Taylor Swift interview with Life!

On Friday, 19 November, there was a 2-page newspaper coverage on Taylor Swift. Her record label confirmed the interview with Life! one hour before it was happening and warned that she had just flown across the Atlantic Ocean and was in London, had just finished some early-morning rehearsals and would probably be a little tired. Despite having to cram in back-to-back interviews, she was relatively in high spirits.

'I have no idea why my CDs sold so many copies!" she told Life! "All the credit go to the fans because they are the ones who made that happen. I made an album and for them to react that way speaks of how dedicated and open they are to hearing new music and letting it into their lives. I would never be able to thank the fans enough for what they did for me."

Despite all the early achievements, she says she's a normal girl who loves doing all the things girls of her age do. "When I'm not working on music, I love to take long hikes in the woods in Nashville and I like to listen to music on my headphones really, really loud. I also love to cook and bake and watch Grey's Anatomy and meet my friends for coffee and laugh and catch up."

All the constant touring to perform and promote her songs can be tiring at times but she insists that she has it all under control. "I think I feel very lucky that at no point I felt overwhelmed or completely overworked. I've always maintained my love for music is the No. 1 thing on my mind. I love doing this and that's why I work really hard at it."

As for the content of her songs, she says the words are inspired by real people in her life, although she is keeping mum on the identities of her subjects. "When I write songs, I write them as if no one will ever hear them and that's why they come on so personal," she says. "I'm really inspired by what goes on around me and the people in my life and how they make me feel. So my songs turn into messages to the people in my life." "I never tell anyone who these songs are about. It's cool to be the only one who know," she adds.

Taylor Swift is looking forward to coming to Singapore, especially because her mother Andrea spent a few years growing up here. Taylor's grandfather worked in an engineering company and was stationed here with his family for a few years. "My mother always told me amazing stories about it so I always wanted to come. She will join me because she wants to return to see all the places she used to know. She said the place is fantastic." More importantly for Taylor, the trip here will give her a chance to play her soul-bearing, self-planned songs live to a new audience. "One of my favourite things about playing a show is that these are the songs that I have written. So seeing a crowd who knows the songs and care about the music is why I perform concerts in the first place"