Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi (lahir di Urbino, Italia, 16 Februari 1979; umur 32 tahun) adalah seorang pembalap di kejuaraan grandprix motor dunia setelah era Michael Doohan, dengan titel juara dunia di empat kelas yang berbeda yang diraihnya dalam waktu tujuh tahun berkarier.Ia adalah salah seorang pembalap tersukses sepanjang masa, dengan 9 gelar Juara Dunia. Menurut majalah olah raga terbitan Amerika, Sports Ilustrated, Rossi adalah salah satu olahragawan bergaji terbesar di duunia, ia diperkirakan digaji $34 juta pada 2007. Putra dari mantan pembalap GP 250 cc Graziano Rossi dan Stefania Palma ini memegang banyak rekor dan prestasi yang diraihnya melampaui banyak seniornya. Total pembalap eksentrik ini membukukan 9 gelar juara dunia, sekali di kelas 125cc, sekali di kelas 250cc, dan tujuh kali di kelas puncak, 500cc dan MotoGP.

Setelah ayahnya, Graziano Rossi, Rossi memulai balapan di Grand Prix pada 1996 untuk Aprilia di antara 125 cc kategori dan memenangkan Kejuaraan Dunia pertama tahun berikutnya. Dari sana, ia pindah ke kategori 250cc dengan Aprilia dan memenangkan 250cc Kejuaraan Dunia pada tahun 1999. Ia memenangkan Kejuaraan Dunia 500cc dengan Honda pada tahun 2001, Kejuaraan Dunia MotoGP (juga dengan Honda) pada tahun 2002 dan 2003, dan melanjutkan kemenangan beruntunnya dengan memenangkan kejuaraan dunia 2004 dan 2005, setelah meninggalkan Honda untuk bergabung dengan Yamaha, sebelum merebut kembali gelar pada 2008 dan mempertahankannya di tahun 2009.

Rossi adalah yang pertama dalam klasemen terbanyak memenangkan perlombaan dalam sejarah 500 cc / MotoGP, dengan 77 kemenangan, dan kedua di sepanjang masa menang klasemen keseluruhan dengan 103 menang balapan (di belakang Giacomo Agostini dengan 122). Rossi, bersama Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR), Michael Schumacher (F1) dan Sebastien Loeb (WRC), juga banyak disebut orang sebagai salah satu legenda olahraga otomotif di awal Abad 21.

Lahir untuk balap

Rossi memang dilahirkan untuk menjadi pembalap, Ia tumbuh dilingkungan yang sangat mendukung kariernya. Ayahnya, Graziano Rossi adalah seorang pembalap besar dimasa ’70-an. Otomatis ia besar dilingkungan yang kental atmosfer balap. Ketika anak-anak seusianya asyik dengan mainannya, Rossi bermain dengan motor balap sungguhan di tengah paddock pembalap ternama Luca Cadalora ataupun Loris Reggiani.

Entertainer

Saat pertama bergabung di GP 500cc bersama tim bekas Doohan, yang dikepalai oleh seorang mekanik handal Australia bernama Jerremy Burgess, suasana paddock sangat terpengaruh perangai Doohan yang temperamental. Semua mekanik dan staff tim tampak serius dan cenderung penuh tekanan. Suasana ini buat Rossi sungguh tak masuk akal, menurutnya ia tak bisa membayangkan membalap tanpa merasa fun, kemudian waktu ia mulai menang, ia bertekad untuk merayakan besar-besaran, menurutnya ia cuma ingin melakukan sesuatu yang baru, menunjukkan emosi memenangkan balap.

Sejak saat itulah, pesta kemenangan jadi ciri khasnya. Tak hanya bersama teman, juga ribuan pendukungnya yang memadati sirkuit. Dengan aksi-aksinya, Rossi bagaikan magnet yang menarik orang untuk menonton GP. Para pecinta GP tentu masih ingat akan aksinya memboncengkan fansnya yang berkostum ayam berkeliling sirkuit, aksinya memboncengkan fans yang berpakaian dokter, ia juga pernah membonceng angka satu raksasa sebagai simbol juara dunia, juga aksi wheelie dan burnout nya yang sudah tak terhitung setiap memperoleh kemenangan. Ia juga kerap memberikan kneepad atau topi nya kepada fansnya dengan melemparnya saat berada di podium. “Valentino itu petarung hebat. Tetapi ia juga tahu kalau kita berada ditengah bisnis hiburan. Jadi ia juga suka menghibur,” kata Burgess.

Julukan Rossi

Dalam perjalanan balapnya rossi, kerap berganti julukan dan melakukan hal-hal yang menarik perhatian dan menghibur. Ia beralasan bahwa semuanya itu dilakukan dimulai dengan niat bersenang-senang dan melakukan sesuatu yang lucu.

Rossifumi Julukan Rossi yang diciptakan oleh temannya saat Rossi membalap di kelas 125cc julukan ini tercipta karena Rossi kagum dengan pembalap Jepang yang khas dengan rambut panjangnya, Norick Abe yang saat itu berumur 17 tahun dan dengan gigih bertarung dengan Michael Doohan dan Kevin Scwantz dikelas 500cc, karena nama asli pembalap Jepang itu Norifumi Abe maka Rossi dijuluki Rossifumi.Tahun 2004 Rossi dan Abe sama-sama membela Yamaha berada dalam beda tim namun satu grafis,yaitu dominasi warna biru.Rossi berada di tim Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team sedangkan Abe bernaung di Fortuna Gauloises Tech 3 Yamaha Team.

Valentinik Julukan ini berasal dari tokoh kartun Daffy Duck yang menjadi superhero yang di Italia bernama Paperinik. Julukan ini dipakainya pada saat membalap di kelas 250cc.

The Doctor Setelah naik ke kelas 500cc pada musim 2000 Rossi menjuluki dirinya dengan The Doctor karena membalap di kelas 500cc butuh keseriusan dan ia merasa dirinya bukan anak kecil lagi, selain itu ia juga menyukai ide sebagi illmuwan gila dan melakukan eksperimen gila, ia menganggap pantas memakai julukan itu setelah mendapatkan prestasi sebagai juara dunia.”Di balap 500cc kita tidak butuh superhero. Yang kita perlukan cuma tenang, kalem, dan pemikir seperti dokter,”ucapnya. Disamping itu, nama Valentino di Italia kebanyakan digunakan oleh para dokter. Ia juga mulai mengurangi perayaan kemenangan yang dianggapnya sudah tak pantas ia lakukan. “Cukup dengan melambai seperti pembalap lain, lalu malamnya pesta habis-habisan bareng sahabat-sahabat saya.”

