In an age when a new artist often relies heavily on several writers to create their "personal" or "heartfelt" hits, it's refreshing knowing others such as country sensation Taylor Swift can shine simply by putting to paper all by themselves.
Swift, who is swiftly becoming competition for the likes of Carrie Underwood, re-released her smash self-titled debut album in November.
The platinum-selling record, which features the hits Tim McGraw and Our Song, had Swift writing or co-writing all the material.
"I think that writing by myself comes naturally from me," Swift says. "It's harder for me to write with other people because you have two egos in the room, you have two opinions."
Taylor Swift the singer is still reaping the riches from Taylor Swift the album, so much so that it was re-issued with a few bonus tracks and a DVD featuring live performances.
"There was a specific reason why we chose to re-release the album," she says. "There are people who have had this album for a year but then there are people who are just discovering my music. For those people who have had the album for over a year and who are going to have to wait another year to get another full-length studio album, I wanted to give them more content and something to just tie them over."
Nominated for a Grammy Award this year in the Best New Artist category and having earned the prestigious County Music Association's Horizon Award in November, Swift is already knee-deep into creating the next album.
"We have six songs finished and we're just working to make it the best album that we can," she says. "I honestly think it's going to be so much better than the first one because there are so many amazing songs that I've been writing over the past year, and songs that we had to leave off the first album that I'm still in love with."
While a few songs, including one entitled Fearless, seem to be locks for the next record, Swift says she's collaborated with John Rich of country act Big & Rich as well as singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat on others.
Despite the current success, Swift believes she's quite grounded when it comes to the recent surge to stardom. She also says she doesn't feel any pressure with this future sophomore release.
"There's pressure in everything, it's the way that my life has turned out," she says with a laugh. "There's pressure in going to the grocery store. I think I would feel the pressure if the music wasn't where it needed to be, that would be one of the hardest things to come to terms with -- if I was having to go and search for outside songs or find other writers because I had written songs that didn't make the cut. The bunch of songs that we're looking at right now is unbelievable."
Although joining the likes of Keith Urban, Garth Brooks and Underwood as fellow CMA Horizon Award winners was unbelievable, the biggest shock was having Santa Claus arriving earlier than Dec. 25 to her home.
"It sounds so cliche but I literally had everything that I wanted going into the holiday season, I got a five-week Number One for Christmas," she says laughing. "It's just absolutely amazing to look back at everything that has happened this past year and realize that I'm just so blessed."
Fans in Ontario will miss seeing Swift early this year but the Prairies and Western Canada will see her supporting Rascal Flatts on their trek in late March and early April.
TAYLOR SWIFT CANADIAN SHOWS: (No Toronto Date yet. Other Canadian dates: Calgary (Mar. 24), Edmonton (Mar. 25), Winnipeg (Mar. 28) and Vancouver (Apr. 2).
