Taylor Swift: Young, fearless and in control

The country-pop star wins Entertainer of the Year and three other prizes in a night dominated by up-and-comers.

In 1958, Johnny Cash released the song "Ballad of a Teenage Queen," the story of a pretty small-town girl who won Hollywood fame but gave it all up for the boy next door. In 2009 -- on Wednesday night, actually, in Nashville, at the annual Country Music Assn. Awards ceremony -- Taylor Swift updated and obliterated that story line.

The 19-year-old songwriter and universe-shifting star won in four categories, beating out mainstays such as Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban to claim country music for youth, femininity and pop. She also performed two numbers and was the subject of much running humor throughout the program, which found its spark whenever one of country's current batch of New Non-Traditionalists took the stage.

Swift started things out with a version of "Forever and Always" that was glitzy and high-concept -- and off-tune, a consistent characteristic of Swift's live outings that gave the lie to her one undeserved triumph, for best female vocalist. The prize should have gone to Carrie Underwood, country's most powerful young singer and the evening's co-host with Brad Paisley.

Struggling for her notes but not showing any concern about it, Swift made a flurry of arena-rock moves, shaking her long, gold tresses as if she were Robert Plant and sliding down a shiny pole in what seemed like a defiant nod toward her friend Miley Cyrus, who took guff for similar gyrations on this year's Teen Choice Awards. By the end of this production number, she owned the night. And she kept on owning it, right down to her tearful acceptance of the Entertainer of the Year prize, which she shared with her touring band and her fans, "and the shirts you made yourselves."

In a flash, it seemed, country had transformed from the mellow ol' boys club of Chesney and Urban to a girls' army led by Swift and her sign-waving devotees, who sang along in a (clearly staged, but still effective) campfire version of her coming-of-age ballad, "Fifteen." But Swift isn't forging country's new future alone.

Beyond Swift's presence and performances, which thoroughly dominated the night, others found ways to throw off the spark of change. Darius Rucker, who'd already broken down doors as a black soft-rock star with Hootie & the Blowfish in the mid-1990s, took a supremely sloppy, crowd-hugging run through his hit "Alright," then gave the most ecstatic speech of the night as best new artist -- he's the first African American to win in that category.

The impeccable Paisley played a sparkly blue guitar and sang his ode to tech-inspired liberalism, "Welcome to the Future." Underwood apparently borrowed a cut-away gown and some dance moves from Katy Perry for a version of "Cowboy Casanova" that reminded us this quintessential country bombshell is a genre-buster too. And both Reba McEntire and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland delivered gorgeous vocal performances that stood as a welcome and a challenge to Swift: a welcome for her emotionality and feminine insight, and a challenge for her to find a singing voice that can take her into adulthood.

At the spectrum's other end, the rough-hewn neo-classicist Jamey Johnson (who, unfortunately, was saddled with Kid Rock as a duet partner) and the luminescent country rocker Miranda Lambert showed, with steady performances of great songs, that traditions don't have to be smashed into new shapes -- they can be tenderly modified as well.

Paisley exemplifies that approach; Underwood, reading from the night's script, noted that her co-host "honors our past and points the way to our future at the same time." The country music establishment is clearly hoping that change will come on these careful terms. Honoring an outsider like Song of the Year winner Johnson, who isn't slick like Chesney and Urban but at least isn't a teenager or a former alternative-rock star, was one way of lighting that more comfortable path.

This is Nashville, though, where elders are honored and customs are preserved. As always, George Strait performed and was cheered, the camera dwelled on ladies swooning at Urban (including his wife Nicole Kidman, of course), and Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, standing for married bliss, held hands as they walked onstage to give Swift her final award.

The kid's big win might be just one step in her important rise, but for her, it was also a seal of parental approval. Beaming toward her dad, seated in the audience, Swift said through tears, "I will never forget this moment, because in this moment, everything I ever wanted has just happened to me."

