Happy Birthday, Taylor Swift! 24 Moments From Her Amazing 2013

At the 2013 Golden Globes, Swift was the butt of one of the most memorable jokes of the show, when hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler warned her to “stay away from Michael J. Fox’s son.” Explained Fey, ”she needs some me time to learn about herself.” The audiences loved it, but Swift was not pleased. Still, being the subject of a joke by Fey and Poehler is something of an honor; really, Swift should see it as a compliment.

Yeah, yeah, it’s totally possible that Swift’s Grammy performance of “We Are Never Getting Back Together” wasn’t aimed at ex-boyfriend Styles, but the British accent doesn’t lie. Also that night: the singer won one of her three Grammy nominations.

For seven months, Swift toured the continent in support of her fourth studio album, Red. She sold out stadiums, brought surprise guests on-stage, and generally ruled the world for over half a year.

In March, Swift released the music video for her song “22,” the fourth single off Red. As of now, the video, which features Swift and friends dancing and celebrating their youth, has over 120 million views.

Although both Swift and Sheeran have denied that they’re dating numerous times, fans of the duo still hold out hope that they’ll get together someday. In the meantime, Sheeran told People that all the rumors regarding his relationship with Swift, while untrue, make him “feel like a stud.” Aww.

On the show’s season two finale, Swift guest-starred as a wedding guest who interrupts the nuptials of Shivrang and Cece to profess her love for the groom. It’s a random cameo, but if Taylor Swift wants to appear on your show, you don’t say no.

Image: Fox

At the Stones’ Chicago concert, Swift joined the legendary band on-stage to perform “As Tears Go By.” She later tweeted: “file this under ‘never in my wildest dreams.’”

Image: TaylorSwift13/Twitter

She may not have won any awards, but at the 2013 CMT Awards, Taylor Swift still managed to have the time of her life. Using all her trademark arm-dancing moves, Swift grooved along to Florida Georgia Line’s hit song “Cruise,” and looked to be having more fun than anyone else in the room.

In general, having an organization protest your concerts isn’t a good thing for a pop star, but when that group is the Westboro Baptist Church, the threats become a lot more entertaining. The “Church,” known for their hateful protests at everything from gay marriage rallies to soldiers’ funerals, issued a press release calling Swift “a proud whore” and “the poster child for the young whores of doomed-america.” Anyone who’s targeted by the hate group should see it as an honor; being criticized by Westboro means you’re actually doing something good for the world.

While the rest of us were shoveling in hot dogs and shotgunning beers, Taylor Swift had the classiest July 4th celebration ever. On her blog, the singer posted photos of her group applying face paint, participating in a treasure hunt, and taking unbelievably well-timed jumping pictures. Innocent, photogenic fun — it’s practically Swift’s trademark.

Image: TaylorSwift.com

Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber took the first two spots, but coming in third is still pretty damn good. Forbes named Swift one of the top money-making celebrities of the year, thanks to the singer’s bestselling albums, months-long tours, and savvy endorsement deals.

It’s totally possible that Swift’s “shut the fuck up” wasn’t aimed at ex Harry Styles, who at the time was on-stage with the rest of One Direction, but we’d like to believe it was, if only for how awesomely out of character it would be for Swift.

In September, it was announced that Swift would co-star in the movie adaptation of The Giver, Lois Lowry’s beloved young adult novel, as Rosemary, a teenage girl mentored by the Giver (Jeff Bridges). It’s still unclear how the whole age-thing is going to work, but being cast in an A-list movie could mean big things for Swift, whose previous acting attempts left much to be desired.

Image: KatieHolmes212/Twitter

Swift was already a winner at this year’s Country Music Awards (she won both Music Video of the Year and Musical Event of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care” with Keith Urban and Tim McGraw) when she became the recipient of the show’s 2nd ever Pinnacle Award. The prestigious honor recognized Swift’s lifelong contributions to country music, highlighting the singer’s bestselling albums and sold-out tours. Presented by many of Swift’s former tour-mates and mentors, the Pinnacle was a huge deal for the star and a tribute to her enormous success. Watch her emotional acceptance speech to see a clearly overwhelmed Swift realize how far she’s come in just a few short years.

In what we hope was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, the two stars met for Shake Shack in New York one day in November. Just a month later, they’d be seen celebrating Swift’s birthday together at a restaurant in Australia. Is it too early to pronounce “Lorde and Taylor” our new favorite girl group?

Image: tkconcepcion/Twitter

It’s not like anyone was doubting it, but on Nov. 17, New York dubbed Swift “the biggest pop star in the world” in a cover story about the star. The profile was an in-depth, revealing look at Swift’s life, and solidified her as one of the most interesting figures in the industry.

Image: New York

Per usual, Swift won big at this year’s American Music Awards, taking home four awards including the prestigious Artist of the Year.

While attending a benefit at Kensington Palace, Swift formed our new favorite supergroup by teaming up with Bon Jovi and Prince William to sing one of the rock star’s biggest hits, “Livin’ On a Prayer.” It was awkward and beautiful and perfect.

During the second leg of her worldwide Red tour, Swift sold out Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Australia, becoming the first female artist to do so in the arena’s 25 year history.

Image: TaylorSwift.com

On December 6, Swift received an impressive four Grammy nominations, including a nod for “Album of the Year.” In typical Swift fashion, she responded to the honors by tweeting “I LOVE YOU GUYS WE GOT AN ALBUM OF THE YEAR NOMINATION AND I AM TOO EXCITED TO USE PUNCTUATION.”

Along with Fall Out Boy, Swift was chosen as the musical guest for the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Singing “Knew You Were Trouble,” Swift, clad in a risqué dress (for her), did a pretty decent job of fitting right in with the models.

On Dec. 12, Swift received a Golden Globe nomination for her song “Sweeter Than Fiction,” which was recorded for the movie One Chance. Not a bad early birthday present.

Image: LenaDunham/Instagram

On Swift’s 24th birthday, she tweeted that she’d be spending the day “skipping and frolicking,” aka just a normal day in the life of the biggest pop star on the planet.