Taylor Swift is a global superstar. The 33-year-old has absolutely dominated the music industry thanks to her chart-topping albums and worldwide tours. Taylor has sold over 200 million records, and she’s nabbed countless awards at the Grammys, CMAs, and more. Throughout all this incredible success, Taylor has remained grounded and humble thanks to the strong relationship she has with her parents, Scott and Andrea Swift. Both of her parents have been spotted at her epic “Eras Tour” for multiple concerts. Scott even bonded with Taylor’s new boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, at Taylor’s show in Argentina on November 11.
It was reported that Taylor’s parents will meet Travis’ parents, Ed Kelce and Donna Kelce, at the Chiefs-Eagles on November 20, but now that Taylor can’t attend the game it’s unclear if those plans have changed.
Taylor’s mom and dad have been supportive of her music endeavors since the beginning. In fact, the family — which also includes Taylor’s brother Austin Swift, 31 — moved to Tennessee when Taylor was 14 years old so that she could pursue her dreams of being a singer. Below, learn about Taylor’s parents and the close bond they share with their superstar daughter.
Scott Swift
Scott, 71, is Taylor’s dad. He was born in Pennsylvania on March 5, 1952, and is the son of Archie Dean Swift Jr. and Rose Baldi Douglas. He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1974 and became a stockbroker, eventually establishing the Swift Group as part of Merrill Lynch. Scott married Andrea in 1988, and they welcomed Taylor the following year. In 1992, their son Austin was born.
Scott raised his children in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, until Taylor showed interest in pursuing music. When she was 14, Scott decided to transfer to Merrill Lynch’s Nashville office, and the family relocated to Hendersonville, Tennessee. This major move allowed Taylor to break into the country music industry, and as we now know, it all paid off. “I knew I was the reason they were moving,” Taylor said in a past interview with Self. “But they tried to put no pressure on me. They were like, ‘Well, we need a change of scenery anyway,’ and ‘I love how friendly the people in Tennessee are.’ ”
When Taylor’s career took off, Scott remained at home working and caring for Austin, while Andrea traveled with their daughter on tour. “She was always singing music when she was 3, 5, 6, 7 years old,” Scott told the University of Delaware’s UDaily in 2009. “It’s Taylor doing what she likes to do.”
In the last decade, Scott has continued to support Taylor as she’s reached success that no one could have imagined. Scott briefly appeared in Taylor’s 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana. In one scene, Scott shared his concerns with Taylor about the singer vocalizing her political opinions heading into the 2018 midterm elections. “I’ve read the entire [statement] and … right now, I’m terrified. I’m the guy that went out and bought armored cars,” Scott said in the doc, per Variety. Taylor ultimately went forward with the statement, which marked the first time she publicly spoke about politics since becoming famous.
Amid Taylor’s romance with Travis Kelce, the NFL tight end was seen watching her Buenos Aires concert with Scott on November 11. When Taylor changed the lyrics to her song “Karma” to include a line about the Chiefs player, her dad was seen playfully tapping his shoulder.
Andrea Swift
Andrea, 65, is the proud mom of Taylor and Austin. She was born on January 10, 1958 to Robert Bruce Finlay and Marjorie Finlay, who was an opera singer and TV personality. As mentioned before, Andrea married Scott in 1988 and they welcomed both their children within the next four years. When Taylor was 11 years old, Andrea took her daughter to Nashville to visit record labels. “My mom waited in the car with my little brother while I knocked on doors up and down Music Row,” Taylor told Entertainment Weekly in 2008. “I would say, ‘Hi, I’m Taylor. I’m 11; I want a record deal. Call me.” Taylor had no luck, but eventually she excelled her talents once she learned how to play the guitar. “She came back from that trip to Nashville and realized she needed to be different, and part of that would be to learn the guitar,” Andrea told EW. “That was all it took. Don’t ever say never or can’t do to Taylor.” After Taylor turned 14, Andrea and Scott moved their family to Tennessee, and Taylor’s career in country music had officially begun.
However, Andrea and Scott never actually informed Taylor that the reason for their move was to boost her career. “I never wanted to make that move about her ‘making it,’ ” Andrea explained to EW. “Because what a horrible thing if it hadn’t happened, for her to carry that kind of guilt or pressure around.” As we know, Taylor began to make it big in Nashville, which led to Andrea joining her daughter on tour and helping her finish high school on the road as Scott and Austin stayed home.
Taylor’s always had a close bond with her mom. So much so, that the singer dedicated her 2008 song “The Best Day” to her mother. “I wrote it in the summertime, and I recorded it secretly, too,” Taylor said in a past interview. “I had this idea that I wanted to play if for her for Christmas. So, when I got the track I synced up all of these home videos from when I was a little kid to go along with the song like a music video and played it for her on Christmas Eve and she was crying her eyes out.”
Another song that Taylor wrote to her mom was 2019’s “Soon You’ll Get Better,” which is about Andrea’s cancer diagnosis. Taylor first revealed that her mom had been diagnosed with cancer in an emotional Tumblr post in 2015. Then, in March 2019, she told Elle magazine that the cancer had returned. During Andrea’s second cancer battle, doctors discovered a brain tumor, which Taylor publicly revealed to Variety ahead of the release of Miss Americana. “Everyone loves their mom, everyone’s got an important mom,” Taylor said. “But for me, she’s really the guiding force. Almost every decision I make, I talk to her about it first. So obviously it was a really big deal to ever speak about her illness.”
Like her dad, Andrea has been spotted a few times on “The Eras Tour.” The two of them have been seen spending some quality time together throughout the tour. On Mother’s Day 2023, Taylor performed “The Best Day” as her surprise song in Philadelphia and dedicated the performance to her mother.