Pindah ke Yamaha

Pada akhir musim 2003 menjelang musim 2004 Valentino Rossi membuat keputusan yang mengejutkan. Ia memutuskan hijrah dari tim yang dibelanya waktu itu yaitu tim pabrikan Honda, Repsol Honda HRC yang telah mengantarkan dirinya meraih juara dunia 2002 dan 2003 serta membawa Doohan merebut juara dunia 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 juga Alex Criville menjadi juara dunia 1999. Rossi memutuskan meninggalkan tim super tersebut dan memilih bergabung bersama tim Yamaha, yang terakhir meraih juara dunia pada tahun 1992 melalui pembalap Wayne Rainey. Rossi tidak pindah ke tim Yamaha sendirian, ia juga membawa Jerremy Burgess, kepala mekaniknya yang dahulu juga menangani Doohan dan Criville. Mereka melakukan serangkaian tes membenahi teknologi motor Yamaha YZR M1 milik Rossi agar mampu menandingi motor terkuat di MotoGP saat itu, RC211V milik Honda.

Mengenai kepindahannya ini, banyak yang tak mengira dan pesimis ia akan mampu mempertahankan gelar juaranya. Salah satu pernyataan pesimis datang dari Max Biaggi, musuh bebuyutannya mengatakan, “Aku tak menyangka ia pindah ke Yamaha, tapi bagaimanapun juga akan sulit mengalahkan Honda. Bahkan Rossi sendiri kurang optimis ia mampu mempertahankan juara dunianya. “Kami membutuhkan waktu untuk tampil kompetitif, untuk menang pada musim pertama bersama Yamaha jelas sangat sulit”. Tapi ia mementahkan semua pandangan pesimis tersebut. Bahkan pada seri pertama musim 2004 di GP Welkom, Afrika Selatan ia mengalahkan Max Biaggi yang mengendari motor Honda, meskipun dengan perlawanan yang sangat ketat, dengan motor Yamaha, yang terakhir naik podium tahun 1992. Bahkan pada tahun 2004 dan 2005 Rossi menjadi juara dunia bersama Yamaha dan menjadi pembalap Yamaha pertama yang paling banyak juara dalam satu musim (Rossi juara 9 kali pada musim 2005).

Kehidupan Pribadi

Hobi

Rossi mencoba untuk menjaga kehidupan pribadinya dari mata publik sebanyak mungkin, meskipun ia tidak membuat rahasia tentang kesukaannya pada klub sepak bola Italia Inter Milan. Rossi sering menonton langsung pertandingan Inter Milan dengan duduk bersama para pemain cadangan mereka. Rossi dikenal berteman dekat dengan pemain Inter Milan Marco Materazzi dan Balotelli, Bahkan sesaat setelah memenangi Grandprix Jerman 2006 Rossi merayakan dengan memakai kaos sepak bola Italia bernomor 23 milik Materazzi. Setelah Rossi memenangkan gelar Dunia yang kesembilan pada bulan Oktober 2009, Inter Milan mengucapkan selamat kepada Rossi pada website resmi mereka. Rossi juga seorang kidal.

Hewan Peliharaan

Anjing peliharaan Rossi yang terkenal bernama Guido, bulldog Inggris yang telah sejak tahun 2000 dimilikinya. Setelah Rossi sering berkeliling dunia Guido tidak bisa tinggal di London dan tinggal bersama ibu Rossi di Tavullia. Rossi hanya bisa melihat anjing saat mengunjungi Ibunya. Guido yang gambarnya telah menjadi maskot pada jok motor dan helm Rossi, meninggal setelah GP Australia 2008, dan untuk memberi penghargaan, Rossi merancang stiker khusus bergambar Guido dengan sepasang sayap malaikat surgawi sedang mengambang di awan. Guido telah beberapa kali tampil lain pada motor Rossi. Ketika tertinggal 32 poin di kejuaraan tahun 2006, Guido berpakaian dengan setelan Inuit. Guido juga mengenakan baju tahanan selama tes pra musim.

Kematian Guido telah menarik begitu banyak perhatian seperti yang disebutkan di koran olahraga Italia yang paling bergengsi Gazzetta dello Sport. Sang Anjing bahkan membintangi Quarantasei, sebuah novel grafis yang dihasilkan oleh Milo Manara berisi fiksi tentang petualangan Valentino Rossi dan akhirnya meraih kejayaan dalam balap motor.

Sejak kematian Guido, Rossi kini memiliki dua anjing baru (satu jantan dan satu betina), anjing baru tersebut diberi nama Cesare dan Cecilia. Selama GP Misano tahun 2009, tepat setelah Rossi melakukan kesalahan di Indianapolis, kedua anjing itu mengenakan telinga keledai pada helm Valentino.

Rekor

Seluruh rekor diperbaharui sampai 14 April, 2010

Rekor 500 cc/MotoGP: Rossi adalah

• Pertama juara seri terbanyak sepanjang sejarah dengan 78 kemenangan.
• Pertama naik podium terbanyak sepanjang sejarah dengan 129 podium.
• Pertama naik podium terbanyak dalam satu musim dengan 16 podium di 2003, 2005 dan 2008.
• Pertama fastest lap terbanyak dalam satu musim dengan 12 fastest lap di 2003.
• Pertama poin terbanyak dalam satu musim dengan 373 point di 2008.
• Pertama podium secara berurutan dengan 23 podium berurutan, dari GP Portugal 2002 sampai GP Afrika Selatan 2004.
• Kedua di kejuaraan dunia berturut-turut menang dengan 5 kali berturut-turut di kejuaraan dunia 2001-2005 bersama dengan Michael Doohan dengan 5 gelar juara dunia berturut-turut pada 1994-1998, di belakang Giacomo Agostini dengan 7 kali berturut-turut di kejuaraan dunia 1966-1972.
• Kedua sepanjang sejarah dengan 7 gelar juara dunia, dibelakang Giacomo Agostini dengan 8 gelar juara dunia.
• Kedua sepanjang sejarah posisi pole terbanyak dengan 48 pole, di belakang Michael Doohan dengan 58.
• Kedua di klasemen sepanjang sejarah waktu lap tercepat balapan dengan 63 lap tercepat, di belakang Giacomo Agostini dengan 69.
• Kedua terbanyak memenangkan lomba dalam satu musim dengan 11 kemenangan pada tahun 2001, 2002 dan 2005 bersama dengan Giacomo Agostini, di belakang Michael Doohan dengan 12 kemenangan pada tahun 1997.
• Ketiga terbanyak posisi pole dalam satu musim dengan 9 kali posisi start terdepan pada tahun 2003 bersama dengan Casey Stoner dan Kevin Schwantz, di belakang Michael Doohan dengan 12 posisi pole pada tahun 1997, Wayne Gardner dan Freddie Spencer dengan masing-masing 10 posisi pole pada tahun 1987 dan 1985.

