domingo, 23 de junio de 2013

Extensive listening: Taylor Swfit's meteoric rise

In mid-May this year CBS 60 Minutes rebroadcast a segment on music sensation Taylor Swift. This is the way the host introduced the singer in the programme:

"Six years ago last fall, a 16-year-old girl released her debut country music album and dreamed of making it big. Well today that girl is as big as it gets. She has sold more albums in the U.S. over those six and a half years than any other artist in any genre. Her latest album, Red, sold more copies in its first week than any album in more than a decade. Taylor Swift's has been a meteoric rise. And she seems to know, even at a young age, just the right notes to hit - in her songwriting, and in her business.

In an era of declining record sales, Taylor Swift appeals to people who still pay a lot for music - girls and their moms. She has held onto her country fans even as she's gotten huge in pop. And then there's her image: lots of publicity about her love life, but never a drunken rampage, a public outburst, or a scandalous photo. She's on the road now promoting her Red album, but we first met Taylor Swift back in 2011 during her "Speak Now" tour."

Watch the CBS 13-minute segment, which includes footage from Swift's concerts, clips from her earlier life, an interview with Swift and the important people around her.



You can read the transcript here.