With the best sales week for a country album in a year, 18-year-old Taylor Swift debuts at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums with her sophomore set, “Fearless.” The Big Machine release sold 592,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the largest sum for a country album since Eagles’ “Long Road Out of Eden” started with 711,000 last November.
Source

JustJared has an article about it too. The article also mentioned that Big Machine Records and Universal have signed a deal for international marketing and distribution. This is awesome!

The 18-year-old singer/songwriter’s sophomore effort, Fearless, sold 592,000 copies in the last week, the largest opening U.S. sales week in 2008 by a female artist and the fourth biggest overall, behind Lil Wayne, AC/DC and Coldplay.
Universal Music Group, the world’s biggest music company, also just has signed an international marketing and distribution deal with Taylor’s label Big Machine Records.

I added photoshoot from Women’s Health Magazine to the gallery.
Also, the full article is now available online here. It’s 5-pages long and it’s a great article so make sure you read it.

If you signed up for Taylor newsletter, you should got an email about Taylor’s merch.

It’s time to Have a Merry Taylor Christmas!!

For starters, if you make a purchase with at least a $50 sub-total, we’ll give you a FREE copy of THE TAYLOR SWIFT HOLIDAY COLLECTION CD while supplies last! But that’s not all…. We’ve also put together three great packages to help you share the Taylor love with your friends and family this holiday season. Here’s what we’ve got for you:

GRAND SLAM PACKAGE ($40) - buy any 2 tees (from a selection of 5) and get 1 fidel hat, 1 bag, and 1 leather bracelet FREE!

FAMILY PACKAGE ($80) - buy any 4 tees (from a selection of 5) and get 2 fidel hats and 2 leather bracelets FREE!

#1 FAN PACKAGE ($15) - this package includes Taylor’s re-released “Taylor Swift” CD, one 8×10 album cover photo, and one 8×10 flowers photo for JUST $15.

Click here for more info.

Thanks to JustJared, I added candids from when she was out in Nashville and another one from her visit to Z100 studio in NY. She sure loves her plaid jacket. (;

1) Swift admits, “I’ve always had the mentality when I’ve been scared - jump anyway!” This helped her out when she’s been scared to walk in a record label ALONE.

2) “I’m tired all the time,” says Swift. “But I’m never tired of what I do. I think those two things are very different….But the way that I know I’m doing what I’m meant to do is that I never get tired of it. I’m always wanting more.

3) “I stress about my problems and everybody’s problems, and things that aren’t even problems, I stress about,” admits Swift. That’s why Taylor prefers a hands on approach. She writes her own songs, producers her album and puts together her own look. That helps her keep her anxiety in check.

4) “The moment you realize that what makes you different is kind of awesome, I think your life just becomes a lot happier. If you try to keep changing who you are, eventually, you’ll run out of things to be. It’s just easier to be yourself,” adds Swift.
Via Cover Awards

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Here’s an excerpt from the Women’s Health article (via AceShowbiz)

“[Growing up on a Christmas tree farm] was basically a shunning - and that’s never a good thing, you know?” she says. “A lot of girls thought I was weird. Actually, the word they liked to use was annoying. I’d sit at their lunch table and they’d move to a different one.”

Not being bullied ever since she became famous, Taylor however finds out that she has more friends when she was still in senior high school compared to when she is a famous singer. “It’s funny - I thought my contact list in my phone would grow if I was in the music industry. But I had more people in my phone book when I was in high school!” so she openly reveals.

As for her first job, Taylor doesn’t mention exactly what it was. But the fact that she began writing her first song when she was still 8 years old has earned her enough money to buy herself a Lexus 430 SC convertible, the vehicle that she still drives.

Also, Teen Vogue has a contest where you can win Taylor Swift’s one-of-a-kind guitar. 25 runners-up will also receive a pair of L.e.i.Jeans. Click here for more info and enter the the contest.

Swift Delivery
Rock in the New Year by entering for your chance to win Taylor Swift’s one-of-a-kind guitar! It’s made from real denim strips, to ensure you’ll be the most stylish Guitar Hero on- and offstage. And if the country crooner’s strings aren’t enough, the winner and 25 runners-up will also receive a pair of L.e.i. jeans.

