She's swiftly taking over the country music scene

By Mike Osegueda

McClatchy Newspapers

Taylor Swift will tell you she is just like many new high school graduates. She loves to talk, shop and hang out with her best friend.

The only catch: She’s a rising country star who was a nominee for best new artist at this year’s Grammy Awards, has sold more than 3 million albums, and has hits such as “Teardrops on My Guitar,” “Our Song” and “Should’ve Said No.”

While most of her peers donned caps and gowns to receive their high school diplomas, Swift was strumming a guitar and performing for thousands of fans. She got her diploma in the mail in July.

“Education has always been at the forefront of my priorities, so I’m really glad to have my diploma,” the 18-year-old singer-songwriter said.

Swift attended public school for 9th and 10th grade. But when her career began heating up, she needed more flexibility and switched to Aaron Academy, a private Christian school that offers home schooling.

“I never expected that my senior year would go the way it has,” she said. “There’s something really exciting about getting to live your dream and continue your education at the same time.”

Swift’s latest CD, “Beautiful Eyes,” debuted in July as a Wal-Mart exclusive at No. 9 on the Billboard album chart, while her first album remained at No. 12, having been on the charts for 91 weeks. On the country album chart, the new CD was No. 1 and the self-titled debut album was No. 2, making her the only artist to accomplish such rankings in this decade.

Her current tour as the opening act for Rascal Flatts comes to Virginia Beach Thursday night.

She recently talked about her career:

On her relationship with her fans: “Fans are my favorite thing in the world. I’ve never been the type of artist who has that line drawn between their friends and their fans. The line’s always been really blurred for me. I’ll hang out with them after the show. I’ll hang out with them before the show. If I see them in the mall, I’ll stand there and talk to them for 10 minutes. I don’t care. ... Who am I to think I’m better than talking to people?”

On drawing a line between her professional and personal lives: “With business and stuff, there’s a line. There are times when I’ll just be like, ‘I’m turning my phone off today. Today is the day I’m going to be driving around my hometown with my best friend; you guys can’t call me today.’

“With fans, I’m never going to look someone in the eye, have them ask me (for) an autograph, and I say no. There’s no line to draw there. I don’t know why I’d ever want to draw a line with fans. They’re the only reason I’m here.”

On guy fans trying to date her: “You get guys who pass you their number in a meet-and-greet line, but that’s harmless and I kind of respect it. I have a lot of guys ask me to prom, which is adorable.

“The less snobby you can possibly be about people, the better off you’ll be in your career. I’m never gonna be like, ‘Oh my gosh, how dare he ask me to prom?’ You have to ground yourself and realize that you’re not entitled to this. This career is a gift.”

On her ideal day off: “My perfect day off would be being home in Hendersonville, Tenn., and hanging out with my best friend, Abigail. We’ve been best friends since freshman year. We’re like each other’s only friend really. We never were really in the clique in high school, we always were just best friends with each other.

“So it’d be hanging out with her and going on some random adventure like finding some place to shop we’ve never shopped before, staying up all night baking cakes or painting. We’re just like really random, so we do a bunch of random stuff whenever I’m home.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.