Post by Kristle on Feb 29, 2008 23:37:23 GMT -5
So, I found this article in a little magazine I got in the mail today and figured, "Hey, why not put it here?" It's a little old, but it's good, nonetheless. Very inspiring words from Tay. 
So, here you go. Enjoy! 
It would be easy to dismiss Taylor Swift as just another pretty face in country music, but that would be a mistake. OK, sure, the 5 foot 11 blonde with ringlets could easily be an Abercrombie & Fitch model, but this musician is the real deal.
“I’m a songwriter first and foremost,” says the 17-year-old high school senior whose 2006 debut album, Taylor Swift, went double platinum after just 32 weeks and rose to No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart-and stayed there for eight weeks.
As a kind in Wyomissing, Pa., Taylor knew she could sing. Then, when the writing bug bit at age 12, she spent hours each day with a 12-string guitar, teaching herself to play.
“I was playing four hours a day until my fingers were bleeding and my mom called me to dinner,” she says.
From there, she started thinking about a music career. Only, she didn’t want to merely chase a dream. The girl who once said the only thing she’s afraid of is “Being average” decided she’d catch it.
Taylor stayed focused, and, at 14, landed a job as a songwriter at Sony/ATV Music Publishing where she learned from more experienced songwriters. Two years later, the driven songwriter went on to sign a record deal-while pulling double-duty as a straight-A student at Hendersonville High School outside of Nashville, Tenn.
“I have tunnel vision as far as this goes,” says Taylor, who is now being home-schooled while touring and performing across the country. “I can always keep my eyes on the goal.”
Don’t misunderstand: Taylor is fiercely determined. But underneath, she’s just a normal girl figuring out life as it comes. It’s those everyday moments and emotions that she turns into songs. “I want to make people feel things,” she says.
Hits like “Tim McGraw” (about a summer love) and “Teardrops On My Guitar” (when a boy she likes chooses another girl) both deal with classic boy-meets-girl conundrums. And songs like “The Outside” (on feeling out of place) and “Tied Together With A Smile” (addressing issues with self-esteem) hit on painful realities of life. And the 20 million fans who’ve visited Taylor’s MySpace page to listen to her music can relate.
Taylor’s advice to others interested in songwriting? Follow your passions, work hard and be yourself. “Just figure out who you are as an artist and what you bring,” she tells aspiring songwriters. “If you sound just like another artist, that’s not what you are looking. You need to sound exactly like you.”
So, here you go. Enjoy! 
It would be easy to dismiss Taylor Swift as just another pretty face in country music, but that would be a mistake. OK, sure, the 5 foot 11 blonde with ringlets could easily be an Abercrombie & Fitch model, but this musician is the real deal.
“I’m a songwriter first and foremost,” says the 17-year-old high school senior whose 2006 debut album, Taylor Swift, went double platinum after just 32 weeks and rose to No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart-and stayed there for eight weeks.
As a kind in Wyomissing, Pa., Taylor knew she could sing. Then, when the writing bug bit at age 12, she spent hours each day with a 12-string guitar, teaching herself to play.
“I was playing four hours a day until my fingers were bleeding and my mom called me to dinner,” she says.
From there, she started thinking about a music career. Only, she didn’t want to merely chase a dream. The girl who once said the only thing she’s afraid of is “Being average” decided she’d catch it.
Taylor stayed focused, and, at 14, landed a job as a songwriter at Sony/ATV Music Publishing where she learned from more experienced songwriters. Two years later, the driven songwriter went on to sign a record deal-while pulling double-duty as a straight-A student at Hendersonville High School outside of Nashville, Tenn.
“I have tunnel vision as far as this goes,” says Taylor, who is now being home-schooled while touring and performing across the country. “I can always keep my eyes on the goal.”
Don’t misunderstand: Taylor is fiercely determined. But underneath, she’s just a normal girl figuring out life as it comes. It’s those everyday moments and emotions that she turns into songs. “I want to make people feel things,” she says.
Hits like “Tim McGraw” (about a summer love) and “Teardrops On My Guitar” (when a boy she likes chooses another girl) both deal with classic boy-meets-girl conundrums. And songs like “The Outside” (on feeling out of place) and “Tied Together With A Smile” (addressing issues with self-esteem) hit on painful realities of life. And the 20 million fans who’ve visited Taylor’s MySpace page to listen to her music can relate.
Taylor’s advice to others interested in songwriting? Follow your passions, work hard and be yourself. “Just figure out who you are as an artist and what you bring,” she tells aspiring songwriters. “If you sound just like another artist, that’s not what you are looking. You need to sound exactly like you.”
