Nevers
Place de la République in Nevers
Nevers
Location within Burgundy region  Nevers
Administration
Country	France
Region	Burgundy
Department	Nièvre
Arrondissement	Nevers
Intercommunality	Nevers
Mayor	Florent Sainte-Fare-Garnot‎ (2010–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	167–238 m (548–781 ft) (avg. 180 m or 590 ft)
Land area1	17.33 km2 (6.69 sq mi)
Population2	43,082  (2004)
- Density	2,486 /km2 (6,440 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	58194/ 58000
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 46°59′36″N 3°09′26″E / 46.9933°N 3.1572°E / 46.9933; 3.1572

Nevers (French pronunciation: [nəˈvɛʀ]; Latin: Noviodunum, later Nevirnum and Nebirnum) is a commune in – and the administrative capital of – the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne region in central France. It was the principal city of the former province of Nivernais, and is located 260 km (160 mi) SSE of Paris.

History[link]

Nevers first enters written history as Noviodunum, a town held by the Aedui at Roman contact. The quantities of medals and other Roman antiquities found on the site indicate the importance of the place, and in 52 BCE, Julius Caesar made Noviodunum, which he describes as in a convenient position on the banks of the Loire, a depot (B. G. vii. 55). There he had his hostages, corn, his military chest, with the money in it allowed him from home for the war, his own and his army's baggage and a great number of horses which had been bought for him in Spain and Italy. After his failure before Gergovia, the Aedui at Noviodunum massacred those who were there to look after stores, the negotiatores, and the travellers who were in the place. They divided the money and the horses among themselves, carried off in boats all the corn that they could, and burnt the rest or threw it into the river. Thinking they could not hold the town, they burnt it. This was a great loss to Caesar; and it may seem that he was imprudent in leaving such great stores in the power of treacherous allies. But he was in straits during this year, and probably he could not do otherwise than he did. Dio Cassius (xl. 38) tells the story out of Caesar of the affair of Noviodunum. He states incorrectly what Caesar did on the occasion, and he shows that he neither understood his original nor knew what he was writing about.

The city was later called Nevirnum, as the name appears in the Antonine Itinerary. In the Tabula Peutingeriana, it is corrupted into Ebrinum. In still other sources the name appears as Nebirnum.

It became the seat of a bishopric at the end of the 5th century. The county dates at least from the beginning of the 10th century. The citizens of Nevers obtained charters in 1194 and in 1231. For a short time in the 14th century the town was the seat of a university, transferred from Orléans, to which it was restored.

Geography[link]

Nevers is situated on the slope of a hill on the right bank of the Loire River.

Main sights[link]

Palais Ducal

Narrow winding streets lead from the quay through the town where there are numerous old houses of the 14th to the 17th centuries.

Among the ecclesiastical buildings the most important is the Cathédrale of Saint Cyr-Sainte Julitte, dedicated to Saint Quiricus and Saint Julietta, which is a combination of two buildings, and possesses two apses. The apse and transept at the west end are the remains of a Romanesque church, while the nave and eastern apse are in the Gothic style and belong to the 14th century. There is no transept at the eastern end. The lateral portal on the south side belongs to the late 15th century; the massive and elaborately decorated tower which rises beside it to the early 16th century.

The church of Saint Etienne is a specimen of the Romanesque style of Auvergne of which the disposition of the apse with its three radiating chapels is characteristic. It was consecrated at the close of the 9th century, and belonged to a priory affiliated to Cluny.

The Ducal Palace^{[disambiguation needed ]} (now occupied by the courts of justice and an important ceramic museum) was built in the 15th and 16th centuries and is one of the principal feudal edifices in central France. The facade is flanked at each end by a turret and a round tower. A middle tower containing the great staircase has its windows adorned by sculptures relating to the history of the House of La Marck by the members of which the greater part of the palace was built.

