Country singer Taylor Swift is living her dream

BY JAY BOBBIN | Zap2it

May 16, 2008

You're 18, you have a smash debut CD, and you've already won an armful of awards - even while removing your high heels en route to the stage.

What's next?

If you're Taylor Swift, possibly more awards, plus a second CD and a concert tour that runs through much of the year. The young singer-songwriter-guitarist could earn three more honors - including top female vocalist and top new female vocalist - when CBS televises "The 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards" Sunday at 8 p.m. from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"I love award shows," the spirited Swift says. "I love seeing what everybody is wearing, and walking the red carpet, and getting to talk to all these people I dreamed about meeting someday. Two years ago, I never dreamed I would have conversations with Kenny Chesney or Tim [McGraw] and Faith [Hill], people I absolutely idolize. It just reminds me how crazy my life has been these past two years."

The craziness began with the success of Swift's tribute to one of those people, titled " Tim McGraw." It continued with the wistful teen-romance ode "Our Song," which she composed for a ninth-grade talent show; in April, the tune brought her two CMT Music Awards, including video of the year. "Picture to Burn" is her latest hit.

"I took 'Tim McGraw' to country radio when I was 16, and I don't think a situation could get weirder than that," Swift says reflectively. "The fact that radio embraced it was the steppingstone to all of this, and it was really cool to travel in the back of a rental car to all those stations for eight months. Then releasing an album and people going out and buying it, I can't believe that! All these things just blow me away."

And there were two more recently. A Rolling Stone magazine cover placed Swift alongside such music icons as Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Bono. And Swift received the Superstar of Tomorrow honor at last month's Young Hollywood Awards.

Also up for album of the year (for "Taylor Swift," which was nearing triple-platinum sales at this writing) at the Academy of Country Music Awards, Swift will perform on the show. So will Carrie Underwood, Sugarland, Brooks & Dunn, Dolly Parton, recent "Celebrity Apprentice" runner-up Trace Adkins, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry and Rodney Atkins.

Kenny Chesney leads the ACM nominees with 12 bids. Reba McEntire hosts the event, in which fans can vote for entertainer of the year for the first time. (Votes still can be cast through Sunday at voteacm .com.) "It's a different voting panel," Swift reasons of her chances to win in her ACM categories. "I place a lot of importance on 4 1/2 million fans voting [as they did in the CMT Music Awards], because they mean so much to me. The ACMs are amazing because people in the business are the ones deciding who gets the awards, but I'm not going in expecting to win."