The Charleston Photo Blog

Here are two things you may already/might not know about me. One is that I make lists. Lists of music I love, lists of life goals (I’ve done that since I was eight years old), lists of things I need to get done this week, and… Lists of places I’ve always dreamed of going. Thanks to you all and your wonderful niceness, I’ve gotten to see most of the places on my list on tour. We’ve been on the Speak Now Tour since February, and it occurred to me a few weeks ago that it would be so incredible to take a mini-vacation! I found a three day window in August and invited all the girls you see onstage (one fiddle player, one backup singer, two dancers, three aerialists) to go with me to one of the places on my list (this particular place was underlined, with stars drawn next to it, indicating that I reeeeally wanted to go there): Charleston, South Carolina. Which brings me to the second thing you might not know about me: I’m a girl of many phases. Sometimes I work out, sometimes I don’t, sometimes I listen to music constantly, sometimes I become obsessed with a piece of advice I’m given, sometimes I want to do nothing but watch Friends marathons, sometimes I write in my journal every night, then I’ll skip a month.. And sometimes I take lots of pictures of what’s going on in my life. For these three days, that’s what I did. And because your niceness is why I get to take vacations, I thought I’d share them with you.

Read more and see the photos HERE.

A Midsummer Night’s Blog

I’m writing you on a summer afternoon in Nashville. All the idealistic markers of a perfect day are presenting themselves right now in this moment. I mean, we’re talking chirping birds, blinding sunshine, a just-the-right-amount breeze.. There’s the distant sound of power washing from someone else’s deck and my feet are up on the patio table. I just ate a really awesome sandwich. Such a simple, good day. And so I just wanted to say hi.

I go back on the road tonight and this weekend we’ll play in Greensboro, Knoxville, and Louisville. And I guess I should just tell you up front that playing shows on this tour is the best time I’ve ever had onstage. The crowds we’ve been playing for have been so unbelievable.. The kind of crowds that jump up and down the entire show, making our view from the stage look like a giant ocean of dancing, jumping people. These are the kinds of crowds that sing the words louder and more passionately than I ever could’ve imagined. And to have a show that includes ballerinas and fireworks and entire scenery changes.. it’s thrilling for me. My band and I have already come away with memories to last a lifetime, and it’s not even halfway done yet! The other night, we were playing our first of two shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. I’m all the way at the end of the stadium, playing “Fearless”, and I swear as soon as I sang the words “With you I’d dance in a storm in my best dress, fearless”… I felt a drop of rain hit me. Then there was another one, then there was another. And then it turned into an absolute downpour. Everyone is soaking wet. And at this point in the show, about halfway through our set, this fear came over me that everyone was going to leave the concert. I tried to push it way back into the back of my mind and just kept playing, and to my surprise, the strangest thing happened. No one left. Instead, this ocean of people in front of us just started dancing even more, screaming even louder… And that night I actually got to dance in a storm with them. In my best dress. I’ll never forget it.

Blog post continued below.

Sometimes I get scared that there’s got to be some balance to the way things work in the universe– like you pay for good days by then having bad days, you pay for joy with pain.. Like if you have the most perfect week ever, watch out! It’s about to get really awful! Some sort of minor or major tragedy is bound to strike! I hope that’s not the way it all goes down. I really hope not. Because this has been a really beautiful summer so far. Lately, I’ve been writing a LOT. Like, all of a sudden, everything I’ve wanted to say, express, or just let out for the past several months has just recently become a song. I’m really excited about that. It’s a freeing feeling when all of a sudden one day, you’re able to verbalize exactly how you feel in a verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus pattern.

Hey so… thank you so much for the Teen Choice Award nominations!! Six whole nominations! Thank you. I’ll be there this year and it will be my first time attending the TCA’s!!! Thank you!

I want to thank you for the happiness I’ve felt so far this summer. I’ve learned to never take happiness for granted. It’s the most precious, rare feeling. This summer, for me, it comes from you.. driving to the shows with “Speak Now” painted on your car windows or simply singing along when “Story of Us” comes on the radio. It comes from you, standing up in the last rows or the front ones, having taken the time to know every word I’ll sing that night… Oh, and it also comes from an entire stadium that not only stuck with me through the rain, but celebrated it. Mostly it’s from all the times you’ve made me feel like we’re in this together. I hope you have a wonderful July 4th weekend and I hope you have a bunch of simply wonderful days this summer.

