NASHVILLE, TN. (Top40 Charts/ Big Machine Records) -
Taylor Swift walked away from last night's 43rd Annual CMA Awards ceremony as the history-making winner of FOUR CMA Awards, including the industry's biggest honor - Entertainer of the Year. A month shy of her twentieth birthday, Taylor became the youngest artist in history, and the first female artist in a decade, to win the Entertainer of the Year trophy. In the 43-year history of the CMA Awards, only six other female acts have won the coveted top prize:
Loretta Lynn (1972),
Dolly Parton (1978),
Barbara Mandrell (1980,'81),
Reba McEntire (1986),
Shania Twain (1999), and the Dixie
Chicks (2000).
Taylor also won CMA Awards last night for Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (for the critically-acclaimed and quadruple-platinum-plus Fearless - Taylor was honored as both artist and producer), and Video of the Year (for "Love Story"). Earlier in the day she was honored with the CMA's International Artist Achievement Award. Taylor shared last night's Album of the Year producer honors with her co-producer Nathan Chapman, and the Video of the Year Award with director Trey Fanjoy.
Accepting her Entertainer of the year award, a tearful Taylor invited her band to the stage to share the honors. "I'll never forget this moment," Taylor said during her acceptance speech, "Because in this moment, everything that I have ever wanted has happened to me."
One year to the day after the release of her Fearless album, last night's CMA wins top a year of unparalleled success for Taylor. Released on Big Machine Records, Fearless received rave reviews from the nation's top critics (including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, the New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today), and is the world's biggest-selling album this year, in any genre. Fearless has earned Gold or Platinum sales certification in 16 countries spanning 5 continents, including achieving quadruple-platinum status in the US, and has spawned singles that have topped the Country, Pop and Adult Contemporary radio charts. Fearless was also named 2009 Album of the Year by the Academy of Country Music, and is currently nominated for 2009 American Music Awards for both Country and Pop/Rock Favorite Album.
Fearless has spent more weeks in the No 1 position atop Billboard's Top 200 all-genre CD sales chart than any other album this decade. Taylor, whose career record sales now top 10 million, holds the Billboard all-genre records for the longest charting album of this century and for most Top 20 debuts in a calendar year. Big Machine Records recently released a special CD/DVD Platinum Edition of Taylor's Fearless album, and last week the title spent its 26th week at No 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums Chart.
The TAYLOR SWIFT FEARLESS 2009 TOUR was the hottest concert ticket of the year, wowing fans and critics worldwide. Capacity crowds packed arenas around the globe - every show on the tour sold out within minutes, including one at Madison Square Garden in one minute, and one at Los Angeles' STAPLES center in just two minutes. The blockbuster tour was chronicled in the one-hour primetime NBC network special Dateline: On Tour With Taylor Swift. Taylor is taking her show back on the road next year, with the FEARLESS 2010 TOUR playing 37 shows in 29 cities in 22 states and provinces in the US and Canada, plus seven dates in Australia.
Last week, Taylor was both the host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live, receiving rave reviews and delivering the show's highest ratings of the season. Earlier this year, Taylor guest-starred on the top-rated CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, with her episode watched by more than 20 million viewers. She also filmed a role as part of the ensemble cast in Garry Marshall's highly-anticipated feature film "Valentine's Day," set for release in February of next year. Other television appearances this year included the GRAMMY Awards, the ACM Awards, the MTV VMA Awards, the CMT Music Awards, The Oprah Winfrey Show (twice), Dancing With The Stars, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, the Today Show, Good Morning America, The Ellen Degeneres Show, and The View.
Taylor has appeared on several magazine covers over the past year, including the upcoming December issue of InStyle. Other covers included Rolling Stone, Billboard, Glamour (the title's biggest-selling issue of the year), Allure, People StyleWatch, Redbook, Seventeen, and Teen Vogue.