Green Day

Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool. Cool replaced former drummer John Kiffmeyer in 1990, prior to the recording of the band's second studio album, Kerplunk, and has been a member of the band since.

Green Day was originally part of the punk scene at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. The band's early releases for the independent record label Lookout! Records earned it a grassroots fanbase. In 1994, its major label debut Dookie became a breakout success and eventually sold over 10 million copies in the U.S.NOFX, with popularizing and reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States. Green Day's three follow-up albums, Insomniac, Nimrod, and Warning did not achieve the massive success of Dookie, though they were still successful, reaching double platinum and gold status respectively. Their 2004 rock opera American Idiot reignited the band's popularity with a younger generation, selling five million copies in the U.S. The band's eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, was released in 2009. Green Day was widely credited, alongside fellow California punk bands The Offspring, Rancid, and

Green Day has sold over 65 million records worldwide and 24.639 million in the US alone. They have won four Grammy Awards: Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot, Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", and Best Rock Album for the second time for 21st Century Breakdown. In 2010, a stage adaptation of American Idiot debuted on Broadway. The musical has been nominated for several Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Scenic Design, and has received generally positive reviews.

Band History

Formation And Lookout Years : 1987 - 1993

In 1987, friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt, 15 years old at the time, formed a band called Sweet Children. Its first live performance took place on October 17, 1987 at Rod's Hickory Pit in Vallejo, California where Armstrong's mother was working. In 1988, Armstrong and Dirnt began working with Sean Hughes and the former Isocracy drummer John Kiffmeyer, also known as Al Sobrante. Kiffmeyer served as both the band's drummer and business manager, handling the booking of performances and helping the band establish a fan base, and Sean Hughes served as the band's bassist. As said in the film Punk's Not Dead, Armstrong cites the band Operation Ivy (which featured Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman of Rancid) as a major influence, and a band that drove him to form a band.

After Hughes left Green Day in 1988, Larry Livermore, owner of Lookout! Records, saw the band play an early show and signed them to his label. In 1989, they recorded their first extended play, 1,000 Hours. Before 1,000 Hours was released, the band dropped the name Sweet Children; according to Livermore, this was done to avoid confusion with another local band Sweet Baby. The band adopted the name Green Day, allegedly due to their fondness of marijuana.

Lookout! would release Green Day's debut album, 39/Smooth in early 1990. Green Day would record two EPs later that year, Slappy and Sweet Children, the latter of which included older songs that the band had recorded for the Minneapolis independent record label Skene! Records. In 1991, Lookout! Records released 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, a compilation of the 39/Smooth, Slappy, and 1,000 Hours The Lookouts drummer Tre Cool began filling in as a temporary replacement, and when it became clear that Sobrante did not plan to commit to the band full time, Cool's position as Green Day's drummer became permanent. The band went on tour for most of 1992 and 1993, and played a number of shows overseas in Europe. The band's second studio album Kerplunk sold 50,000 copies in the U.S. EPs. In late 1990, shortly after the band's first nationwide tour, Sobrante left the East Bay area to attend college.

Breakthrough success: 1994–1996

Kerplunk's underground success led to a number of major record labels being interested in signing the band, and the band eventually left Lookout! on friendly terms and signed to Reprise Records after attracting the attention of producer Rob Cavallo. The band was impressed by his work with fellow Californian band The Muffs, and later remarked that Cavallo "was the only person we could really talk to and connect with".sellouts. Reflecting on the period, Armstrong told Spin magazine in 1999, "I couldn't go back to the punk scene, whether we were the biggest success in the world or the biggest failure ... The only thing I could do was get on my bike and go forward^"Dookie. Signing to Reprise caused many punk rock fans to regard Green Day as After signing with Reprise, the band went to work on recording its major label debut,

Recorded in three weeks, and released in February 1994, Dookie became a commercial success, helped by extensive MTV airplay for the videos of the songs "Longview", "Basket Case", and "When I Come Around", all of which reached the number one position on the Modern Rock Tracks charts. That year, Green Day embarked on a nationwide tour with queercore band Pansy Division as its opening act. At a September 9, 1994 performance at Boston Esplanade, mayhem broke-out during the band's set (cut short to seven songs) and by the end of the rampage, 100 people were injured and 45 arrested. The band also joined the lineups of both the Lollapalooza festival and Woodstock 1994, where they started an infamous mud fight. During the concert, a security guard mistook bassist Mike Dirnt for a stage-invading fan and punched out some of his teeth. Viewed by millions by pay-per-view television, the Woodstock 1994 performance further aided Green Day's growing publicity and recognition, and helped push its album to eventual diamond status. In 1995, Dookie won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album and the band was nominated for nine MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year.

In 1995, a new single for the Angus soundtrack was released, entitled "J.A.R.". The single debuted at number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was followed by the band's fourth studio album, Insomniac, which was released in the fall of 1995. Insomniac was a much darker and heavier response to the band's newfound popularity, compared to the more melodic Dookie. The album opened to a warm cri

tical reception, earning 4 out of 5 stars from Rolling Stone, which said "In punk, the good stuff actually unfolds and gains meaning as you listen without sacrificing any of its electric, haywire immediacy. And Green Day are as good as this stuff gets." The singles released from Insomniac were "Geek Stink Breath", "Stuck with Me", "Brain Stew/Jaded", and "Walking Contradiction". Though the album did not approach the success of Dookie, it sold two million copies in the United States. In addition, the album won the band award nominations for Favorite Artist, Favorite Hard Rock Artist, and Favorite Alternative Artist at the 1996 American Music Awards, and the video for "Walking Contradiction" got the band a Grammy nomination for Best Video, Short Form, in addition to a Best Special Effects nomination at the MTV Video Music Awards. After that, the band abruptly cancelled a European tour, citing exhaustion.