Taylor

@taylorswift13: Toured Asia + had my camera with me = I made a video blog. :) http://tinyurl.com/4z3f9ul

Go check it out!

For more videos, you can go to TaylorTV.Net

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Just got back from some cool places…(photo blog)

Hi guys :)

We just got back from Australia and Japan. I won’t ever forget the people. Or the sky.

(Al took this picture in Brisbane.)

The Opera House in Sydney… That city sparkled.

I remember last year when we were in Australia for the first time, we went to go see a Coldplay concert on one of our days off.
It was at the giant arena there, and I remember thinking “Wouldn’t it be amazing if someday down the line, we could play in this arena?”
Playing two nights in that arena less than a year later was something I’ll never forget. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Sydney.

I met Liz in a meet and greet line a few years ago. Now she’s my back up singer. And we have FUN!

I was walking in Brisbane, listening to music. And then I saw this tree, all by itself.
It looked so lonely, I thought I’d give it some attention and take a picture of it.
It’s probably not lonely though. It’s probably just independent.

I love sparkly things. Like crowds that look like this.

This kind of thing happens to Caitlin all the time.

Hiiiii guys!!!

A few hours off in Melbourne = beach.

Me, Grant’s hair, and Caitlin.

Lacey, Liz, Charity, Claire. 3/5 of the girls in this shot are skilled, trained dancers. The other two are trained in frolicking.

Example:

I really liked that day.

My producer sent me this picture of the moment I’ll never forget. I love you guys for making my life into this.

We were like “Woah. That is a GIANT bath tub. Let’s see how many of us can fit in it for a picture.” Four.

Anger! Drums! Battle! Hair!

We played 7 shows in 9 days in Australia. The fans gave us lots of awesome presents. My mom seemed to like this one.

(Those are tiny koalas hanging from the hat.. It’s all about the fine details. What a work of art.))

Then we went to JAPAN!

Find the photo bomb. Go!

(Discovering unexpected guests in the background of my pictures upon upload = a new hobby for me.)

This was a restaurant where they shot a fight scene from Kill Bill. We all watched it again beforehand to properly prepare.

We all really liked it there.

The show in Tokyo was unbelievable and the fans were so welcoming to us, everywhere we went. I loved the presents and the letters. I can’t wait to go back and play more shows.

I saw these fabric flowers in a store and thought, that’s so incredibly lovely.

It was Valentine’s Day. Tokyo was my Valentine.

Then we got on a plane. It was the first time I’d seen home in close to a month.

I’ve been writing lots of songs. And the tour is starting up again soon in the US. I love you guys.

lovelovelove
-T-

Thursday, January 14, 2010
Thank you January.
Thank you January. I have had this month off. I have walked on snow-covered grass and discovered new coffee shops and laughed hysterically with friends about things that probably weren’t technically funny. I’ve written songs on napkins and sat at a giant table with my whole family on my mother’s birthday, all of us in one place for the first time in too long. I’ve gotten to take what has happened to me and process it to my full capability, and celebrate it the way it deserved to be celebrated. I’ve made new music. I’ve gone over the memories and jumped up and down with my producer and floated around with nothing on my schedule other than just appreciating what my life has somehow turned into. So thank you for giving me so much to be thankful for this January. Thank you beyond what I know how to say.

I got a new camera. Do you want to see some pictures?

I realized my little brother is no longer little.

It snowed and I went here:

I’ve realized you can have many different kinds of family.

Aka: People you can lean on.

This is my friend Aimee Mayo. She believes anything and everything is possible. We talk about fate and feelings and fairy tales.

Turning this picture black and white would’ve been a crime against Hayley’s hair.

Hillary :)

Grant and Caitlin, the way I picture them in my head.

Paul and Grant on a billboard!! Welcome to Music Row, indeed. Love.

