www.thesimpleguideto.com
The Simple Guide to Taylor Swift
Published by Chris Scott at Smashwords.
Copyright 2011 Chris Scott
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Contents
A Star In The Making
From The Beginning
It’s “A Love Story”
Taylor Gives Back
“Wonderstruck”
The Superstar Country Sweetheart
From Country Star To Movie Star
Facts:
Name – Taylor Alison Swift
Date of Birth – 13th December 1989
Born – Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/taylorswift
Twitter - @taylorswift - Twitter
Website – http://www.taylorswift.com
TSGT – http://www.thesimpleguideto.com/taylorswift.html
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Taylor Swift – America’s Country Cutie
A Star in the Making
Affectionately known as America’s “Country Cutie,” Taylor Swift exploded onto the Nashville scene in 2006 and hasn’t slowed down since. Taylor began singing around the age of 10 having been influenced by her Grandma Finlay, who was a professional Opera singer, at the age of 12 she picked up her first guitar (taught by her parent’s computer repairman), practiced until the instrument became an extension of her, and wrote her first song Lucky You. Realizing that music was her ‘calling’ and was truly what she wanted to do ‘when she grew up,’ Taylor continued writing songs and singing at every venue she could find in her local area, from karaoke contests, festivals, and fairs, to singing the national anthem before a Philadelphia 76ers game. Recognizing her incredible talent and tenacity, Taylor’s parents supported her and began making regular trips to Nashville, Tennessee. During her first trip to the “Country Music Capital" she began to distribute a demo tape of her singing karaoke songs to every music label in town, subsequently being rejected by everyone.
Realizing they had a star in the making, when Taylor was 13, her family moved to nearby Hendersonville in an attempt to further her career. In Nashville, she continued to write, co-write, sing her songs, and try to land a recording contract. In 2005, Taylor performed at a local singer/songwriter’s showcase at the famous Bluebird Café, catching the eye of Scott Borchetta, who immediately signed her to his newly formed record label, Big Machine Records and voila a star was born! In mid-2006, Taylor released her first single Tim McGraw, which she wrote about a summer love. The single hit number six on Billboard magazines “Hot Country Songs” chart, and by October of the same year Taylor released her self-titled album, Taylor Swift, which debuted at number three on the charts but was number one 39 weeks later, earning the young budding star a platinum album with over 2.5 million copies sold.
Along with her singing, writing is an important aspect in Taylor’s life, beginning when she won a national poetry contest in the fourth grade with a three-page poem titled, Monster in My Closet. She started writing songs at the age of twelve and instead of journaling - the way many young girls do, about growing up, being picked on and bullied (which she was) and getting their heart broken, Taylor wrote songs. In fact, she would even tell you “If you break my heart, hurt my feelings or are mean to me, I’ll write a song about you”. So I’d think twice before hurting this country sweetheart’s feelings. Her lyrics tend to be autobiographical and she has been known to say that "If you listen to my albums, it’s like reading my diary." Most of her songs are about the popular subject of love; new love, young love, unrequited love, lost love, and of course broken hearts. She wrote the song Forever & Always about her relationship with now ex-boyfriend Joe Jonas, and the song Hey Stephen was written about a boy she toured with in the past. She tries to write songs that her fans can relate to and experiences they may have faced: The shy quiet girl being in love with the popular footballer who is dating a cheerleader, getting even with a boy who dumped her, just being noticed by a boy, or every girls fantasy of the ‘fairytale happy ending.’ The deeply personal quality of her lyrics has helped millions of fans relate to her and her music, making Taylor one of Country Music’s biggest and brightest stars. The more personal she makes her songs, the more people seem to relate, bringing in a younger listening audience to country music. The New York Times described Swift as "one of pop's finest songwriters, country’s foremost pragmatist and more in touch with her inner life than most adults."
From The Beginning
Born Taylor Alison Swift on December 13, 1989 in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, to loving parents, Andrea Gardner and Scott Kingsley Swift, Taylor spent the early part of her childhood on her family's Christmas tree farm with her parents and little brother, Austin. Taylor developed a love for music from her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, who was an opera singer, and a love for country music through the songs of Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes, the Dixie Chicks, and many others.