Middle years and decline in popularity: 1997–2002

After a brief hiatus in 1996, Green Day began to work on a new album in 1997. From the outset, both the band and Cavallo agreed that the album had to be different from its previous albums. The result was Nimrod, an experimental deviation from the band's standard pop-punk brand of music. The new album was released in October 1997. It provided a variety of music, from pop-punk, surf rock, and ska, to an acoustic ballad. Nimrod entered the charts at number 10. The success of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" won the band an MTV Video Award for Best Alternative Video for the song's video, which depicted people undergoing major changes in their lives while Armstrong strummed his acoustic guitar. The song was also used in the second "clip show" episode of Seinfeld and on two episodes of ER. The other singles released from NimrodNice Guys Finish Last", "Hitchin' a Ride" and "Redundant". The band made a guest appearance in an episode of King of the Hill entitled "The Man Who Shot Cane Skretteberg", which aired in 1997. In late 1997 and most of 1998, Green Day embarked on a tour in support of Nimrod. were "

In 2000, Green Day released its sixth studio album Warning, a step further in the style that they had hinted at with Nimrod. In support of the album, the band participated in the Warped Tour in 2000. The band also had an independent tour to support the album in 2001. Critics' reviews of the album were varied. Allmusic gave it 4.5/5 saying "Warning may not be an innovative record per se, but it's tremendously satisfying." Rolling Stone was more critical, giving it 3/5, and saying "Warning... invites the question: Who wants to listen to songs of faith, hope and social commentary from what used to be snot-core's biggest-selling band?"^. Though it produced the hit "Minority" and a smaller hit with "Warning", some observers were coming to the conclusion that the band was losing relevance, and a decline in popularity followed. While all of Green Day's previous albums had reached a status of at least double platinum, Warning was only certified gold.

At the 2001 California Music Awards, Green Day won all eight awards that they were nominated for. They won the awards for Outstanding Album (Warning), Outstanding Punk Rock/Ska Album (Warning), Outstanding Group, Outstanding Male Vocalist, Outstanding Bassist, Outstanding Drummer, Outstanding Songwriter, and Outstanding Artist.

The release of two compilation albums, International Superhits! and Shenanigans, followed Warning. International Superhits and its companion collection of music videos, International Supervideos!, sold well, being certified platinum in the U.S. Shenanigans contained some of the band's b-sides, including "Espionage" which was featured in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

In the spring of 2002, Green Day co-headlined the Pop Disaster Tour with Blink-182. Despite the co-headlining title, Green Day would play each show before Blink-182, who at the time were experiencing more success. The tour was documented on the DVD Riding in Vans with Boys.

American Idiot and renewed success: 2003–2006

In the summer of 2003, the band went into a studio to write and record new material for a new album, tentatively titled Cigarettes and Valentines. After completing 20 tracks, the master recordings were stolen from the studio by an unknown individual. Instead of re-recording the stolen tracks, the band decided to abandon the entire project and start over, considering the material to be unrepresentative of the band's best work. It was then revealed that a band called The Network was signed to Armstrong's record label Adeline Records with little fanfare and information. After the mysterious band released an album called Money Money 2020, it was rumored that The Network was a Green Day side project, due to the similarities in the bands sounds. However, these rumors were never addressed by the band or Adeline Records, except for a statement on the Adeline website discussing an ongoing dispute between the two bands.

Green Day collaborated with Iggy Pop on two tracks for his album Skull Ring in November 2003. On February 1, 2004 a new song, a cover of "I Fought the Law" made its debut on a commercial for iTunesNFL Super Bowl XXXVIII. The band underwent serious "band therapy", engaging in a number of long talks to work out the members' differences after accusations from Dirnt and Cool that Armstrong was "the band's Nazi" and a show-off bent on taking the limelight from the other band members. during

The resulting album, American Idiot (2004), debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, the band's first album to reach number one, backed by the success of the album's first single, "American Idiot". The album was labeled as a "punk rock opera" which follows the journey of the fictitious "Jesus of Suburbia". American Idiot won the 2005 Grammy for "Best Rock Album" and the band swept the 2005 MTV music awards, winning a total of seven of the eight awards they were nominated for, including the Viewer's Choice Award.^[33]

Through 2005, the band toured in support of the album with nearly 150 dates—the longest tour in its career—visiting Japan, Australia, South America and the United Kingdom. While touring for American Idiot, they filmed and recorded the two concerts at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in England, which was voted 'The Best Show On Earth' in a Kerrang! Magazine Poll. These recordings were released as a live CD and DVD called Bullet in a Bible on November 15, 2005. This CD/DVD featured songs from American Idiot as well as a songs from all its previous albums, except Kerplunk and 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours. The DVD featured behind-the-scenes footage of the band, and showed how the band prepared to put on the show. The final shows of its 2005 world tour were in Sydney, Australia, and Melbourne, Australia, on December 14 and 17 respectively. On January 10, 2006 the band was awarded with a People's Choice Award for favorite group.

On August 1, 2005, Green Day announced that it had rescinded the master rights to its pre-Dookie material from Lookout! Records, citing a continuing breach of contract regarding unpaid royalties, a complaint shared with other Lookout! bands. The pre-Dookie material, which remained out of print for about a year, was reissued by the band's current label, Reprise, on January 9, 2007.

In 2006, Green Day won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks, a record it shared along with Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Scar Tissue" and Staind's "It's Been Awhile", (the record has been since been beaten by the Foo Fighters' 2007 song "The Pretender" which was at number one for 18 weeks). which spent 16 weeks at the number one position of

Foxboro Hot Tubs and 21st Century Breakdown: 2007–2009

Green Day engaged in a number of other smaller projects in the time following the success of American Idiot. They released an album under the band name Foxboro Hot Tubs entitled Stop Drop and Roll!!!. In 2008, the Foxboro Hot Tubs went on a mini-tour to promote the record, hitting tiny Bay Area venues including the Stork Club in Oakland and Toot's Tavern in Crockett, CA.

