Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American country pop singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. At one point in 2009, Taylor had 8 songs on the Billboard Top 100 chart along with CMA wins for Album of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Video of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year. Not only did Taylor sell out her 52-city tour in 2009, but her 2010 tour dates sold out within minutes of being onsale. Her multi-platinum album, Fearless, is nominated for Album of the Year at the 2010 Grammy Awards, along with 7 other nominations. Forbes ranked Swift 2009’s 69th-most powerful celebrity, earning $18 million.
Taylor’s rise to superstardom might seem at times to have happened in the blink of an eye, but in reality it has taken a decade of hard work. Her family recognized Taylor’s talent and determination at an early age, and they started taking regular trips to Nashville to shop her music around. She began writing with local songwriters, and after a few years, during which the family made the decision to move to nearby Hendersonville, Tenn., a showcase at the Bluebird Cafe caught the eye of music-industry veteran Scott Borchetta, who was planning to launch a new label. What he saw on that stage was a young girl with an innate ability to entertain and a true gift for writing great songs.
Taylor Swift surprised onlookers with her unannounced performance of “Love Story” at Sony’s CES 2010 press conference (starts at 1:40). Briefly before that she spoke to Sony’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President Sir Howard Stringer about how she will use Sony products in 2010 to share her “beautiful experiences” online and also mentions her upcoming tour. The screen behind her was showing the performance live in 3D, too. I think we both can agree that 3D isn’t necessary to enjoy this, though.