Taylor Swift, Billboard's Best-Selling Artist of 2008, Announces 'Fearless 2009' Headlining Tour

Taylor Swift, Billboard's Best-Selling Artist of 2008, Announces 'Fearless 2009' Headlining Tour

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Machine recording artist Taylor Swift, who topped Nielsen SoundScan's all-genre year-end music sales report as 2008's top-selling artist, announced today that she will tour as a headliner this year. Taylor will take her North American FEARLESS TOUR 2009 to 52 cities in 38 states and provinces in the US and Canada over the span of 6 months. In most markets, ticket prices will start at only $20 plus local fees.

"Headlining my own tour is a dream come true! This way I can play more music every night than I ever have before," says Taylor. "Having written my own songs, they are all stories in my head, and my goal for this tour is to bring those stories to life. My favorite thing when I go to a concert is having lots of changing things to look at, so I've been working really hard to make this show as multi-dimensional as possible. I want to be sure that everyone has the opportunity to come see my show, so we have affordable tickets available for every date we do this year."

One of the most-anticipated musical experiences of the year, Taylor Swift's FEARLESS 2009 show will feature an incredibly theatrical presentation of graphics, sets and visual elements designed by Taylor herself. During each show, Taylor will play five different guitars, as well as the piano. Multiple costume changes and a fairy-tale castle illuminated by more than a million lumens of light are just some of the highlights of the three-act show.

Prior to the tour launch in late April, Taylor will play three US headlining shows, in addition to several dates in the UK and Australia. Tickets to these shows have been in unparalleled demand, selling record numbers in record time, including the nearly 71,000 individual tickets for Taylor's March show at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo that sold out within 48 hours of going on sale to the public.

Taylor's good friend, American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler, will join Taylor as a featured artist on all of the dates on the TAYLOR SWIFT FEARLESS TOUR 2009, and each show will also include another special guest, Gloriana.

When her self-titled, sophomore album debuted at number one on Billboard's Country Album Chart in the fall of 2008, Kellie Pickler became only the sixth country artist in history to have both their first and second albums debut at number one. From the sassy "Red High Heels" to the searing, soul-bearing honesty of "I Wonder," (both songs she co-wrote) Kellie Pickler is plowing the road on her own terms. Her current single, "Best Days Of Your Life," is a musical revenge song that she co-wrote with Taylor, who lends background vocals on the album as well.

Gloriana represents an exciting new and vibrant force in country music. The group -- Tom Gossin, Mike Gossin, Rachel Reinert and Cheyenne Kimball -- consists of four uniquely talented and enthusiastic young musicians joining forces to create a fresh, one-of-a-kind sound with soaring four-part harmonies and an electric stage presence that reflects the best of today's Nashville. Their first single, "Wild At Heart", is just arriving at Country radio to rave reviews, and their debut album is set for release later this year.

This week marks Taylor's eighth in the #1 position atop Billboard's all- genre Top 200 Albums sales chart, marking the longest run at #1 for a female artist (all genres) in thirteen years. Taylor's sophomore CD, Fearless, has sold more than 2.4 million copies since its release in November of last year. Her MySpace music streams recently crossed the 150 million mark.

Taylor's 50-city tour officially kicks off in April in Evansville, Indiana, and will go through the summer and fall. The first tickets available to the public will be for the May 22nd date at Los Angeles' STAPLES Center. Those tickets go on sale Feb. 6th at 10 a.m. PT through Ticketmaster. Venues and ticket sales information for other tour stops will be announced in the coming weeks. The Taylor Swift FEARLESS 2009 tour will include the following:

   DATE                                 CITY    February 10                          San Antonio, TX   March 1                              Plant City, FL   March 20                             Houston, TX   April 23                             Evansville, IN   April 24                             Jonesboro, AR   April 25                             St Louis, MO   April 30                             Charleston, SC   May 1                                Jacksonville, FL   May 2                                Biloxi, MS   May 14                               Spokane, WA   May 15                               Seattle, WA   May 16                               Portland ,OR   May 17                               Yakima, WA   May 21                               Phoenix, AZ   May 22                               Los Angeles, CA   May 23                               Las Vegas, NV   May 24                               San Diego, CA   May 26                               Salt Lake City, UT   June 4                               Enterprise, AL   June 11                              Baltimore, MD   June 12                              Greensboro, NC   June 24                              Oshkosh, WI   June 25                              Caddott, WI   July 8                               Calgary, Alberta   July 10                              Craven, Saskatchewan   July 11                              Winnipeg, Manitoba   July 16                              Twin Lakes, WI   July 17                              Columbus, OH   July 18                              Charleston, WV   July 23                              Cheyenne, WY   July 24                              Rapid City, SD   July 25                              Minot, ND   August 7                             Detroit Lakes, MN   August 9                             Omaha, NE   August 27                            New York, NY   August 28                            Uncasville, CT   August 29                            University Park, PA   August 30                            Louisville, KY   September 4                          Greenville, SC   September 5                          Charlotte, NC   September 10                         Lafayette, LA   September 11                         Bossier City, LA   September 12                         Birmingham, AL   September 25                         Dallas, TX   September 26                         Little Rock, AR   September 27                         Tulsa, OK   October 1                            Cleveland, OH   October 2                            Grand Rapids, MI   October 3                            Pittsburgh, PA   October 8                            Indianapolis, IN   October 9                            Chicago, IL   October 10                           Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN    

Tour information will be continually updated on http://www.taylorswift.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/taylorswift .

In addition to her headline tour, this year Taylor will also play ten previously announced dates with Keith Urban.

To hear music from Taylor Swift, log on to: http://www.taylorswift.com/ or http://www.myspace.com/taylorswift .

For Fearless album art and downloadable photos of Taylor Swift, log on to http://www.bigmachinerecords.com/ and click the media tab.

   For more information, please contact:    Paula Erickson                     Claudine Ottinger - Tour Publicist   Erickson Public Relations          Erickson Public Relations   615.665.5950                       843.971.9840   paula@ericksonpr.com               claudine@ericksonpr.com    For Kellie Pickler:                For Gloriana:    Wes Vause                          Denise Carberry   BNA Records                        PFA Media   615.301.4373                       212/334-6116   wes.vause@sonymusic.com            dcarberry@pfamedia.net  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Big Machine Records

CONTACT: Paula Erickson, +1-615-665-5950, paula@ericksonpr.com, or
Claudine Ottinger - Tour Publicist, +1-843-971-9840, claudine@ericksonpr.com,
both of Erickson Public Relations for Big Machine Records; For Kellie Pickler:
Wes Vause of BNA Records, +1-615-301-4373, wes.vause@sonymusic.com; For
Gloriana: Denise Carberry of PFA Media, +1-212-334-6116,
dcarberry@pfamedia.net

Web site: http://www.taylorswift.com/
http://www.myspace.com/taylorswift

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Profile: International Entertainment