Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Taylor Swift ready to "Speak Now" with third album
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
World
Taylor Swift ready to "Speak Now" with third album
Reuters - Saturday, October 16
Send
IM Story
Print
By Tom Roland
NASHVILLE - Taylor Swift pulled a sweater over her knees. She was seated on a black leather couch in the lobby of Big Machine Records in Nashville, and the office was a bit chilly for the short, frilly skirt she wore.
Despite the brisk temperature, the room held distinctly warm memories for the 20-year-old singer. A handful of framed wall hangings provided a mini-retrospective of her career, including a multiplatinum award for her last album, 2008's "Fearless."
The Big Machine lobby was, in fact, a significant reminder of just how far she's traveled in her quick rise from unknown teen to global star.
When she was still a 16-year-old high school student, there was nothing on the walls in this room. Swift remembered sitting on the floor in the early summer of 2006, stuffing promotional CDs of her first single, "Tim McGraw," into envelopes destined for radio stations around the country.
"With every envelope that I would seal I would look at the address and the station on there and think, 'Please, please just listen to this one time,'" she recalled.
"I would say a little message to each envelope: 'Please, whoever gets this, please listen to this.' There's no promise when you're putting out your first single that people are even going to listen to it."
Not only did the single get heard, it opened the door to sales of more than 4 million copies of her self-titled debut album, awash in songs about broken hearts and high school social dramas.
Her sophomore set, "Fearless," did even better, selling 592,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, on its way to more than 6 million sales.
Three of the songs reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- a rare feat for a country artist -- as she commanded multiple magazine covers and even a 2009 MTV Video Music Award nomination and win.
When that VMA acceptance speech was infamously interrupted, the fiery Kanye West controversy supplanted the inspirational, dreams-really-do-come-true storyline in her career narrative.
Weeks after the VMA shocker, the Country Music Association presented Swift four awards, including entertainer of the year. In January, she won four more times at the Grammy Awards, with "Fearless" claiming the all-genre album-of-the-year trophy.
NO TIME LIKE 'NOW'
With every sector of the business jittery about the future of the album, the music industry's eyes and ears will be focused quite closely on Swift when Big Machine releases her third project, "Speak Now," on October 25.
Being heard is no longer an issue. Now the questions concern being heard at the right time and the volume with which the public might react.
An online leak forced Big Machine to rush-release the first single, "Mine," in August. It has since sold more than 1 million downloads. The title track, a quirky lyrical exercise that blends the dashed-wedding scenarios of "Runaway Bride" and "Friends in Low Places," debuted at No. 1 on iTunes. It sold more than 85,600 downloads on its first day of release, October 5.
Such leaks are a symptom of the anticipation surrounding the album. The label has shipped more than 2 million copies of the CD. No album has sold more than 1 million copies in its first week since Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" crossed that threshold in June 2008. As album sales continue to slide, a big debut week for Swift would be an encouraging sign.
The attention hasn't gone unnoticed by Swift, who does her best to distance herself from any expectations.
"I have a lot of anxiety about things on certain days, but I have anxiety because I care," she said. "It's not anxiety that's crippling. It's a five-minute conversation with myself about if a number really defines this piece of art that I've created and what that means, and what the number's going to be.
"I try to predict what it's going to be, and then I realize that I can't predict what it's going to be, and then I sit there and say something to myself like, 'Well, you're happy today. Enjoy this and be proud of the music that you've made.'"
TEEN APPEAL
To date, Swift's music has been somewhat atypical for a country singer. The genre's radio stations primarily target adults between the ages of 25-54. Her youth-based lyrics made her a hit with her teen peers.
Fears that she would remain trapped thematically in Hendersonville High were, according to one rival label president, obliterated with the first line of "Mine," which references college in the opening phrase.
"Mine" was a turning point in the album's development. Swift and producer Nathan Chapman had begun recording new songs almost as soon as "Fearless" was released. Still, it wasn't until early 2010 when the album truly began to coalesce, first with "Mine" and then with "Innocent," Swift's response to the Kanye West incident.
Public opinion had turned dramatically on the rapper. West tweeted in September 2010 that he "bled hard" because of his actions. He canceled a tour, had to let employees go and was called a "jackass" by the president.
Instead of piling on the venom with the song, Swift's "Innocent" takes a conciliatory tone, painting him as "32, and still growing up now."