In an interview with Kerrang!, Armstrong revealed that 2008 would "be a fair estimate of the release date of their new untitled eighth studio album for Green Day." In an interview with Carson Daly, Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson revealed that Butch Vig would be producing Green Day's forthcoming album. The span of nearly five years between American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown was the longest gap between studio albums in Green Day's career. The band had been working on new material since January 2006. By October 2007, Armstrong had 45 songs written, but the band showed no further signs of progress until October 2008, when two videos showing the band recorded in the studio with producer Butch Vig were posted on YouTube. The writing and recording process, spanning three years and four recording studios, was finally finished in April 2009.

21st Century Breakdown, was released on May 15, 2009. The album received a mainly positive reception from critics, getting an average rating between 3 and 4 stars. After the release, the album reached number one in fourteen countries, being certified gold or platinum in each. 21st Century Breakdown achieved Green Day's best chart performance to date. The band started playing shows in California in April and early May. It was their first live show in about three years. Green Day went on a world tour that started in North America in July 2009 and continuing around the world throughout the rest of 2009 and early 2010. Wal-Mart refused to carry the album as it contains a Parental Advisory sticker and requested that Green Day release a censored edition. The band members did not wish to change any lyrics on the album and responded by stating, "There's nothing dirty about our record... They want artists to censor their records in order to be carried in there. We just said no. We've never done it before. You feel like you're in 1953 or something."

In 2009, the band met with award-winning director Michael Mayer and many cast and crew members of the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening to create a stage version of the album American Idiot. American Idiot: The Musical opened in the Berkeley Repertory Theatre during the end of 2009. The show features an expanded story of the original album, with new characters such as Will, Extraordinary Girl, and Favorite Son.

American Idiot: The Musical on Broadway and the ninth studio album: 2010–present

On April 20, 2010, American Idiot: The Musical opened on Broadway, and Green Day released the soundtrack to the musical, featuring a new song by Green Day entitled "When It's Time". In June 2010 the UK iTunes Store received the single "When It's Time". During the Spike TV Video Game Awards 2009, it was announced that Green Day was set to have its own Rock Band video game, as a follow-up to the last band specific Rock Band game, The Beatles: Rock Band. The game was released on June 8, 2010. The game features the full albums of Dookie, American Idiot, and 21st Century Breakdown as well as select songs from the rest of Green Day's discography.

Green Day plan on having a follow-up album within the next couple of years, but no specific dates have been stated. They have said that they are writing new material. In an interview with Kerrang! magazine, Armstrong spoke about the possible new album: "We did some demos in Berlin, some in Stockholm, some just outside of Glasgow and some in Amsterdam. We wanted get [the songs] down in some early form." On August 24, 2010, the band posted on their Twitter account that there is a possibility that a new live album will be released soon: "We've been recording our live shows since the beginning of tour. Possible Live album coming. A ton of songs! We're in texas!" On August 28, the band mentioned the live album again at a show in Denver, Colorado. Armstrong told the audience, "Hey, I just want to tell you something right now. We are recording a live fucking album right now", before playing a "new" song called "Cigarettes and Valentines", which was the title track from the unreleased album from 2003. The band also stated that they were recording a live album during the entire tour on the last date of the tour in Mountain View, California, also before playing the song "Cigarettes and Valentines".

In October 2010, Dirnt was interviewed by Radio W, mentioning that they have completed the writing process of the ninth studio album and stating that, "We are always working on songs, when its time and when the music is right we will put it out. I like to think that we have enough material right now to put out a great record, but we want to go back home and make sure that it's perfect for everybody before we put it out." In the interview, Dirnt also mentions that the new live album will "most likely" be released with a live film. Shortly after the interview, there was a live Ustream broadcast with the band, where they announced that they had written 30 songs for the ninth album, and that they have recorded every show (audio and video) for the live album. The live CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray entitled Awesome as Fuck was released on March 22, 2011.

On April 13th, 2011, a film version of American Idiot was confirmed. Michael Mayer, director of the Broadway musical, will be directing the film. It will be produced by Green Day, Pat Magnarella (Green Day's manager who also produced Bullet in a Bible, Awesome As Fuck, and Heart Like a Hand Grenade), Playtone (Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman) and Tom Hulce.

Musical style and influences

Green Day's sound is often compared to first wave punk bands such as the Ramones, The Clash, Sex Pistols, Stiff Little Fingers, The Jam, and the Buzzcocks. While Armstrong is the primary songwriter, he looks to the other band members for organizational help. Billie Joe Armstrong has mentioned that some of his biggest influences are seminal alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü and The Replacements, and that their influence is particularly noted in the band's chord changes in songs. Green Day has covered Hüsker Dü's "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely" as a b-side to the "Warning" single, and the character "Mr. Whirly" in their song "Misery" is a reference to the Replacements song of the same name. Among other influences, Green Day have also cited The Who and power pop pioneers Cheap Trick.

The band has generated controversy over whether the band's musical style and major-label status constitutes as "true punk". In reaction to both the style of music and the background of the band, John Lydon, former front man of the 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols commented:

"So there we are fending off all that and it pisses me off that years later a wank outfit like Green Day hop in and nick all that and attach it to themselves. They didn't earn their wings to do that and if they were true punk they wouldn't look anything like they do."

Armstrong himself has discussed their status of being a punk band on a major label, saying "Sometimes I think we've become totally redundant because we're this big band now, we've made a lot of money – we're not punk rock any more. But then I think about it and just say, 'You can take us out of a punk rock environment, but you can't take the punk rock out of us." English rock musician Noel Gallagher of Oasis also complained about the band semi-jokingly, claiming that they ripped off his song "Wonderwall" with their song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".

Related projects

Since 1991, members of the band have branched out past Green Day and have started other projects with other musicians. Notable related projects of Green Day include Billie Joe Armstrong's Pinhead GunpowderThe Frustrators in which Mike Dirnt plays bass, and The Network, in which all three members of Green Day play under fake stage names. Billie Joe Armstrong has also confirmed that the main members of Green Day are in the band Foxboro Hot Tubs. A Foxboro Hot Tubs album titled Stop Drop and Roll!!! was released on May 20, 2008. (which also features Green Day's live back-up guitarist Jason White),

In September 2006, Green Day collaborated with U2 and producer Rick Rubin to record a cover of the song "The Saints Are Coming", originally recorded by The Skids, with an accompanying video. The song was recorded to benefit Music Rising, an organization to help raise money for musicians' instruments lost during Hurricane Katrina, and to bring awareness on the eve of the one year anniversary of the disaster.