Her job was collecting autographs for TRL yearbook.She signed hers “stay sweet as u are”.

You can read the show highlights here and here,

I added the pictures to gallery.

Alright, let’s get to the updates. Not much news today but I updated the gallery with more BMI and CMA pics.

Also, JustJaredJr.com (the new JustJared dedicated to teens and tweens celebrities) is giving away TWO of Taylor’s French Connection skirts, the one she wore to The Late Show With David Letterman. Click here to find out more and enter the contest.

Taylor Swift looked fresh off the fall runway and rocked the French Connection “Fast Tallulah” full circle skirt while taping The Late Show With David Letterman in New York City on Monday.

JustJaredJr.com is giving away TWO of Taylor’s French Connection skirts, which features a tulle underlay and vintage lace design. The skirt combines glamour and femininity with edge, for a bold, fashion forward statement. You can also pick up your own at FrenchConnection.com.

HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment here with a valid email address (will not be published) and TWO winners will be chosen at random at the end of the contest. This contest ends on Thursday, November 20 @ 11:59PM EST. Ships worldwide. Enter as many times as you want!!! Good luck!

Taylor, alongside other country artists have signed a specially designed acoustic guitars for the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation that is up for auction. You can see the auction page here. It features signatures of top Country Music artists, including Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Trace Adkins, Rodney Atkins, Taylor Swift, Brooks & Dunn, James Otto, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, Miley Cyrus, and Kellie Pickler.

Stars Sign Guitars for Mary Kay
Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift and other stars signed specially designed acoustic guitars for the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation––and fans can bid on them through Dec. 12.
Mary Kay, the official Beauty Sponsor of the CMA Awards, will auction off the guitars on uBid.com/promo/marykay with all of the proceeds benefiting the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation programs, committed to ending domestic violence.
To learn more about the Foundation, visit mkacf.org.

Taylor is on the December issue cover of Women’s Health Magazine.

Travelled to Taylor’s myspace and found out that she deleted the Prince Charming line and added this line on her about me:

In life and love, you learn that there comes a time to let go and move on. It’s a lesson I learned recently.

Jasmine sent me an email about an up-and-coming country/pop, singer/songwriter, Ryan Laird, who asked Taylor to produce his album. Click on more to read about this.

Ryan Laird Makes A Fearless Proposition To Taylor Swift On A Music Row Billboard

(Nashville, TN)-Ryan Laird, an up-and-coming country/pop, singer/songwriter
has just done something that Music City has never seen. If you are driving
down Broadway and 17th Ave you might see his face on a billboard asking
Taylor Swift to produce his next album. Laird started his career similar to
Taylor’s when she got started, online. He began by video taping male-version
covers of some of Taylor’s songs. Every day more and more Taylor
fans cross over to Ryan’s Myspace. Now Ryan Laird’s team is coming on
strong via Internet, radio,various PR strategies and a billboard.

“When Ryan came to me with this idea, I thought it was brilliant and way
outside the lines for Nashville. It is the kind of outside the paradigm
thinking our industry needs to start selling units. Unique stories of
success are what makes the music industry so magical.” Said Brandon Riester,
Laird’s Manager

“I love her music and I heard her talk on the radio about how she writes and
hears all the instruments and parts in the song before its produced. I
thought wow this could be a great collaboration, so I made this
billboard because I wanted to come up with a unique way to reach out
to Taylor. It’s cool
because her album is called “Fearless” and this was a pretty bold move”,
explains Ryan Laird. Therefore Ryan decided to ask her if she would just go
ahead and produce his next album.

As Ryan and her fans anxiously await Taylor’s highly-anticipated
sophomore album,
“Fearless”, which arrives in stores on November 11th, Taylor will make several
national television appearances to launch the album. ” I hope she sees
the Billboard. Her top fans have messaged me over 400 messages on
Myspace and have
said that she would jump on board because in their words, she’s not
only talented,
but is super nice!”
While Taylor appears in Billboard magazine, Ryan will be waiting on
his billboard for her answer.

