So young and so successful – 21-year-old singer-songwriter Taylor Swift just keeps on racking up the awards. Known for penning hit songs that sound like many young girls’ diaries, the young woman has an undeniable talent for putting words and music together.
Today (December 2), Swift became the youngest recipient of Billboard’s Women of the Year. The annual award celebrates the achievements of a trailblazing female recording artist over the past 12 months, and acknowledges her overall success and leadership in the music business.
“Growing up in this position, making music, writing songs and having everyone hear what I’m going through since I was about 16 years old, now I’m 21 about to be 22 – I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Swift told Billboard.
When asked about her role models, she replied, “I have a lot of role models. Faith Hill is a big role model. Reese Witherspoon is a role model of mine –she’s not in music, but I love everything she stands for.
“Shawn Colvin is a huge model for me. Her writing has been consistently great and thoughtful and wistful and beautiful. And also – [he’s] not a girl – but Kris Kristofferson has been a big role model for me. When I look at people who I feel have really lived their lives and recorded their lives in music so beautifully, those are my role models. They’ve all taught me lessons just by example.”