The teenage queen had arrived at her homecoming, and without even meaning to do it, started a whole new game.

ann.powers@latimes.com

'I feel like I'm in a dream' -- Taylor Swift, CMA 2009 entertainer of the year

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Photo credits: Getty Images

Comments

[George]

Wow! How amazing were the Country Music Awards last night! There were such good live performances by Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. Speaking of Carrie Underwood, She had so many amazing dresses that she wore through out the show. I’m really glad that Taylor Swift won Album of the Year. Fearless was a great record and she really deserved it. I found this great article and photo gallery from the show over at iHeartRadio. You should definitely check it out if you missed anything from the show. The link is http://www.iheartradio.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=104650&article=6299529&cmp=and_cmawinners

[maduceone]

The only part of the CMA's I saw was about 2/3 of Taylor Swift's performance at the start (I am not a country music fan). You are right - she either can't sing live or she needs some better stage monitors (probably in-ear). Her voice aside (she may need a different live mic as well - as pointed out in another article - her vocal was rather thin in addition to being off key at times) the theme of the song, "Forever and Always", was decidedly country, but the music and performance (her actions on stage) were decidedly rock (or maybe pop - the categories confuse me)! Taylor should have done another duet with her friend, Miley, which made her a much better vocalist the last time. I should say that on the TV feed, I'm not sure what mix we were hearing anyway. She could crossover to pop (she's almost there) and become the next Britney Spears, she probably has the talent. Meanwhile one of your posts in the last week introduced me to another new female performer, Orianthi, who is terrific. She sings very well and is absolutely killer on lead guitar. Thanks for that!

[rachel and carrie]

I think that Taylor Swift does not deserve female artist of the year and entertainer of the year for the 2009 CMA's. I think that these awards should have gone to Carrie Underwood. Carrie Underwood can actually sing amazing live and Taylor needs to take vocal lessons. You should actually be a good singer to deserve these awards.

[Sarah]

Judd bitter over Swift's CMA sweep

Wynonna: "Too Soon" For Taylor's Win
Posted Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:49am PST by Wendy Geller in Viva NashVegas
At last night's CMA Awards show, host Brad Paisley likened the country community to one big family--"George Strait plus eight," he joked..

And, truth be told, he's not too far off the mark. Nashville is an insular and protective community--sure, it's full of gossip and pettiness and all the other things you find in any tight-knit group. But, as Paisley humorously noted, most of the time everyone gets along pretty well. .

Most of the time. .

What's up now, you ask? Well, country legend Wynonna Judd (a presenter at last night's show) has declared that Taylor Swift--who won the CMA's top honor, Entertainer of the Year--is nowhere near ready for so much success. .

The country legend, one-half of famed mother-daughter duo the Judds, spoke to USA Today before the awards show, commenting in regards to Swift's extraordinary sweep of 2009: "You want my honest comment? It’s too much too soon." .

"Mom [Naomi Judd] and I rode in a car for the first year of our career to visit radio stations," Judd continued. "There was a making of the star, there was a rising up, and the fans went with us..

"Now it’s over coffee breaks, the success, almost. It's like the girl who wins an Oscar and she's under 20. What do you do from here?".

Well, well. Truth be told, many music fans out there--rightly or wrongly--are saying basically the same thing. However, this sort of commentary tends to not go over very well in the country world. .

Remember back in 2006, when Faith Hill gasped a theatrical "WHAT?" on camera in response to Carrie Underwood's CMA Female Vocalist of the Year win? Hill claimed to be just joking around, but the validity of her humor came under scrutiny and the incident made out-of-proportion national waves. (It blew through the roof on Yahoo!'s Buzz Index, which tracks hotly searched stories on the web--and even national broadcaster Don Imus talked about it on his show.).

Carrie Underwood, now Taylor Swift. .

For what it's worth, Hill presented Swift with her Entertainer of the Year award, and did so most graciously. (Swift, who has cited Hill as her childhood idol, was incandescent at the moment.).

Also, just as an aside--what is it with the Judds and rising young talent? Naomi Judd recently put twin-sister duo Kate & Kacey (who, incidentally, are on Swift's record label) through the wringer during their stint on CMT's reality series Can You Duet. According to the twins, Judd, a judge on the program, was so hard on the pair that they ended up writing a song about the incident titled "You're Not My Judge." .

Kacey Coppola termed the experience with Naomi to be "disappointing.".

"Kate and I have looked up to the Judds for as long as I can remember," she told Yahoo! Music. .

No need for the sour grapes, Judds. If anyone's proven their mettle in the entertainment industry, and can afford to be benevolent to the newcomers--it's you guys. .

And, take a lesson from Faith Hill (and, hey, George Jones--who got skewered last week for his comments about "new country"). Watch it. .

There's no problem with stating an honest opinion, but like I said, this sort of thing just tends not to float too smoothly with the country fans at large.