In front of the palace lies an open space with a fine view over the valley of the Loire. The Porte du Croux, a square tower, with corner turrets, dating from the end of the 14th century, is among the remnants of the old fortifications; it now contains a collection of sculptures and Roman antiquities.

A triumphal arch from the 18th century, commemorating the victory of Fontenoy and the hotel de ville, a modern building which contains the library, are of some interest. The Loire is crossed by a modern stone bridge, and by an iron railway bridge.

At the Chapel of Saint Bernadette at the mother house of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, it is possible to view the incorrupt remains of Bernadette Soubirous (Saint Bernadette) which are presented in a gold and crystal reliquary.

Economy[link]

Nevers is the seat of a bishopric, of tribunals of first instance and of commerce and of a court of assizes and has a chamber of commerce and a branch of the Bank of France. Its educational institutions include a lycee, a training college for female teachers, ecclesiastical seminaries and a school of art. The town manufactures porcelain, agricultural implements, chemical manures, glue, boilers and iron goods, boots and shoes and fur garments, and has distilleries, tanneries and dye works. Its trade is in iron and steel, wood, wine, grain, livestock, etc. hydraulic lime, kaolin and clay for the manufacture of faience are worked in the vicinity.

Transport[link]

The Gare de Nevers railway station offers connections to Paris, Dijon, Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand and several regional destinations. The A77 motorway connects Nevers with Paris.

Demographics[link]

At the 1999 census, the population was 40,932.

Notable people[link]

• Marie Casimire Louise de la Grange d'Arquien, born in Nevers in 1641
• Pierre Gaspard Chaumette, revolutionary, born in Nevers in 1763
• Pierre Bérégovoy, former Prime Minister of France, committed suicide in 1993 in Nevers
• Parfait Mandanda, footballer, born in Nevers in 1989
• Michel Vieuchange, Saharan explorer, adventurer and writer, born in Nevers in 1904, where there is a street named after him
• Jean Vieuchange, editor of Michel Vieuchange's travel notebooks, born in Nevers in 1906
• Bernadette Soubirous, better known as Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, died in Nevers in 1879 (aged 35)

Culture[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The Formula One circuit of Magny-Cours is located near Nevers.

The anonymous French actress (Emmanuelle Riva) who is the main character in the film Hiroshima Mon Amour by Alain Resnais is from Nevers, and the film features many flashbacks to her youth there during World War II. In the final scene of the film, her Japanese lover tells her "You are Nevers". There is a lot of play on the English translation of the town's name throughout the film, with dialogue such as "Nevers? Jamais!" ("Nevers? Never!")

Twin towns[link]

Nevers is twinned with:

• Koblenz, Germany
• Erzsébetváros, Budapest, Hungary
• Mantua, Italy
• Marbella, Spain
• St Albans, United Kingdom
• Lund, Sweden
• Stavroupoli Thessaloniki, Greece
• Asmara, Eritrea
• Siedlce, Poland
• Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia
• Curtea de Argeş, Romania
• Taizhou, China
• Charleville-Mézières, France
• Hammamet, Tunisia
• Neubrandenburg, Germany

See also[link]

• Wine barrels
• Communes of the Nièvre department

References[link]

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–57). "^{article name needed}". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray. 
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nevers

