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Taylor's Swift Rise

Sound

UNLESS YOU’VE BEEN LIVING IN A CAVE, on the moon, or perhaps in a cave on the moon, you’ve heard of Taylor Swift. Seemingly overnight, the pouty young singer-songwriter went from promising 16-year-old newcomer on Country Music Television to multi-genre, multi-platinum pop phenomenon. Swift, not yet 20, has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of both pop and country charts since her eponymous debut album was released way back in, well, 2006. (Okay, it just seems like a long time ago.) Swift topped Nielsen SoundScan’s all-genre music sales report as 2008’s top-selling artist. This year, her single “Love Story,” a modern and more positive spin on Romeo and Juliet, became the most downloaded country song in history and the first country song to top the mainstream Top 40 chart.

Swift spends some of her scarce free time at the Taylor Guitars offices in El Cajon (she plays a Taylor). She’s graced the covers of Rolling Stone, Self, Seventeen, CosmoGirl and Teen Vogue, won several music industry awards and is headlining her own tour. Swift also boasts her own clothing line and a burgeoning acting career: She recently guest-starred on CBS’ top-rated CSI.

So who is this pretty little blonde who’s taken the entertainment world by storm with her musical blend of bitter teen angst and sweet hope? Swift, who spent her Wonder years in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, has been an ambitious achiever since she won a national poetry contest in fourth grade. At 10, she began writing songs and singing at karaoke contests, festivals and fairs; a year later she had a polished demo she sent all over Nashville. At 14, she signed a songwriting deal with a top publisher; two years later, she recorded her first album, which went triple platinum.

Smart and wildly creative, Swift obviously knows how to get what she wants. But musically she’s still a work in progress. She has a lovely, crystal-clear voice and an uncanny, beyond-her-years ability to take personal heartache and turn it into accessible and touching songs with evocative, universally understood lyrics and catchy hooks. Her music is a refreshing step above much of pop’s current catalogue, though that is faint praise.

Swift has talent, but her massive popularity will probably keep her from any serious self-analysis or reflection about the depth of her songs. Arguably the biggest career mistake she’s making is aligning herself so closely with the Disney stable——singing with Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and so on. In the short term, that association may give her even more exposure (like she needs it?), but it could damage her music cred.

Still, most of her fans couldn’t care less who she sings with. They just connect on a very deep level with her songs and love her vulnerability and toughness. Swift’s star has reached the stratosphere; it will test the limits of her integrity and character to stay grounded.

For more information on Swift’s May 24 Sports Arena show, call 619-224-4171 or visit sandiegoarena.com /tickets.php.

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