"Who you are," she sings in forgiveness, "is not where you've been."
"It took a while to write that song," Swift said. "That was a huge, intense thing in my life that resonated for a long time. "It was brought up to me in grocery stores and everywhere I went, and in a lot of times in my life, when I don't know how I feel about something, I say nothing."
"And that's what I did until I could come to the conclusion that I came to in order to write 'Innocent,' " she continued. "Even then, I didn't talk about it, and I still don't really talk about it. I just thought it was very important for me to sing about it."
Many took the conciliatory tone of "Innocent" at face value, but not everyone. The New York Times referred to it as "petty." A Los Angeles Times critic called the lyrics "slams disguised as 'forgiveness.'"
Those barbs were echoed in many online reader comments. They were, in fact, just the latest round of criticism that has been leveled at Swift, who has endured a backlash not uncommon to artists whose rise to prominence occurs at rocket pace.
The 2009 CMA victories were accompanied by a negative outpouring over the female vocalist-of-the-year honor in particular.
The fallout was even more pronounced when Swift had significant pitch problems during a televised Grammy performance with Stevie Nicks.
"I care about what everyone thinks of me, and I'm not afraid to say that," she said. "There have been times when it's absolutely leveled me and ruined my day. Then there are times when I can hear it and I'm kind of like, 'Oh, I've heard that before,' and I just continue on with my day."
BEYOND THE FAIRY TALE
"Speak Now" could prove to be a pivotal album in Swift's creative progress. Music history is littered with teen stars who were unable to maintain their commercial pace once they hit their 20s. But in most instances, those acts didn't write their own material.
"At one point, the record was not called 'Speak Now.' It was called 'Enchanted,'" Big Machine president/CEO Scott Borchetta said. "We were at lunch, and she had played me a bunch of the new songs. I looked at her and I'm like, 'Taylor, this record isn't about fairy tales and high school anymore. That's not where you're at. I don't think the record should be called 'Enchanted.'"
Swift excused herself from the table at that point. By the time she came back, she had the "Speak Now" title, which comes closer to representing the evolution that the album represents in her career and in her still-young understanding of the world.
"I'm just fascinated by people -- how they live their lives, what they live their lives for," she said. "It's just a never-ending thought process for me about how we end up where we are -- and where we're going."
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Reuters - Saturday, October 16
Alisa Apps insists Lady Gaga challenge not a stunt Reuters - Saturday, October 16
Kid Cudi putting his troubles behind Reuters - Saturday, October 16
Warner Bros. gives go-ahead to two "Hobbit" films Reuters - Saturday, October 16
Keith Richards reveals all in rock'n'roll memoirs AFP - Saturday, October 16
News Search
Top Stories
Time, like all good things, may come to an end: study
US deficit shrinks but still tops one trillion
US Fed ramps up talk of intervention to salvage recovery
World's longest tunnel breaks down Swiss Alpine barrier
US deficit shrinks nearly nine percent in fiscal 2010
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
Paris airports pipeline cut amid protests: company
Indestructible McDonalds burger amazes US
World's longest tunnel breaks down Swiss Alpine barrier
Indonesian civil servants stumble over unusual test
Time, like all good things, may come to an end: study
More Most Viewed »
Too much TV psychologically harms kids: study
Workers swarm Europe's streets in anti-cuts protests
British lottery winner gets record 129 mln euros
'A billion people' go hungry in 2010: report
Global marine life census charts vast world beneath the seas
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo!
