Taylor Swift's Country Music Youth Movement

BY now Taylor Swift knows how to work all the different digital cameras, all the different camera phones. When surrounded by a group of fans clamoring for pictures, as she was here on a Saturday night in mid-October after a sold-out show at the McKenzie Arena, she warmly appropriated the camera of each one, struck a cute pose, snapped the picture and then handed it back, usually followed by a hug. All in all it was a fair trade: intimacy for control.

"Intimidation isn't what I'm going for," Ms. Swift, 18, said earlier in the day in the Zen-like tour bus she and her mother, Andrea, designed, from the leather on the sofas to the faux peacock feathers on the bathroom wall. "I don't have big security guards," she said as Fox News played mutely on the television. "I don't have an entourage. I try to write lyrics about what's happening to me and leave out the part that I live in hotel rooms and tour buses. It's the relatability factor. If you're trying too hard to be the girl next door, you're not going to be."

Thus far Ms. Swift, who spends much of her free time updating her MySpace page and editing personal videos to upload to the Internet, has not had a tough time finding the right balance. She has quickly established herself as the most remarkable country music breakthrough artist of the decade. In part that's because she is one of Nashville's most exciting songwriters, with a chirpy, exuberant voice. But mainly Ms. Swift's career has been noteworthy for what happens once the songs are finished. She has aggressively used online social networks to stay connected with her young audience in a way that, while typical for rock and hip-hop artists, is proving to be revolutionary in country music. As she vigilantly narrates her own story and erases barriers between her and her fans, she is helping country reach a new audience.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[obamasandiego]

She's more Pop than Country. She's got a pretty face, but come on, she's no Carrie Underwood or Jewel.

[MajorKong]

Country music today sounds like bad 70's pop. Not to imply that there was such a thing as good 70's pop.

Is there some law that all female country artists have to look like Barbi dolls?

[trinity]

Wow! It's the bubble gum country version of Miley Cyrus (aka Hanna Montana)...

[truthyguy]

give 'em the cleavage

[LoRiseAntlers]

This young lady is just another pop lipsyncher,with no real talent.Every single time I have heard her try to sing live,it was excruciating.She was out of tune,pitchy and unable to hold a note every time.

Country music has denigrated into a swamp of talentless,untalented studio acts,cranking out pop that's about as country as Dubya's really a cowboy.It's disgusting.

[bartonfink]

taylor swift is obviously very talented and marketable, more power to her, but she's no more "country" than is rascal flats or any of the other producer construct "new country" acts currently enjoying sizable download #s. country-inflected pop product, though assembled by experts on every level, is to country music what W. was to presidential leadership: in name only

[babyryder]

thank you to jon for a most enlightening article on taylor swift ! having been a fan from the beginning i think the recognition she has been receiving is both awesome AND well deserved ! she rocks in concert and i cannot think of anyone her age with the poise to open a show for the
great george strait ! kudos to her parents for raising such a fine young woman ! and taylor . . . just keep on doing what you are doing . . . being taylor !
xox from a fan who is just a FEW years removed from the Youth Movement ( insert smiley face here )
we love you here in the Great NorthWest !

[hypnotoad72]

"I try to write lyrics about what's happening to me"

Fair enough. But if she's just a pretty looking neurotypical with a normal childhood, who's going to care? The media prefers a freak show when possible.

Which reminds me, I need to write the next chapter of MY book... :P