9781422273326

FACING HER FEARS After such a strong debut album, it was important for Swift—and Big Machine Records—to maintain the momentum . Swift had years to write her first album—now she had just months. And, she was on tour promoting her first album the whole time. Luckily, Swift enjoyed writing on the road, and Rose was able to co-write four songs. “I do love writing on the road—I usually write at the concert venue,” Swift remembers. “I’ll find a quiet place in some room at the venue, like the locker room.” The album she and four co-writers wrote while Swift was touring— Fearless — debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts and sold 592,000 copies in its first week—beating a record set by The Eagles! The album continued to sell and stayed high on the charts, peaking at No. 1 for 11 weeks! It became the longest chart-topper ever by a female country artist. Fearless eventually went on to become the bestselling album of all of 2009. People couldn’t get enough of Swift, and critical accolades were rolling in to match her stellar sales. Swift was about to win big—but she was also about to face one of the most trying times of her young career. GIRL, INTERRUPTED In 2009, Swift’s video for “You Belong to Me” earned her a nomination for an MTVVideo Music Award (VMA) for Best FemaleVideo. Swift was up against Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” video as well as Lady Gaga for “Poker Face.” It was a tough competition, and Swift was surprised when her video for “You Belong to Me” was announced as the winner. As she went to claim the award from the stage, rapper KanyeWest rushed the podium, grabbing the mic. “I will let you finish,” he said to the confused crowd, “but Beyoncé had one

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Taylor Swift