Taylor Swift has always been Taylor Swift. She came upon the music world 10 years ago today, October 24, with her debut album — Taylor Swift — with a fully formed idea of herself as an artist, despite being a mere 16 years old.

With her debut, she proved the power of country music — specifically, its confessional storytelling — to reach teen girl audiences on a massive scale. As a result of its success, she helped make country cool again and gave young women a voice in music.

For a look back on Taylor’s first 10 years of chart-topping success, click here.