Taylor Swift rides high into Grammy night

Taylor Swift has been playing in the major leagues only a short time, yet her trophy case would make even the New York Yankees jealous.

Think that's an exaggeration? Consider that 20-year-old Swift has received 78 major award nominations and won 48 times since breaking through in 2006. This includes winning six American Music Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards and five Country Music Television Awards. Back in November, Swift, then just 19, took home five Country Music Association Awards — including the genre's most prestigious prize, entertainer of the year.

Now, she stands to add to that total — in a big way — with nominations in eight categories Sunday night at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards. Swift (who previously had but one Grammy nomination to her name) has the second most nominations of the night, trailing only Beyonce's 10, and they include three of the biggest fields — record, song and album of the year.

Not that awards shows are the only forum for Swift's success. Her two CDs, "Taylor Swift" and 2008's "Fearless," have sold millions of copies and she's scored more Top 40 singles than any other female artist this millennium. She's also quickly proven to be a legitimate draw at the gate, as her ongoing "Fearless Tour" — set to touch down April 11 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose — has been drawing capacity crowds across the country.

"It's a meteoric rise not unlike what we've seen in recent years with the likes of the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus," remarks Rob Evans, editor of TicketMaster's music news Web site, LiveDaily.com. "What's interesting about Swift, though, is that it's easy to picture her playing concert halls for years and years."

Indeed, Swift seems unlike anything else we've seen in pop music history. There have been acts — especially those that appeal to a younger demographic — that rise from seemingly nowhere to dominate the charts (and often fade equally as fast). There have also been musicians who have won big at award shows or earned rave reviews from critics. Yet, it's hard to name anyone other than Swift who has so quickly managed to accomplish both.

Swift was first embraced by country crowds that cheered on her debut single, the 2006 ode to hunky cowboy "Tim McGraw." Her music then began to spread via the Internet — rare for a country artist — and was eagerly gobbled up by non-country listeners. In particular, she connected with Hannah Montana fans, young teens and early twentysomethings, who had no problem identifying with the personal lyrics and stories in her mostly puppy-love songs.

"I think Taylor's advantage is that she is a singer-songwriter," says Nate Deaton, general manager of the Bay Area country music station KRTY 95.3 FM. "A lot of people try to relate to that 13- to 25-year-old audience. Well, it's pretty darn hard to relate to that audience unless you are one of them.

"Swift wrote her songs from that perspective, and I think that's what appeals to the audience. It's believable because it doesn't come from a 35-year old."

With that crucial younger demographic and a solid country following at her feet, Swift then went on to conquer the rest of the world. Her songs quickly crossed over from country radio to garner much airplay on other formats, and soon millions of pop fans were singing Swift's praises. Critics, traditionally skeptical of anything so overwhelmingly endorsed by the general public, also fell under Swift's spell.

Geoffrey Himes, the noted writer who has organized the Nashville Scene publication's annual Country Music Critics Poll since its inception in 2000, was joyous in recounting what it was like to see Swift in concert.

"I caught the first show of her summer tour at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland, and I was astounded all over again by her improbable combination of good writing, good singing, good looks and strong presence," he wrote in the essay accompanying the most recent critic's poll. "Maybe she's had some vocal problems on award shows, but on that night in June she sounded like the best thing to happen to American pop music in a long time as she delivered one of the truest songs about adolescence ('Fifteen') I've ever heard."

Regardless whether Swift wins big at Sunday's Grammy Awards, her biggest challenge will be in trying to sustain her popularity as she — and her fans — graduate to adulthood. That's no easy task for a young act — just ask Hanson, Debbie Gibson or Tiffany— but it's one that Swift seems well prepared to handle.

"Though she's still very young, she's already a veteran performer, and she's already a songwriter," Evans says. "To develop a deep fan base, it's important to put the work in, and she's put the work in. Her publicity machine has been amazing, but her music seems more personal and less disposable than that of many of today's other young stars."