In December 2006, Green Day and NRDC opened a web site in partnership to raise awareness on America's dependency on oil.

Green Day released a cover of the John Lennon song "Working Class Hero", which was featured on the album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. The band performed the song on the season finale of American Idol. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008, though lost to The White Stripes' "Icky Thump". That summer, the band appeared in a cameo role in The Simpsons Movie, where they perform the show's theme song. Their version was released as a single on July 24, 2007.

In 2009, the band collaborated with theatre director Michael Mayer to adapt their rock opera American Idiot into a one-act stage musical that premiered at the Berkeley Rep on September 15, 2009. The show then moved to Broadway on April 20, 2010.

The reviews of American Idiot: The Musical have been positive to mixed. Charles Isherwood of The New York Times wrote an enthusiastic review for the Broadway production. He called the show "a pulsating portrait of wasted youth that invokes all the standard genre conventions ... only to transcend them through the power of its music and the artistry of its execution, the show is as invigorating and ultimately as moving as anything I’ve seen on Broadway this season. Or maybe for a few seasons past." Jed Gottleib of the Boston Herald enjoyed the premise of the show but found that "the music and message suffer in a setting where the audience is politely, soberly seated". Michael Kuchiwara of the Associated Press found the show to be "visually striking [and] musically adventurous", but noted that "the show has the barest wisp of a story and minimal character development". Paul Kolnik in USA Today enjoyed the contradiction that Green Day's "massively popular, starkly disenchanted album ... would be the feel-good musical of the season". TimeAmerican Idiot, despite its earnest huffing and puffing, remains little more than an annotated rock concert. ... Still, [it] deserves at least two cheers – for its irresistible musical energy and for opening fresh vistas for that odd couple, rock and Broadway." Peter Travers from Rolling Stone, in his review of American Idiot, wrote "Though American Idiot carries echoes of such rock musicals as Tommy, Hair, Rent and Spring Awakening, it cuts its own path to the heart. You won’t know what hit you. American Idiot knows no limits—it's a global knockout." magazine's Richard Zoglin opined that the score "is as pure a specimen of contemporary punk rock as Broadway has yet encountered [yet] there's enough variety. ... Where the show fall short is as a fully developed narrative." He concluded that "

The musical has been nominated for a number of Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Scenic Design. It was also nominated for a number of Drama Desk Awards and Outer Critics Circle Awards.

In October 2009, a Green Day art project was exhibited at StolenSpace Gallery in London. The exhibition showed artworks created for each of the songs on 21st Century Breakdown, was supported by the band, and led by their manager Pat Magnarella. He explained in an interview that "[Artists are] basically like rock bands. Most are creating their art, but don't know how to promote it." For Billie Joe Armstrong, "Many of the artists... show their work on the street, and we feel a strong connection to that type of creative expression."

Band Members

Current members

• Billie Joe Armstrong – lead vocals, lead guitar, piano (1987-present)
• Mike Dirnt – bass, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1988-present)
• Tre Cool – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1990-present)

Current touring members

• Jason White – guitars, backing vocals (1999-present)
• Jason Freese – keyboards, piano, saxophone, trombone, backing vocals (2003-present)
• Jeff Matika – rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals (2009-present)

Former members

• Al Sobrante – drums, percussion (1987-1990)
• Sean Hughes – bass (1987-1988)

Former touring members

• Timmy Chunks – guitars (1997-1999)
• Garth Schultz – trombone, trumpet (1997-1999)
• Gabrial McNair – trombone, tenor saxophone (1999-2001)
• Kurt Lohmiller – trumpet, timpani, percussion, backing vocals (1999-2004)
• Mike Pelino – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2004-2005)
• Ronnie Blake – trumpet, timpani, percussion, backing vocals (

Taylor Swift

Taylor Alison Swift (lahir 13 Desember 1989; umur 21 tahun) adalah seorang penyanyi-penulis lagu bergenre musik Country dan aktris berkebangsaan Amerika Serikat. Swift paling dikenal oleh media karena rambut curly emasnya dan mata kucingnya yang berwarna biru.

Pada tahun 2006, ia merilis debut single "Tim McGraw", kemudian debut self-titled album nya, yang mendapatkan penghargaan multi-platinum oleh Asosiasi Industri Rekaman Amerika dan dinominasikan untuk penghargaan Best New Artist di Grammy Awards ke-50. Pada bulan November 2008, Swift merilis album kedua, Fearless, dan membawa Swift meraih empat Grammy Awards, termasuk Album of the Year, di Grammy Awards 52. Fearless dan Taylor Swift sampai pada tahun 2008 masing-masing berada di urutan nomor tiga dan nomor-enam, dengan penjualan sebesar 2,1 dan 1,5 juta. Fearless menduduki puncak Billboard 200 selama 11 minggu non-berturut-turut;. Album tersebut bertengger di No 1 sejak tahun 2000 dalam waktu yang lama.. Swift diberi penghargaan sebagai Artist of the Year oleh Billboard Magazine pada tahun 2009. Swift merilis album ketiga berjudul Speak Now pada tanggal 25 Oktober 2010 yang terjual 1.047.000 kopi dalam minggu pertama. Pada tahun 2008, album yang terjual empat juta kopi gabungan, membuatnya musisi terlaris tahun di Amerika Serikat, menurut Nielsen SoundScan. Forbes peringkat Swift 2009's 69-selebriti yang paling kuat dengan laba $ 18 juta dan 2010's selebriti yang kuat 12-paling dengan penghasilan sebesar $ 45 juta [9] Swift menduduki peringkat Artis 38 terbaik dekade 2000-10 oleh Billboard.. Pada bulan Januari 2010 Nielsen SoundScan Swift terdaftar sebagai negara yang paling sukses secara komersial (atau negara / crossover pop) artis dalam sejarah musik dengan lebih dari 33 juta track digital dijual Pada Maret 2011,. dia telah terjual lebih dari 20 juta album dan 33 juta single di seluruh dunia. Pada tahun 2008, kedua albumnya (Taylor Swift dan Fearless) telah terjual dengan kombinasi sebanyak lima juta kopi, dan merupakan yang tertinggi untuk seluruh artis pada tahun 2008 di US. Di Januari 2010, Nielsen Soundscan mengumumkan bahwa Swift adalah "Top-Selling Digital Music Artist in History" atau artis dengan penjualan musik digital terbesar, sebanyak 24,9 juta hanya dalam bentuk digital. . Sejauh ini, ia sudah menjual rekaman sebanyak 15 juta kopi diseluruh dunia. Ia telah membintangi sejumlah serial TV dan menjadi model beberapa video klip, serta menjadi cameo dibeberapa film. Ia memulai debut karier aktingnya difilm Valentine's Day dengan peran Felicia. Album ketiganya yang berjudul Speak Now, mendapatkan review yang sangat positif dari para kritikus dan terjual lebih dari satu juta kopi dalam minggu pertamanya, 1,047,000 kopi, menjadikan Speak Now album wanita dengan penjualan tertinggi sejak Britney Spears ditahun 2000 dengan album Oops!... I Did It Again dengan penjualan 1,320,000 kopi.

