Philadelphia Magazine.

“There’s a terrible recording of it that leaked on the Internet. I sound like a chipmunk.”

taylor swift at 13 singing her first song

Ambition from a young age, at nine-years-old Taylor began performing in local theatre productions, and aged 10 she was singing at karaoke contests, festivals, and fairs.

Around that time, Taylor also started making regular trips to Nashville, the heart of country music, with demo CDs in hand.

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Once she began writing, she didn’t stop. She filled notebook after notebook with lyrics and poems. Her parents recognized her talent and dedication.

In 2004, the family made the decision to relocate to Hendersonville, Tennessee, near Nashville, to give Taylor a better chance of pursuing music professionally.

There, she began working with veteran Nashville songwriters like Liz Rose, and at just 14, she signed a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV, making her the youngest signing in their history at the time.

In 2006, she was signed by Scott Borchetta as the first artist on his newly founded label, Big Machine Records. Her debut single 'Tim McGraw' would follow, marking the start of a career that would redefine the music industry over the next two decades.

From that first song in her bedroom to global superstardom, Taylor Swift has since evolved into one of the most successful and influential artists of her generation.

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With over a dozen Grammy Awards, record-breaking albums, and a cultural impact that transcends music, she has built a career defined by reinvention, lyrical storytelling, and fierce independence.

Though she rarely mentions 'Lucky You' in recent interviews, fans still seek it out — proof of how early her talents emerged.

But it all began with a 12-year-old girl, a guitar, and a song called 'Lucky You.'

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