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Entertainment
Photos
Yahoo! News Network
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy
- Terms of Service
- Community
- Intellectual Property Rights Policy
- Help
Other News on Saturday, 16 October 2010 Google shares surge on strong earnings
Sarkozy sends in riot police to break fuel blockade
Dutch prosecutors seek acquittal of anti-Islam MP
|
US deficit shrinks nearly nine percent in fiscal 2010
Italy's Enel Green Power to float on Monday
US-TECH Summary
"Grey's Anatomy" Debuts New "Seattle Grace: Message Of Hope" Webisodes
NESV seal acrimonious Liverpool takeover
Derek Hough Talks "Demolition Dancing" On "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
Nigeria militants threaten new bomb attack in Abuja
|
US Fed ramps up talk of intervention to salvage recovery
Pentagon bracing for release of 400,000 secret Iraq reports
Miller, Murkowski Deadlocked In Alaska Poll
Pakistan to press on with tax reforms after floods
|
U.S. Retail Sales Rise 0.6 Percent In September
New Israeli settlement plan sparks Palestinian fury
Ecuador cave-in traps four miners
|
India seeks 'cool jacket' design to help hot labourers
Ratan Tata Donates "Historic Gift" To Alma Mater Harvard
GM Recalls 303,100 Impalas Over Front Seat Belt Problems
New York Times releases free -- for now -- iPad app
October Annually Most Dangerous Month for Teen Drivers
Petraeus disturbed by confusion over hostage death
|
$250 Payments Would Sub For Lack Of COLA
Faulty Foreclosure Paperwork Mess Might Cost Banks Billions
Russian firms say not responsible for web piracy
South Sudan tries to assure China on oil investments
Jesse Ventura Talks 9/11, JFK As "Conspiracy Theory" Second Season Premieres
Swedish Pirate Bay appeals trial wraps up
Pakistan told to shape up in exchange for aid
HP hires Nokia exec to run mobile software
US drone strike kills three in Pakistan: officials
Non-retail video game sales hit $2.9 billion
N.Korea repeats threat to shell S.Korea propaganda sites
HP hires Nokia exec to run mobile software
Djokovic, Federer storm into Shanghai tennis semis
Thailand's Red Shirts plan mass weekend rally
Mekong countries should delay dam projects for decade: study
Apple's earnings to showcase one-two punch
|
Malaria stalks Myanmar's poor as healthcare crumbles
Aussie hits parity with US dollar
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Actor Vince Vaughn defends "gay" joke in movie
Author Leonard dislikes eBooks, still loves movies
After industry, Germany exports lifestyle to China
Chinese artist's 'seeds' deemed London gallery health risk
Liza Minnelli cancels concerts due to pneumonia
Altered images depict horrors of pollution
Richards: Mick Jagger was "unbearable"
China, Greece to launch joint bid for logistics site contract
King of Pop shows new face in unseen photos
IMF sets central bank meeting in Shanghai Monday
Mitsubishi mulls higher Thai plant output amid strong yen
Airbus pitches A380 for Japan's busy domestic market
Japan central bank chief warns of delayed recovery
Japan pulls out of Iran's biggest onshore oil project
Fishing, kayaking Sarah Palin debuts TV show trailer
|
India's Infosys' profits jump on improved tech spending
Roc-a-Fella Records founder charged in drug case
|
HSBC scraps talks over Nedbank purchase
Actor Vince Vaughn defends gay joke in movie
|
Skating with the Stars hits the ice on U.S. TV
|
G20 host S.Korea: protectionism is top concern
Prince announces Welcome 2 America tour
|
Liza Minnelli cancels concerts due to pneumonia
|
Leif Garrett pleads no contest to drug possession
|
Author Leonard dislikes eBooks, still loves movies
|
US soldier faces court martial over Afghan killings
Chile's rescued miners mum on nightmare experience
|
China mine blast kills 20, others trapped: report
|
Palestinians protest new Jerusalem housing plan
Time, like all good things, may come to an end: study
French to hit streets anew over pension reform
|
Tablet computer sales to hit 208 million in 2014
Resumption of stalled Iran nuclear talks on horizon
US deficit shrinks but still tops one trillion
Videogame fans sidestepping real-world shops: NPD
Karzai brother 'could be indicted for tax evasion'
U.S. To Monitor Venezuela's Relations With Nuclear Nations
World's longest tunnel breaks down Swiss Alpine barrier
U.S. Helping Taliban To Attend Peace Negotiations, Denies Direct Involvement
Iran wants to discuss dates to start nuclear talks
Sudan rebukes U.N. over border buffer zone plan
|
New Security Chief At Washington Dulles International Airport
3 NATO troops die in Afghanistan as attacks surge
Manolo Blahnik Shows Off Sketching Skills On "The Martha Stewart" Show
Brazilian poll shows Rousseff leading by 6 points
|
Dismay, disillusionment prevail in Palestinian camp
Pentagon Cautions Against Disclosure, Denies Knowledge Of DADT Cases Under Investigation
Weekly Recap
FBI was 'warned' about key figure in Mumbai attacks
Katy Perry Partners With Bing And Tapulous With Katy Perrys Revenge By Bing Game
BMW recalls 21,000 cars from China: state media
Amnesty International: Israel Must Cease Illegal Settlement Expansion
"Skating With The Stars" To Premiere In November On ABC
Producers On The Race To Secure Film/TV Story Rights To Rescued Chilean Miners
UN chief slams Myanmar junta on rights ahead of election
Weather forecast for the Asia-Pacific region
NKorea threatens '1,000-fold' increase in weapons
Warner Bros. gives go-ahead to two "Hobbit" films
Government to report on $1 trillion-plus deficit
Canadian Guantanamo inmate negotiating plea deal
U.N. official: U.S. is $1.2 billion in arrears at U.N.
