TAYLOR SWIFT ASCENT TO SUCCESS AND AMAs

Country music star Taylor Swift talks about success and staying grounded as she notches an American Music Award nomination.

Taylor Swift, the young country up-and-comer has finally arrived. After achieving a hit single with “Tim McGraw” she has been busy promoting her new tune, “Our Song.” Her self-titled album recently spent its eighth week at Number One on the Billboard Country Music chart and the effort has her entrenched in the top 40 albums on the Billboard 200.

Swift will be a presenter at the American Music Awards, and she was just nominated in the Favorite Female Country Artist. She has also been nominated for the Horizon Award for this year’s Country Music Awards. Taylor, who is currently missing her final year of high school, talked about how she’s dealing with all the success so far.

“Your decisions and your moral compass and the people that you surround yourself with make the most difference. I have a parent with me on the road, I always have one parent with me at all times. I think if you surround yourself with people who have known you since you were a baby, they’ll know if you’re changing or if you’re starting to act like a brat or if you’re taking things for granted and they won’t be afraid to tell you that. I try to surround myself with people who aren’t just ‘yes’ people, who tell me what I want to hear. I don’t want to be told what I want to hear. I want to be told what I need to hear, and you have to brave enough to take it.”