My mom had a birthday. And a tiara.

My cousin Dylan. We had some good talks.

My cousin Danny is obsessed with NASCAR like I’m obsessed with music. We surprised him by taking him to Sound and Speed, where all of his favorite drivers were signing.

Tony Stewart is his hero. He couldn’t have been more genuine and wonderful to us.

My hands were shaking so bad, taking this picture.

Getting back in the studio with the same guys I trust and know and love.. (right, the pointing one: my producer Nathan Chapman) (Left, the waving one: Bass extraorinaire, Tim Marks. Clearly marked on his road case.)

Nick Buddha is in charge of the drums.

Playing new songs for my dad will always be one of the most rewarding things I get to do.

Lunch break!

If you want, I’ll put more pictures up soon.. now that I know how fun it is to take them all the time..

I can’t wait to see your beautiful faces on the road.

lovelovelove
-T-

Source: Taylor Myspace Blog

Monday, December 07, 2009
I love winter.

I’m laying on the couch, wearing fuzzy red and white socks. In my peripheral vision is a giant, lit up Christmas tree. This is my favorite time of year. Hands down.

I just got back to Nashville this morning after being in LA all week. Today I was out and about and in the studio all day, and when I drove home, I saw this strip of restaurants on Main Street in my hometown.. I’ve driven that road and seen those restaurants four billion times since we moved here almost six years ago. Somehow they’ve never looked as perfect and welcoming as they did tonight. It was Sunday night and there were cars jammed into every last parking spot available. I could see the smoke billowing out of fireplace chimneys into cold winter air. It’s the holidays. People are coming together and going out for dinner and something about seeing that just stuck with me. I love everything about this time of year, but mostly the way that people find ways to be with the ones they love. And I love sweaters. Everyone is wearing sweaters right now.

I was talking to my producer, Nathan, today about everything that’s happened this year. We were being nostalgic and going back to this time four years ago, three years ago, two years ago.. Now this year. We just.. can’t believe it. Earlier this week, he had a last-minute-get-over-here-right-now-and-celebrate party at his house, because the news had just broken: We were nominated for 8 Grammy’s. I remember calling him and hearing the screaming voices of the drummer and the bass player and the mixers and publishers who helped put this album together. He put me on speakerphone, and we all screamed together. I couldn’t stop saying “I love you” to them, just like I can’t stop saying “I love you” to you. Part of me can’t fully wrap my mind around the idea that this sort of thing could happen to me. At the end of the phone call, I said to them “Please, never forget tonight. This night is a gift we never thought we’d get.” and then, of course, “I love you so much!!!”

I’m about to be in New York City at Christmas time. I’m playing the Z100 Jingle Ball (never played it before. SO excited!!) and probably spending some time just wandering around looking up at the sparkly store displays and stuff. And counting down to my birthday. I’m only a teenager for another week! I’m starting to practice saying “Twenty” when people ask me how old I am. Weird. Cool? I guess it’s inevitable, so.. Awesome!

Thank you again for everything you guys have done to make all of these magical things happen to me. Please drive safely when you’re out shopping. I hope you have an awesome holiday season. Again, I love you!

lovelovelove
-T-

Currently listening:
She Wolf
By Shakira

Source: Taylor Myspace Blog

Sunday, September 06, 2009
History Channel and kittens.

So I’m on the bus right now.

We just played Charlotte, North Carolina. I LOVE the Carolinas, both North and South. Good people here, there’s just something about this place. But tonight I feel a little left out because two thirds of the artists on this tour are from North Carolina. Yep. Kellie Pickler: from North Carolina. Gloriana: From North Carolina. Me: Not from North Carolina. Man.. Now they’re all out having fun and celebrating their North Carolina-ness together. And I’m on the bus, having just watched a very compelling and educational History Channel special on The Dark Ages. I think I’m about to download a new one that’s about the Plague. So, as you can imagine, it’s wayyy more of a party in here than anything Kellie and Gloriana are doing. Wayyyy more. I mean seriously. The Plague was history’s most devastating biological disaster ever, and I’m about to watch it play out RIGHT before my eyes… Well.. the re-enactments, at least. And I’m stoked about it. This is going to be a fun-filled night, even if I wasn’t invited to the “we’re all 21 and from North Carolina” party. Pshhh.

