Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. She is known for narrative songs about her personal life, which have received widespread media coverage. At age 14, Swift became the youngest artist signed by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house and, at 15, she signed her first record deal.
Her 2006 eponymous debut album was the longest-charting album of the 2000s in the US. Its third single, "Our Song", made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number-one song on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in 2008.
Buoyed by the pop crossover success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", it became the US' best-selling album of 2009 and was certified diamond in the US. The album won four Grammy Awards, and Swift became the youngest Album of the Year winner.
Five Takeaways From the Joburg Film Festival and JBX Content Market: ‘What a Time to Be Alive in Africa’
variety.comChristopher Vourlias The sixth edition of the Joburg Film Festival wraps Sunday, putting a bow on a week that saw many in the host nation reflecting on South Africa’s long journey in the three decades since the end of apartheid.
But among the filmmakers and executives taking part in the second JBX content market the focus was squarely on the future, as Africa’s streaming wars and an eye toward global dealmaking highlighted how the tide has begun to shift in how the world perceives the continent. “What a time to be alive in Johannesburg,” said festival founder Timothy Mangwedi at Saturday’s award ceremony. “What a time to be alive in Africa.” Here are five takeaways from a busy week in Johannesburg: Streamers shift strategies but still drive growth Amazon Prime Video’s abrupt pull-out from the African market in January has left many local producers frustrated and confused. “It was really devastating when they just up and left us,” said Yellowbone Entertainment’s Layla Swart, who was set to get the streamer’s greenlight on an ambitious crime drama series and described the sudden about-face as “perplexing.” Still, there was little doubt this week in Johannesburg that competition among rival streaming services is driving the local market. “The streamer war between Netflix and Showmax is good for us, that’s without a doubt,” said Emmy Award-winning director-producer Dan Jawitz, of fast-growing shingle Known Associates Entertainment.
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