Q&A: How Nashville helped make Taylor Swift a superstar
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Taylor Swift in 2007. Photo: Jason Squires/WireImage via Getty
Taylor Swift's Nashville years didn't just launch her career. They helped shape how she writes, works and connects with fans, journalist Emily Yahr tells Axios.
The big picture: Yahr interviewed more than 100 people who knew or worked with Swift during her Nashville beginnings for her new book, "Taylor Swift: The Debut Years."
- We asked Yahr what that origin story reveals about the superstar Swift became. (Responses were edited for length and clarity.)
What about her early work hinted at the superstar Swift would become?
"One of my favorite interviews was with Arturo Buenahora, who signed Taylor to a publishing deal at Sony/ATV when she was 14. He told me an anecdote about hearing 'Teardrops on My Guitar,' which is about Taylor's crush on a guy named Drew.
"He asked why she didn't change it to 'you' or something more universal; her response was basically, 'Because it's about Drew.' She already knew that listeners would relate to that kind of specificity.
"There were so many examples of Taylor pushing back on industry norms, but that one stuck with me, and those instincts hinted at an ambition that couldn't be contained to only country music."
How did her country years help shape her success?
"Collaborating with the incredibly hardworking Nashville songwriters and producers helped shape her already relentless work ethic.
"She saw firsthand the importance of cultivating long-term relationships with radio programmers, something that has continued to benefit her even in the streaming era.
"But the key element is how much country music encourages stars to treat their fans as friends, something that Taylor intuitively grasped as a young artist; and as we know, her close bond with her fans took her to another level."
Do you still hear her country roots in her later music?
"Absolutely — that's the first thing I notice on songs like 'But Daddy I Love Him' and 'Ruin the Friendship.' I also hear country vibes during the three-song run of 'Paper Rings,' 'Cornelia Street' and 'Death by a Thousand Cuts.'
"And I think her Nashville storytelling DNA is evident in many songs on 'Folklore' and 'Evermore.'"
Why does her debut album still matter 20 years later?
"The 'Taylor Swift' album is an essential part of her legacy because it foreshadowed themes that would remain so prevalent in her music: lasting love, bitter breakups, fiery revenge, and just trying to figure out life.
"Plus, it remains an excellent example of an artist and producer who really had no idea what they were doing (Taylor had never made an album before, Nathan Chapman had never produced an album before) and creating something magical that didn't sound like anything else."