So lately there have been some very spirited and creative outfits out there in the crowd. Some of my favorites include: A full-on high school band uniform with giant glasses (prop: a piece of paper that says “I love you”). Straight up You Belong With Me video recreation. A great one was the complete medieval princess full length gown. (props: a masquerade mask, perfect hair up-do, and tiara). A lot of girls have been making their own “Junior Jewels” t-shirts, which is the t-shirt I wore in the You Belong With Me video. It was a shirt my fiddle player Caitlin let me borrow from her old days at band camp, fully adorned with puffy paint and campers’ signatures. Caitlin gets so excited when she sees someone wearing a hand-made replica Junior Jewels shirt. Her little face lights up like it’s Christmas and she just unwrapped something bird-themed. Caitlin loves birds. Major hippy with a serious bird fetish. But anyway, to continue on with all the costume discussion, my favorite one might possibly be the Thug Story costume, fully equipped with bling, bandana and DIAMONDS IN YO MOUF (a grill). I love looking out into the crowd. I see lots and lots and lots of dresses (which, I feel, make the world a better place) and lots of people that sing the words to my songs back to me, therefore making me feel like I’m not alone.

See, when I write songs, I write them because I need to figure something out. I need for what I’m feeling to make more sense to me, so I make it into a song. Music has always made sense to me. My songs are always personal, and they always include details.. Because when I sit down to write, it’s really just about telling the story the way it happened. And usually when life is happening to you, you feel like you’re the only one going through it. When I finish a song, sometimes I think “I must be the only person who has ever felt this way, right?”. Then you guys come into the picture. You stand there, singing those lyrics and writing them all over your car windows and your shirt and your away messages. And I want you to know that it makes me so happy, because it’s reassurance that we’re all connected somehow. And I really love knowing that.

Liz, my back up singer, was sick this weekend. She had a stuffy nose and a sore throat, and those two things are my new NIGHTMARES. If I get either of those two things, (let’s be dramatic right now) EVERYTHING would be, like, RUINED!! Haha. Well, not really. But you get the point. Getting sick when you play a two hour show every night is really inconvenient. So we basically quarantined Liz. I didn’t see her much this weekend, except for on stage. It was so sad. Caitlin and I had to get ready at our three-person dressing table.. And there was one sad little empty chair. Tonight I wrote Liz an “I miss you” card. It had a picture of a kitten making a sad face on the front. I feel like kitten cards make everything better, pretty much. I was all “I’m so sorry you’re infected, come back I miss you” and this whole long note. Then I put Craisins in the card. Not packaged, just loose Craisins in the card. If you don’t know what Craisins are (How can you not know??!!), they’re dried cranberry-raisins that are basically the most awesome thing ever. So hopefully the combination of cute kittens and Craisins will bring Liz back to perfect health.

I got to play Madison Square Garden a few weeks ago, and all I can say is that it was one of the most memorable nights of my life. I’ll never forget how loud that sound was when the crowd would roar. It was just unreal. Plus, Rihanna sent me flowers and I ran up and down the halls announcing it to perfect strangers. There’s a lot going on that I’m very excited about. One of the things at the top of my favorite things list is that I have new music coming out! What’s that you say? We just put out Fearless last year? I know! We’re not putting out a whole new album. We’re re-releasing Fearless with SIX new songs added. I’m so excited for you to hear this new music, see the new pictures, and watch the 50 million hours of bonus content. I love you a lot and I’ll see you on the road!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have History Channel educational specials to watch. The Plague!!! PARTY!!!

lovelovelove
-T-

Hahaha, it’s so long and typical of her. (:
Source: Taylor Swift’s myspace

This is a glimpse of what it looked like backstage when we pranked Keith Urban, surprising our crew members on tour, why Demi shouldn’t drive jetskis, and some very fashionable hats modeled by my mom and me. I’m leaving for the UK in the morning, so there’s a shout out to you guys that I

Your world is my world.