• Official website

v t e Communes of the Nièvre department Achun Alligny-Cosne Alligny-en-Morvan Alluy Amazy Anlezy Annay Anthien Arbourse Arleuf Armes Arquian Arthel Arzembouy Asnan Asnois Aunay-en-Bazois Authiou Avrée Avril-sur-Loire Azy-le-Vif Balleray Bazoches Bazolles Béard Beaulieu Beaumont-la-Ferrière Beaumont-Sardolles Beuvron Biches Billy-Chevannes Billy-sur-Oisy Bitry Blismes Bona Bouhy Brassy Breugnon Brèves Brinay Brinon-sur-Beuvron Bulcy Bussy-la-Pesle La Celle-sur-Loire La Celle-sur-Nièvre Cercy-la-Tour Cervon Cessy-les-Bois Chalaux Challement Challuy Champallement Champlemy Champlin Champvert Champvoux Chantenay-Saint-Imbert La Chapelle-Saint-André La Charité-sur-Loire Charrin Chasnay Château-Chinon (Campagne) Château-Chinon (Ville) Châteauneuf-Val-de-Bargis Châtillon-en-Bazois Châtin Chaulgnes Chaumard Chaumot Chazeuil Chevannes-Changy Chevenon Chevroches Chiddes Chitry-les-Mines Chougny Ciez Cizely Clamecy La Collancelle Colméry Corancy Corbigny Corvol-d'Embernard Corvol-l'Orgueilleux Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire Cossaye Coulanges-lès-Nevers Couloutre Courcelles Crux-la-Ville Cuncy-lès-Varzy Dampierre-sous-Bouhy Decize Devay Diennes-Aubigny Dirol Dommartin Dompierre-sur-Héry Dompierre-sur-Nièvre Donzy Dornecy Dornes Druy-Parigny Dun-les-Places Dun-sur-Grandry Empury Entrains-sur-Nohain Epiry Fâchin La Fermeté Fertrève Fléty Fleury-sur-Loire Flez-Cuzy Fourchambault Fours Frasnay-Reugny Gâcogne Garchizy Garchy Germenay Germigny-sur-Loire Gien-sur-Cure Gimouille Giry Glux-en-Glenne Gouloux Grenois Guérigny Guipy Héry Imphy Isenay Jailly Lamenay-sur-Loire Langeron Lanty Larochemillay Lavault-de-Frétoy Limanton Limon Livry Lormes Lucenay-lès-Aix Lurcy-le-Bourg Luthenay-Uxeloup Luzy Lys La Machine Magny-Cours Magny-Lormes La Maison-Dieu La Marche Marcy Marigny-l'Église Marigny-sur-Yonne Mars-sur-Allier Marzy Maux Menestreau Menou Mesves-sur-Loire Metz-le-Comte Mhère Michaugues Millay Moissy-Moulinot Monceaux-le-Comte Montambert Montapas Montaron Montenoison Mont-et-Marré Montigny-aux-Amognes Montigny-en-Morvan Montigny-sur-Canne Montreuillon Montsauche-les-Settons Moraches Moulins-Engilbert Mouron-sur-Yonne Moussy Moux-en-Morvan Murlin Myennes Nannay Narcy Neuffontaines Neuilly Neuville-lès-Decize Neuvy-sur-Loire Nevers La Nocle-Maulaix Nolay Nuars Oisy Onlay Ouagne Oudan Ougny Oulon Ourouër Ouroux-en-Morvan Parigny-la-Rose Parigny-les-Vaux Pazy Perroy Planchez Poil Poiseux Pougny Pougues-les-Eaux Pouilly-sur-Loire Pouques-Lormes Pousseaux Prémery Préporché Raveau Rémilly Rix Rouy Ruages Saincaize-Meauce Saint-Agnan Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye Saint-Andelain Saint-André-en-Morvan Saint-Aubin-des-Chaumes Saint-Aubin-les-Forges Saint-Benin-d'Azy Saint-Benin-des-Bois Saint-Bonnot Saint-Brisson Saint-Didier Sainte-Colombe-des-Bois Saint-Éloi Sainte-Marie Saint-Firmin Saint-Franchy Saint-Germain-Chassenay Saint-Germain-des-Bois Saint-Gratien-Savigny Saint-Hilaire-en-Morvan Saint-Hilaire-Fontaine Saint-Honoré-les-Bains Saint-Jean-aux-Amognes Saint-Laurent-l'Abbaye Saint-Léger-de-Fougeret Saint-Léger-des-Vignes Saint-Loup Saint-Malo-en-Donziois Saint-Martin-d'Heuille Saint-Martin-du-Puy Saint-Martin-sur-Nohain Saint-Maurice Saint-Ouen-sur-Loire Saint-Parize-en-Viry Saint-Parize-le-Châtel Saint-Père Saint-Péreuse Saint-Pierre-du-Mont Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier Saint-Quentin-sur-Nohain Saint-Révérien Saint-Saulge Saint-Seine Saint-Sulpice Saint-Vérain Saizy Sardy-lès-Épiry Sauvigny-les-Bois Savigny-Poil-Fol Saxi-Bourdon Sémelay Sermages Sermoise-sur-Loire Sichamps Sougy-sur-Loire Suilly-la-Tour Surgy Taconnay Talon Tamnay-en-Bazois Tannay Tazilly Teigny Ternant Thaix Thianges Tintury Toury-Lurcy Toury-sur-Jour Tracy-sur-Loire Tresnay Trois-Vèvres Tronsanges Trucy-l'Orgueilleux Urzy Vandenesse Varennes-lès-Narcy Varennes-Vauzelles Varzy Vauclaix Verneuil Vielmanay Vignol Villapourçon Ville-Langy Villiers-le-Sec Villiers-sur-Yonne Vitry-Laché

The Fiery Furnaces
Background information
Origin	New York City, USA
Genres	Indie rock, indie pop, psychedelic pop, experimental rock
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Rough Trade Records, Fat Possum Records, Thrill Jockey
Website	Official site
Members
Matthew Friedberger Eleanor Friedberger

The Fiery Furnaces are a U.S. indie rock band formed in 2000 in Brooklyn, New York.^[1] The band's primary members are Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger. The siblings are originally from Oak Park, Illinois, a near-western suburb of Chicago.

Band biography[link]

They signed with the Rough Trade music label in 2002, and recorded their debut album, Gallowsbird's Bark, the same year. Released in 2003, it was often compared in the press to The White Stripes^[2] due to the garage blues elements of the band’s sound and the fact that the members are siblings, which the White Stripes duo were originally misunderstood to be.

Matthew is primarily responsible for the band's songwriting and studio instrumentation, while Eleanor handles the majority of the vocal duties. Drummer Andy Knowles and bassist Toshi Yano both joined the band for live performances in time for their 2004 tour. Beginning with a performance at the April 2004 All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Camber Sands, England, the band's live performances took the form of hour-long, continuous sets of music featuring snippets from most of their recorded songs. Many times, several songs were melded together to create a conglomerate song that encompassed material from previously released songs, this producing similarly complicated set lists for the band to follow.^[3]

The Fiery Furnaces released their second album, Blueberry Boat, in the summer of 2004. It is also often interpreted as a multi-layered concept album. "Quay Cur," the ten minute lead track on Blueberry Boat, switches from dirty, gurgling organ to slide-guitar-fueled ditties, pulsing electronic beats to abstract lullaby within a few minutes, highlighting the Fiery Furnaces' variety in songwriting. Some critics, however, interpreted this type of material as evidence that the album is unfocused. The epic nature of the majority of the songs made them unsuitable for radio play so the band prepared "Single Again," a take on a traditional folk song as a substitute.

This single, along with their previously released ones, was mostly only made available to the UK audience, so in January 2005 the band released a 41-minute compilation disc named EP (this confusingly being a designation commonly reserved for shorter discs). EP featured two new songs, all of the band’s singles and b-sides (with the exception of an alternate version of "We Got Back The Plague" found on the "Tropical Ice-Land" single), and was for this reason a contrast to the epic and, according to some, inaccessible nature of Blueberry Boat.

Their following album, Rehearsing My Choir (released in October 2005), saw the band return to an experimental sound once again. A concept album featuring the Friedbergers' grandmother, Olga Sarantos, narrating stories about her life, Rehearsing My Choir was met with widely differing opinions from both the press and the band's fans, being branded "difficult" even by those who rated it highly.^[4] Sarantos previously worked as choir director at a Greek Orthodox church, and her croaked reminiscences form the backbone to this peculiar, piecemeal storybook of an album.^[5] Jason Loewenstein of Sebadoh and Bob D'Amico took over band duties for the supporting tour, replacing Toshi Yano and Andy Knowles.

The band released their fifth LP, entitled Bitter Tea, in April 2006. In interviews they stated that the album was influenced by the sound of synthpop group Devo, and Eleanor Friedberger stated the album was "definitely the poppiest thing we've done."^[6]

Matthew Friedberger released Winter Women and Holy Ghost Language School in August 2006, two separate albums which were packaged as a double album. According to a press release, Winter Women is "intended to be a summer record, full of memorable, catchy, and un-ironic pop songs," while Holy Ghost Language School is like "Faust, the Residents, or the most 'out' moments of Brian Eno's solo records."^[7] Eleanor appeared on neither album and Matthew did not tour in support of his solo releases.

The band did a short tour in October and November 2006, supported by San Francisco experimental rock band, Deerhoof. This tour saw Matthew on keyboard, Eleanor on vocals, Jason Loewenstein on wah-wah pedaled guitar, Bob D'Amico on drums and the addition of Michael Goodman on percussion. The songs had a tropical/salsa feel to them, and most of the tracks from Bitter Tea were played as one long song, lasting 30 minutes—a medley format the band previously used while promoting Blueberry Boat.^[8]

In June 2007, it was announced in The Chicago Reader that the band had signed with Chicago label Thrill Jockey and their album Widow City was later released on October 9, 2007. Unlike their two previous efforts, this album lacks a central concept and has a 70s album rock feel. The band toured in support of the album throughout the later months of 2007 and early 2008.

A live compilation album, Remember, was released on August 16, 2008.

The band's seventh studio album I'm Going Away was released in the US on July 21, 2009 on Thrill Jockey and the UK on August 24, 2009.

A second album, Take Me Round Again, which presents many of the same songs from "I'm Going Away" in a new way, was released on November 10, 2009. These tracks were made individually by Mathew and Eleanor, resulting in some overlap. These songs have the same lyrics as "I'm Going Away", but consist of completely new instrument and vocal recordings that give a new take on the same material.

After taking an extended break from recording Eleanor announced she was releasing her first solo album in April 2011 and that it would be called Last Summer. The album was released on 12th July 2011.

Discography[link]

• Gallowsbird's Bark (2003)
• Blueberry Boat (2004)
• EP (2005)
• Rehearsing My Choir (2005)
• Bitter Tea (2006)
• Widow City (2007)
• Remember (2008)
• I'm Going Away (2009)
• Take Me Round Again (2009)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: The Fiery Furnaces

• Official site
• NewMusicBox matter: David T. Little's analysis of The Fiery Furnaces' album Rehearsing My Choir
• NewMusicBox cover: Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger in conversation with Frank J. Oteri, July 16, 2007 (includes video)
• NPR article and downloadable broadcast
• Fiery Furnaces at Luckyhorse Industries
• 8/2009 Fiery Furnaces Interview at Stereo Subversion
• Indiepit Interview

Taylor Swift
Swift performing during the Australian leg of her Speak Now Tour in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Taylor Alison Swift
Born	(1989-12-13) December 13, 1989 (age 22) Reading, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres	Country-pop, pop, country, alternative rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actress
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, banjo, ukulele, piano
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Big Machine
Website	TaylorSwift.com

Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of fourteen to pursue a career in country music. She signed to the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. The release of Swift's self-titled debut album in 2006 established her as a country music star. "Our Song", her third single, made her the youngest sole writer and singer of a number one song on the country chart. She received a Best New Artist nomination at the 50th Grammy Awards.

Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in late 2008. Buoyed by the chart success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", Fearless attracted a crossover audience and became the top-selling album of 2009. The record won four Grammy Awards, with Swift becoming the youngest ever Album of the Year winner. Fearless also received Album of the Year plaudits at the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and Country Music Association Awards, making it the most awarded album in country music history. In 2010, Swift released her third album, Speak Now, which sold over one million copies in its first week. She then embarked on the 111-date Speak Now World Tour, which was attended by over 1.6 million fans and has become one of the highest-grossing concert tours of all time. The album's third single, "Mean", won two Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. Swift is currently recording her fourth studio album, due for release in the fall of 2012.

Swift's work has earned her numerous accolades, including six Grammy Awards, ten AMAs, seven CMAs, six ACMs and 13 BMI Awards. She has sold over 22 million albums and 50 million song downloads worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Swift has endorsement deals with Target, CoverGirl, Sony, Elizabeth Arden, Walmart and American Greetings. As a philanthropist, Swift has placed particular emphasis on arts education, children's literacy and natural disaster relief funds. In addition to her music career, Swift has appeared as an actress in the crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2009), the romantic comedy Valentine's Day (2010) and the animated film The Lorax (2012).

Early life[link]

Taylor Alison Swift was born on December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania.^[1] She is the daughter of Scott Swift, a Merrill Lynch financial adviser,^[2][3] and Andrea (née Gardner), a homemaker who previously worked as a mutual fund marketing executive.^[1][4] Swift was named after singer James Taylor; her mother believed a gender-neutral name would help her forge a successful business career.^[5][6] She has a younger brother, Austin, who attends Vanderbilt University.^[7] She spent the early years of her life on an eleven-acre Christmas tree farm in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and was educated at the fee-paying Wyndcroft School.^[8] When Swift was nine years old, the family moved to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania,^[9][10] where she attended Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School.^[11] Swift spent her summers at her parent's vacation home in Stone Harbor, New Jersey^[12] and has described it as the place "where most of my childhood memories were formed".^[10]

Swift's first hobby was English horse riding. Her mother Andrea put her in a saddle when Swift was nine months old and she later competed in horse shows.^[13][14] Her family owned several Quarter horses and a Shetland pony.^[14] At the age of nine, Swift turned her attention to musical theatre and performed in Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions of Grease, Annie, Bye Bye Birdie and The Sound of Music.^[15][8] She travelled regularly to Broadway, New York for vocal and acting lessons. However, "after a few years of auditioning in New York and not getting anything”, Swift became interested in country music.^[16] She was inspired by LeAnn Rimes's Blue^[17] and her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, an opera singer.^[8] When she was in fourth grade, Swift won a national poetry contest with a three-page poem, "Monster in My Closet".^[18] At the age of eleven, after many attempts,^[19] Swift won a local talent competition by singing a rendition of LeAnn Rimes’s “Big Deal”, and was given the opportunity to appear as the opening act for Charlie Daniels at a Strausstown amphitheater.^[15] She spent her weekends performing at local festivals, fairs, coffeehouses, karaoke contests, garden clubs and Boy Scout meetings.^[20][4] This interest in country music isolated Swift from her middle school peers.^[21][22]

After watching a Behind the Music episode about Faith Hill,^[23] Swift recorded a demo of karaoke covers, and travelled with her mother to Nashville, Tennessee for spring break to leave a copy of the demo with record labels along Music Row. She received label rejections and realized that "everyone in that town wanted to do what I wanted to do. So, I kept thinking to myself, I need to figure out a way to be different".^[23] Swift began performing the "The Star Spangled Banner" at many sporting events, hoping she would be offered a recording contract. On one occasion, an eleven-year-old Swift high-fived Jay-Z after singing the national anthem at a 76ers game in Philadelphia.^[24] At the age of twelve, Swift was shown by a computer repairman how to play three chords on a guitar, inspiring her to write her first song, "Lucky You".^[25][26] She then recorded a second demo of original songs.^[15] In 2003, Swift and her parents began working with music manager Dan Dymtrow, after he spotted her singing at the US Open.^[27] Swift's second demo then caught the attention of RCA Records, who offered the eight-grader an artist development deal. In 2004, Swift modelled for Abercrombie and Fitch as part of their "Rising Stars" campaign and had an original song included in a Maybelline Cosmetics compilation CD.^[28]