Awal Hidup

Swift lahir pada tanggal 13 Desember 1989 di Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Dia adalah putri dari Andrea Gardner (née Finlay), ibu rumah tangga, dan Scott Kingsley Swift, pialang saham. Nenek dari ibunya, Majorie Finlay, adalah seorang penyanyi opera. Swift memiliki saudara yang lebih muda, Austin.. Ketika Swift di kelas empat, dia memenangkan kontes puisi nasional dengan sebuah puisi sepanjang tiga halaman berjudul "Monster in My Closet". Pada usia sepuluh. Seorang tukang reparasi komputer menunjukkan dia cara bermain tiga chords pada gitar, yang kemudian memicu minatnya dalam belajar instrumen. Setelah itu, Swift menulis lagu pertamanya, "Lucky You" Dia mulai menulis lagu secara teratur dan hal itu digunakannya sebagai tempat untuk membantunya dengan rasa sakit dia dari ketidaknyamanannya di sekolah.. Dia adalah seorang korban bullying, dan sering menulis lagu untuk mengungkapkan emosinya. Dia juga mulai tampil di kontes karaoke, festival, dan pameran di sekitar kota kelahirannya.. Ketika Swift berusia 12, dia mencurahkan seluruh musim panas untuk menulis sebuah novel 350 halaman, yang tidak diterbitkan. Pertunjukan pertama utama-nya kinerja yang baik diterima di Fair Bloomsburg.. Swift menghadiri Hendersonville High School tetapi kemudian ia mengambil home schooling saat SMA. Pada tahun 2008, ia mendapatkan ijazah SMAnya. pengaruh terbesar musik Swift adalah Shania Twain. Pengaruh lainnya Nya meliputi LeAnn Rimes, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, dan neneknya. Meskipun neneknya adalah seorang penyanyi opera profesional, selera Swift selalu bersandar lebih ke arah musik country. Pada tahun-adiknya, ia mengembangkan cinta untuk Patsy Cline dan Dolly Parton. Dia juga kredit yang Dixie Chicks untuk menunjukkan dampak Anda dapat membuat dengan "batas-batas peregangan".

Karier Bermusik

2006–2008: Taylor Swift

Swift pertama kali merilis singel pertamanya, "Tim McGraw", dan berhasil meraih peringkat 6 di Billboard Hot Country Song dan peringkat 40 di Billboard Hot 100. Lalu ia merilis album perdananya, Taylor Swift, yang langsung terdaftar pada peringkat 19 di Billboard 200. Lalu, setelah perilisan singel "Teardrops on My Guitar", penjualan albumnya mulai meninggi dan akhirnya mencapai posisi puncak Billboard Hot Country Albums dan peringkat 5 di Billboard 200. Album tersebut bertahan diposisi puncak untuk 24 minggu tidak berurutan. Album lain yang memiliki minggu dipuncak Billboard Hot Country Albums diatas 20 minggu pada dekade 2000-an hanya Dixie Chicks dan Carrie Underwood. Setelah Januari 2010, Taylor Swift telah terjual 4,6 juta kopi dan 9 juta download singel.

Singel kedua dari album perdananya, "Teardrops on My Guitar" mampu mencapai kesuksesan lebih tinggi dari "Tim McGraw", menduduki posisi 2 di Billboard Hot Country Song dan posisi 13 di Billboard Hot 100, lagu Swift pertama yang menduduki posisi Top 20 di Billboard Hot 100. Singel ketiganya, "Our Song", berhasil mendapatkan kesuksesan lebih tinggi lagi dari "Teardrops on My Guitar", berhasil menduduki posisi puncak Billboard Hot Country Song, singel pertamanya yang berhasil melakukannya dan berada diposisi puncak untuk 6 minggu, juga salah satu rekor terlama untuk seorang penyanyi wanita. Lagu tersebut juga berhasil menduduki posisi 16 di Billboard Hot 100, menjadikannya lagu Swift kedua yang menduduki posisi Top 20 di chart tersebut.

Singel ketiganya yang berjudul "Picture to Burn" belum berhasil mencapai kesuksesan seperti "Our Song", namun masih lumayan sukses karena menduduki posisi 3 di Billboard Hot Country Song dan posisi 29 di Billboard Hot 100. Setelah meriis ulang album perdananya menjadi Taylor Swift: Deluxe Edition, dan menambahkan sebuah singel lagi, "Should've Said No". Meskipun mendapatkan rating yang kurang bagus, singel tersebut mampu menduduki posisi puncak Billboard Hot Country Song untuk 2 minggu dan posisi 33 di Billboard Hot 100. Sampai akhir 2008, Taylor Swift telah terjual sebanyak 3 juta kopi di US. Ia pun sempat meraih nominasi Grammy Award untuk Best New Artist, tapi lolos ke Amy Winehouse.

2008–2009: Fearless

Swift merilis album keduanya, Fearless pada November 2008 dan langsung sangat sukses. Pada awal pembukaannya, album tersebut terjual sebanyak 592,300 kopi, merupakan jumlah terbanyak untuk seluruh artis wanita pada tahun 2008. Hanya dalam dua bulan, album tersebut sukses terjual 2,2 juta kopi. Album tersebut juga terdaftar dalam peringkat 1 untukBillboard 200 selama 11 minggu tidak berurutan dan juga peringkat 1 untuk Billboard Hot Country Albums untuk 35 minggu tidak berurutan. Empat singel dirilis sebagai singel promosi dari Fearless, dan keempatnya mendapatkan sambutan yang sangat meriah. Singel tersebut adalah "Change", "Fearless", "You're Not Sorry", dan "You Belong with Me", yang langsung masuk ke peringkat 10, 9, 11, dan 12, berurutan. Swift adalah artis pertama yang mampu melakukan hal ini.