Ex-President Carter to start Mideast peace tour
IBM 3rd-quarter seen strong, helped by new mainframe
|
Minimum and maximum temperatures in Celsius
Neb. senator seeks talks in Congress on fetal pain
Kid Cudi putting his troubles behind
Warner Bros. gives go-ahead to two "Hobbit" films
eBay names head of marketing for North America
|
Keith Richards reveals all in rock'n'roll memoirs
Rapper T.I. sentenced to 11 months in jail
Ford to sell most of stake in Japan's Mazda: reports
Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz welcome baby boy
US moves to avert China clash, but nods to pre-election ire
Actor Simon MacCorkindale dies at 58
Huey Lewis explores "Soulsville" on new album
Taylor Swift ready to "Speak Now" with third album
Neil Patrick Harris welcomes twins
Warner Bros. gives go-ahead to two Hobbit films
|
Neil Patrick Harris welcomes twins
|
Kid Cudi putting his troubles behind
|
Huey Lewis explores Soulsville on new album
|
Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz welcome baby boy
|
summit focuses on battling cyber bullies
Rapper T.I. sentenced to 11 months in jail
|
Taylor Swift ready to Speak Now with third album
|
eBay names head of marketing for North America
Actor Simon MacCorkindale dies at 58
|
IBM 3rd-quarter seen strong, helped by new mainframe
EU proposes nuclear talks with Iran Nov 15-18
France braces for fresh pension reform protest
Iraq PM to visit Iran as coalition talks hot up
Sudan rebukes U.N. over border buffer zone plan
Japan rallies against China over disputed islands
|
Floods in Russia kill 11
|
England coach Capello to retire after Euro 2012
France, Germany to welcome Russia to seaside summit
Typhoon Megi gains strength as it nears Philippines
|
Man With Cerebral Palsy Too Disabled to Fly
Kosovo party quits government coalition
|
French workers pour onto the streets
France replies to EU on Roma's free movement: EU
Berlusconi laughs off tax fraud inquiry
Chavez clinches energy, nuclear deals on Russia visit
Acquit Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker: prosecutors
U.S. soldier to face court-martial in Afghan slayings
Prosecutors launch tax inquiry against Berlusconi
Fox-Cablevision dispute threatens MLB broadcasts
Medvedev nominates top Putin aide as Moscow mayor
Clinton: US working to ending Mexico drug violence
World's longest tunnel breaks down Swiss Alpine barrier
Witnesses say Fort Hood gunman kept firing outside
Apple's earnings to showcase one-two punch
|
Court ruling or no, gay troops know not to tell
Feds oppose Calif. Prop 19 to legalize marijuana
Minimum and maximum temperatures in Celsius
China mine accident leaves 20 dead, 17 missing
Chinese bosses shoot protesting Zambian miners: police
China 'concerned' over Japan island row protest
Thousands of Chinese join anti-Japan protests
G20 accord on currency elusive, S.Korean bank says
Dolce and Gabbana accused of tax evasion: report
Shanghai Expo breaks visitor record
Japan upgrades Haneda airport
Typhoon Megi gains strength as it nears Philippines
Finally, US Army makes progress for women in uniform
Pakistan defends military policy in northwest
Turkmens open Russia-bound gas route
Alisa Apps insists Lady Gaga challenge not a stunt
India 'orders probe' into Delhi Games corruption
October Annually Most Dangerous Month for Teen Drivers
Flash floods kill four in Cambodia
Nepalese Man Is Worlds Shortest
New York's Lincoln Center Has Bedbugs In Dressing Rooms Of Koch Theater
Philippines on alert for late-season typhoon
Billionaire Holds Out On $1 Million Presidential Streaking Dare
Suspicious Packages Found At Arizona Nuclear Plant
Suspects In Arizona Beheading Hunted
First Hitler Exhibit In Germany Breaks Taboo
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights