Taylor Swift

American country star and newcomer Taylor Swift took the Billboard charts by storm with her breakout single, “Tim McGraw.” Continuing to impress with her debut album, Swift has already won a slew of awards and only looks to be getting started.

Taylor Alison Swift was born December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania. She currently lives in Hendersonville, Tennessee with her parents. Swift cites her musical influences as LeAnn Rimes and her grandmother, who was formally trained as an operatic singer.

Swift’s country roots deepened when her love for Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline developed. By the age of ten, Swift was already performing music at her local fairs and karaoke events. She was even composing her own work.

Creating demo tapes, the eleven-year-old Swift traveled to Nashville and began dropping off tapes at all the major labels in hopes of landing a deal. But it wasn’t until she performed in The Bluebird Café that she was noticed by somebody who could utilize her talent. Scott Borchetta heard her perform and immediately signed her to the start-up label Big Machine Records.

Her breakout single, “Tim McGraw,” hit the airwaves in mid-2006. Soon after, the album Taylor Swift hit the shelves. Peaking at number one on the country Billboard charts, Swift quickly established herself as a formidable new force in the country world. In addition to album sales, she gained exposure with her highly popular MySpace page. She is currently the country artist with the highest number of hits on MySpace.

Since the success of her single, Swift was able to tour with McGraw and his country singer wife, Faith Hill. In her previous tour outings, she had opened for George Strait, Rascal Flatts, and Brad Paisley.

Her second album was a holiday-themed production entitled Sounds of the Season, and it was released exclusively at Target.

Securing more awards and accolades, Swift was even nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy. Her much-anticipated second studio album is due for a late 2008 release.

Increasing her visibility with the public, Swift made appearances on The Megan Mullally Show as well as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She even performed in the season finale of the Simon Cowell created America’s Got Talent in 2007. She performed beside Sarah Orr and Sean Kingston for judges Jerry Springer, Sharon Osbourne, and David Hasselhoff.

Outside of music, Swift has contributed to her community by attempting to combat the increasing problem of internet predators. Teaming up with Phil Bredsen, the governor of Tennessee, Swift spearheaded the yearlong campaign aimed at raising awareness in both the parents and children themselves.