[Sarah]

Judd bitter over Swift's CMA sweep

Wynonna: "Too Soon" For Taylor's Win
Posted Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:49am PST by Wendy Geller in Viva NashVegas
At last night's CMA Awards show, host Brad Paisley likened the country community to one big family--"George Strait plus eight," he joked..

And, truth be told, he's not too far off the mark. Nashville is an insular and protective community--sure, it's full of gossip and pettiness and all the other things you find in any tight-knit group. But, as Paisley humorously noted, most of the time everyone gets along pretty well. .

Most of the time. .

What's up now, you ask? Well, country legend Wynonna Judd (a presenter at last night's show) has declared that Taylor Swift--who won the CMA's top honor, Entertainer of the Year--is nowhere near ready for so much success. .

The country legend, one-half of famed mother-daughter duo the Judds, spoke to USA Today before the awards show, commenting in regards to Swift's extraordinary sweep of 2009: "You want my honest comment? It’s too much too soon." .

"Mom [Naomi Judd] and I rode in a car for the first year of our career to visit radio stations," Judd continued. "There was a making of the star, there was a rising up, and the fans went with us..

"Now it’s over coffee breaks, the success, almost. It's like the girl who wins an Oscar and she's under 20. What do you do from here?".

Well, well. Truth be told, many music fans out there--rightly or wrongly--are saying basically the same thing. However, this sort of commentary tends to not go over very well in the country world. .

Remember back in 2006, when Faith Hill gasped a theatrical "WHAT?" on camera in response to Carrie Underwood's CMA Female Vocalist of the Year win? Hill claimed to be just joking around, but the validity of her humor came under scrutiny and the incident made out-of-proportion national waves. (It blew through the roof on Yahoo!'s Buzz Index, which tracks hotly searched stories on the web--and even national broadcaster Don Imus talked about it on his show.).

Carrie Underwood, now Taylor Swift. .

For what it's worth, Hill presented Swift with her Entertainer of the Year award, and did so most graciously. (Swift, who has cited Hill as her childhood idol, was incandescent at the moment.).

Also, just as an aside--what is it with the Judds and rising young talent? Naomi Judd recently put twin-sister duo Kate & Kacey (who, incidentally, are on Swift's record label) through the wringer during their stint on CMT's reality series Can You Duet. According to the twins, Judd, a judge on the program, was so hard on the pair that they ended up writing a song about the incident titled "You're Not My Judge." .

Kacey Coppola termed the experience with Naomi to be "disappointing.".

"Kate and I have looked up to the Judds for as long as I can remember," she told Yahoo! Music. .

No need for the sour grapes, Judds. If anyone's proven their mettle in the entertainment industry, and can afford to be benevolent to the newcomers--it's you guys. .

And, take a lesson from Faith Hill (and, hey, George Jones--who got skewered last week for his comments about "new country"). Watch it. .

There's no problem with stating an honest opinion, but like I said, this sort of thing just tends not to float too smoothly with the country fans at large.

[Benji]

Oh Wy,, lets see , Taylor hasn't been arrested for drunk driving, knocked up by a guy she met on an airplane, tried to lie about her preganacy being "back problems", went on Oprah and Larry King about 10 times hawking her latest so called weight loss program, fighting with her mother and sister on Oprah and on and on and on.
If you google "wynonna judd" on google images , the first thing to pop up is her mug shot.
So, I think moms are a lot more comfortable taking their daughters to Taylors entertainment than yours , Wynonna.

[Jay Adler Comment]

Money Don't Talk it Swears (Bob Dylan), It's all about the money (vernacular), Show me The Money (Jerry McGuire). That is the only reason I admire Taylor Swift as a recording artist because starting in 1973 I was a door to door salesman and matured into an entrepreneur owning a widely displayed Internet writing business. What I see in Taylor is a person born and maybe raised near the New York/Penn Border (George Jones, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Don Williams and Waylon are my classic heroes and the real articles from Dixie) is a cash cow funded by tween and teens who lionize her based on her "look" and as a figurative companion they never had. They do not care about musical ability. I admire her as a business mosaic.

[gloria]

GAG!! She can't sing and her performance's belong on the Disney stage! I prefer Urban and the other stars that were mentioned and not this fake, choreographed, off tune pop singer who has only drug in young girls and teens that could care less if she can sing or not!! If this is any indication of the future in country music....count me out. I will go back to listening to the oldies channel instead of this outlandish display of whatever!! You all can have Taylor..I'd rather do without and listen to oldies and my CDs! She is AWFUL!