Singel yang pertama dirilis adalah "Love Story", dengan gaya a la zaman dahulu, lagu ini menjadi lagu internasional Swift yang pertama. Berhasil meraih peringkat di Top 10 di lebih dari 20 negara didunia, termasuk juga Top 5 dibeberapa negara, termasuk peringkat 4 di Billboard Hot 100 dan peringkat 1 di Billboard Hot Country Song untuk 2 minggu. "White Horse" ditunjuk sebagai singel kedua yang dirilis, singel ballad ini berhasil menduduki posisi 13 di Billboard Hot 100, dan posisi 2 di Billboard Hot Country Song. Singel ini berhasil meraih dua Grammy Award sekaligus untuk Best Country Song dan Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

Singel ketiga dari Fearless adalah "You Belong with Me", yang dirilis sebagai singel asli dan berhasil meraih posisi 2 di Billboard Hot 100 serta posisi 1 untuk dua minggu di Billboard Hot Country Song. Lagu ini dinominasikan untuk 3 Grammy Award sekaligus, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, dan Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, sayangnya, semua gagal dimenangkan. Lalu "Fifteen" dirilis menjadi singel keempat, dan "Fearless" dirilis kembali menjadi singel asli kelima. Selain itu, Fearless pun diumumkan sebagai Billboard's Top Selling Albumof 2009, menandakan sebagai album terlaris pada tahun 2009 dengan penjualan 3,2 juta kopi.

Pada tanggal 13 September 2009, tepatnya acara MTV Video Music Awards digelar. Swift berhasil memenangkan sebuah piala untuk Best Female Video untuk videonya "You Belong with Me". Namun, saat sedang berpidato untuk kemenangannya, rapper Kanye West dengan santai maju kepanggung dan merebut mikrofon yang dipegang Swift, dan menyatakan bahwa video dari Beyonce yang berjudul "Single Ladies" lah yang harusnya menang, bukan video Swift. Kanye West lalu diusir dari acara, dan saat Beyonce memenangkan Video of the Year, penghargaan tertinggi malam itu, ia mengundang Swift untuk kembali maju dan menyelesaikan pidatonya. Swift setuju dan ia menyelesaikan pidatonya malam itu. Insiden ini menyedot perhatian banyak artis, termasuk para nominator Best Female Video lainnya, seperti Pink, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, serta Kelly Clarkson, yang kompak setuju bahwa video Swift boleh-boleh saja menang. Artis dan banyak orang penting lainnya pun menilai tindakan Kanye West sangat negatif, dan tidak pantas. Kanye West akhirnya meminta maaf pada Swift, dan Swift menerimanya.

2010-sekarang: Debut film dan Speak Now

Pada Februari 2010, ia mendapatkan 8 nominasi Grammy Awards dan mendapatkan 4 diantaranya, antara lain Album of the Year dan Best Country Album untuk Fearless, serta Best Female Country Vocal Performance dan Best Country Song untuk "White Horse". Ia juga dinominasikan sebagai Best New Artist tahun 2008 lalu (lolos pada Amy Winehouse), dan dinominasikan untuk 4 kategori lain, yaitu Record of the Year, Song of the Year, dan Best Female Pop Vocal Performance untuk "You Belong with Me" dan Best Pop Collaborations with Vocal untuk "Breathe", bersama Colbie Caillat.

Swift lalu muncul dalam film Valentine's Day, dan menyanyikan lagu utama dalam soundtracknya, yang berjudul "Today Was a Fairytale". Reaksi lagu ini sangat dahsyat, dan dalam seminggu lagu ini telah terjual 325.000 kopi, dan langsung mendapatkan posisi 2 di Billboard Hot 100. Mengalahkan rekor yang sebelumnya dipegang Britney Spears dan lagunya "Womanizer" yang terjual 280.000 kopi pada minggu pertamanya.

Swift merilis album ketiganya bertitel Speak Now pada 25 Oktober 2010. Semenjak dirilis, para kritikus memberikan review yang sangat positif bahkan mendekati sempurna untuk album ini. Melengkapi respon positif dari kritikus, Speak Now berhasil dengan hebatnya menembus angka satu juta kopi dalam minggu pertama, yaitu 1,047,000 hanya pada minggu pertamanya. Swift adalah artis pertama yang mendapatkan satu juta kopi untuk penjualan albumnya diminggu pertama sejak Lil Wayne ditahun 2008, dan juga artis country pertama yang mendapatkan satu juta kopi penjualan albumnya diminggu pertama, sejak Garth Brooks ditahun 1994. Speak Now menjadi rekor sebuah album country dari artis wanita pertama yang menembus lebih dari satu juta kopi diminggu pertamanya, dan kedua keseluruhan, setelah Garth Brooks. Artis wanita beraliran country lainnya yang sempat menduduki rekor ini adalah Shania Twain dengan albumnya Up! ditahun 2002 yang terjual 847,000 kopi diminggu pertamanya.

Grammy Awards

Berikut adalah nominasi-nominasi yang diterima Swift dalam ajang super bergengsi Grammy Awards. Swift sudah mendapatkan 9 nominasi dan memenangkan 4 diantaranya. Nominasi yang dimenangkan ada pada nominasi yang ditebalkan:

• 50th Grammy Awards (2008) :
  • Best New Artist : Taylor Swift (lolos ke Amy Winehouse)

• 52nd Grammy Awards (2010) :
• Album of the Year - Fearless
• Record of the Year - "You Belong with Me" (lolos ke "Use Somebody" dari Kings of Leon)
• Song of the Year - "You Belong with Me" (lolos ke "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" dari Beyonce)
• Best Female Pop Vocal Performance - "You Belong with Me (lolos ke "Halo (lagu Beyoncé Knowles)" dari Beyonce)
• Best Pop Collaborations with Vocal - "Breathe" (Bersama Colbie Caillat) (lolos ke "Lucky" dari Jason Mraz dan Colbie Caillat)
• Best Country Album - Fearless
• Best Country Song - "White Horse"
• Best Female Country Vocal Performance - "White Horse"