For More information on Ryan Laird please visit: www.myspace.com/ryanlaird

To see Ryan’s Youtube Billboard video go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi_1_1UsglU

Swift Success
Whether she is climbing up the country music charts or teaming up with politicians to fight for causes important to her, Taylor Swift is what we like to call a phenomenon.

Taylor knew she wanted to be singer since the age of 10, but it wasn’t until two years later when she learned to play the guitar and wrote her first song (yes, she was only 12!) that she tapped into what would really allow her to connect with an audience and soon make her a star. Her music is relatable because she puts her life, her relationships, and her struggles on paper and shares it with the world — and at only 18 she has so many more experiences ahead and so many more songs to write. In the Dec./Jan. issue of CosmoGirl Taylor talks about life as a singer/songwriter and a little secret Faith Hill taught her.

Check out the Dec./Jan. issue of CosmoGirl for the story on Taylor Swift.

They have a Behind-The-Scenes Video here

And an article called Five Questions with Taylor Swift here

A LOT OF YOUR SONGS ARE ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS THAT DIDN’T WORK OUT. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER GIRLS WHO ARE GOING THROUGH HEARTBREAK?

Your feelings so are important to write down, to capture, and to remember because today you’re heartbroken, but tomorrow you’ll be in love again. And you’ll appreciate it more when you can go back and read your journal and realize that the happiness you have is special because yesterday, you cried. I’m so lucky that I get to look at journals from when I was 13 and wanted [a singing career] so bad, but never thought that I would be able to have it, or to get to be on the cover of CosmoGirl.

YOU’RE KNOWN FOR BEING CAREER-FOCUSED AND NOT PARTYING. DO YOU CONSCIOUSLY TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM THAT SCENE?

No, I’m just being myself. I’m not a party girl at this point in my life. It’s not a priority for me. I have to get up early and do interviews and I have to sing every night. I don’t have any interest in going out to clubs right now. I love people, and I love socializing, I just don’t have any interest in being drunk. I don’t worry about [people who say I'm too much of a good girl] because the people who say that, it’s like, wow, you are really trying to find something you don’t like about me. And, honestly, if somebody wants to criticize me for not being a trainwreck, that’s fine with me!

I added some pictures from BMI and CMA. The links are on yesterday’s post.
Don’t foget to vote for Taylor Swift on People’s Choice Awards.

Friday, November 14, 2008
I met Shania and it was AWESOME.

Hey!

I want to say thank you to everyone who has gone out and bought Fearless this week! I can’t believe the numbers they’re telling me at the label about this week so far. I’m literally in shock that you’ve been so good to me. I just can’t believe it.

Last night was amazing. The CMA’s were so much fun! I got ready with Kellie. For some reason, we always end up wearing the same color to award shows. Last night, we both wore sparkly silver dresses. At the AMA’s last year, we both wore black. At the ACM’s one time, we both wore light pink. If anyone was thinking that we do this on purpose so we can be matching in our pictures, we don’t. It just happens. In other fashion news, my red carpet dress weighed about 400 pounds. Actually, about 30. But it was still heavy. It was like dragging around two small children, dangling from my ankles. And it made a lovely jangling noise whenever I walked. It was made out of huge jewels, platinum chips, and other metal-ish things that would fall off at random intervals throughout the night.. and my dad would reach down and pick each one up and say “Ebay.” Whenever people would ask me what it was made of, I’d just say I broke a mirror, dipped myself in glue, and rolled around in it. This dress took more effort than any big dress I’ve ever worn, and you know how I like big dresses. But it was well worth it, because it was my favorite dress I’ve ever worn, by some of my favorite designers. And I was lucky to get to wear it.

The performance was so much fun and I think I have a new hobby: Changing clothes onstage. I think quick-changes are a blast for some reason. Other than the fact that you have to wear two dresses for most of the performance.. But other than that, it’s wonderful. Then, Justin Gaston was kind enough to meet me in the middle of the stage for a nice stare-down at the end of the song. We wanted to recreate the video, and I’m so glad he was there. I made my band wear ruffles and tights and then pointed and laughed. Feel free to YouTube the performance and do the same.