When Swift was fourteen, her father transferred to the Nashville office of Merrill Lynch and the family relocated to a lake-shore house in Hendersonville, Tennessee.^[1] Swift has said her parents "presented it as a move to a nice community" rather than as her chance to become a star.^[29] Her mother has said, "We've always told her that this is not about putting food on our table or making our dreams come true."^[30] In Tennessee, Swift attended Hendersonville High School for her freshman and sophomore years.^[31] Later, to accommodate her touring schedule, Swift transferred to the Aaron Academy, a private Christian school which offered homeschooling services, and earned her high school diploma in 2008.^[32]

Music career[link]

[edit] 2004–08: Nashville songwriting sessions and Taylor Swift release

Swift moved to Nashville at the age of fourteen, having secured an artist development deal with RCA Records. Her musical influences included the Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill,^[29] Tom Petty,^[33] Sheryl Crow,^[34] Melissa Etheridge, Pat Benatar,^[35] Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks,^[36] Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.^[37] Swift had writing sessions with experienced songwriters such as Troy Verges, Brett Beavers, Brett James, Mac McAnally and the Warren Brothers,^[38][39] but eventually formed a lasting working relationship with Liz Rose.^[40] Swift saw Rose performing at an RCA songwriter event and suggested that they write together.^[41] They began meeting for two-hour writing sessions every Tuesday afternoon after school.^[42] Rose has said that the sessions were "some of the easiest I've ever done. Basically, I was just her editor. She'd write about what happened in school that day. She had such a clear vision of what she was trying to say. And she'd come in with the most incredible hooks".^[43][42] Swift also began recording demos with producer Nathan Chapman.^[41] After performing at a BMI Songwriter's Circle showcase at The Bitter End, New York,^[39] Swift became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Tree publishing house.^[44]

Swift performing at the Maverick Saloon & Grill in Santa Maria, California in 2006

Swift left RCA Records when she was fifteeen; the company wanted her to record the work of other songwriters and wait until she was eighteen to release an album, but she felt ready to launch her career with her own material.^[45][19] She also parted ways with manager Dan Dymtrow, who later took legal action against Swift and her parents.^[28] At an industry showcase at Nashville's The Bluebird Café in 2005, Swift caught the attention of Scott Borchetta, a Dreamworks Records executive who was preparing to form his own independent record label, Big Machine Records.^[40] Swift was one of the new label's first signings.^[40] As an introduction to the country music business, Borchetta arranged for Swift to intern at the CMA Music Festival; she acted as the artist escort for Darryl Worley.^[46][47]

Swift began working on her self-titled debut album shortly after signing her record deal. After experimenting with veteran Nashville producers, Swift persuaded Big Machine to hire her demo producer Nathan Chapman.^[19] It was his first time to record a studio album but Swift felt they had the right "chemistry".^[19] In the end, Chapman produced all but one of the tracks on Taylor Swift.^[19] She has described the album as the "diary" of her early teens^[48] and most songs were written during her freshman year of high school.^[19] As a result, the songs describe coming of age experiences such as insecurity, young love, and teenage angst.^[19] She has said that, although "it sounds like I've had 500 boyfriends", a lot of the songs are observational.^[19] Swift wrote three of the album's songs alone, including two singles, and co-wrote the remaining eight with writers such as Liz Rose, Robert Ellis Orrall and Angelo Petraglia.^[49] Musically, the album has been described as "a mix of trad-country instruments and spry rock guitars".^[50]