While I was backstage before presenting the Best New Artist award, I talked to George Strait for a while. He’s so incredibly cool. So down-to-earth and funny. I think it should be known that George Strait has an awesome, dry, subtle sense of humor. Then I went back out into the crowd and watched the rest of the show. Keith Urban’s new song KILLS ME, it’s so good. And when Brad Paisley ran down into the front row and kissed Kimberley’s stomach (she’s pregnant) before accepting his award, Kellie, my mom, and I all started crying. That’s probably the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.

I thought Kellie NAILED her performance of the song we wrote together “The Best Days of Your Life”. I was so proud of her. I thought Darius Rucker’s performance RULED, and his vocals were incredible. I’m a huge fan. I love it when I find out that the people who make the music I love are wonderful people. I love Faith Hill and how she always makes everyone in the room feel special. I love Keith Urban, and how he told me he knows every word to “Love Story” (That made my night). I love Nicole Kidman, and her sweet, warm personality. I love how Kenny Chesney always has something hilarious or thoughtful to say. But the real moment that brought on this wave of gratitude was when Shania Twain HERSELF walked up and introduced herself to me. Shania Twain, as in.. The reason I wanted to do this in the first place. Shania Twain, as in.. the most impressive and independent and confident and successful female artist to ever hit country music. She walked up to me and said she wanted to meet me and tell me I was doing a great job. She was so beautiful, guys. She really IS that beautiful. All the while, I was completely star struck. After she walked away, I realized I didn’t have my camera. Then I cried.

You know, last night made me feel really great about being a country music fan in general. Country music is the place to find reality in music, and reality in the stars who make that music. There’s kindness and goodness and….honesty in the people I look up to, and knowing that makes me smile. I’m proud to sing country music, and that has never wavered. The reason for the being.. nights like last night.

lovelovelove
-T-

Currently listening :
Greatest Hits
By Keith Urban
Release date: By 2008-08-19

She also posted a new myspace video
Retainers.

Description: The downside to touring… You lose things.

Thanks to Kate from Blender for sending me the link to this video

The pop country phenomenon talks to Blender about boys, Miley Cyrus, Guitar Hero and always having the last word.

People has an article about the CMA and Taylor was mentioned.

Kellie Pickler, getting ready for the Country Music Association Awards with her BFF Taylor Swift. “We were just in the dressing room together and hair’s flying everywhere,” the new artist of the year nominee told us. “Shoes and clothes [were everywhere] and people [were] running around, and we’d just sit there and talk and listen to her iPod.” What was playing? “We were listening to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. We were listening to everything!”
After the show, Taylor Swift, hanging with her family in the VIP area at Big Machine’s post-CMA Awards party held in a club suite at the Sommet Center. Of course, the teen star didn’t stay put – she was circulating around the scene.

Access Hollywood shortly mentioned Taylor’s 30 pounds dress here

Taylor Swift dazzled in a Kaufman Franco metallic sequined gown. “It is 30 pounds worth of heavy,” Taylor joked with us.

Apparently, Taylor has hidden ambition to be a surgeon according to this article

She says, “I was so proud of this in high school. I won the best dissector award in biology. I have that little piece of paper in my wallet, from ninth grade.
“Surgery and biology have always been really fascinating to me, so I was really excited that they thought I had like the most potential as a surgeon.”

CMT has a poll asking who has the best look on 2008 CMA. Taylor is nominated. Click here to vote.

Here’s the red carpet video from CMT:
Also according to this article Boys Like Girls has been writing and collaborating with Taylor!

Boys Like Girls began writing and recording a new album three weeks ago, he said. He also recently co-wrote the theme song for the upcoming Hannah Montana movie, said Johnson, and has been writing and collaborating with other musicians, including country music star Taylor Swift.

Don’t forget that Taylor will have Live Chat on iTunes on November 13 at 7.00 PM CST at myspace.com/taylorswift

I also added some pictures from BMI and Glamour’s Women of The Year Awards.