Country music sweetheart Taylor Swift, only 19 years old, seems to have it all — musical talent, critical acclaim, a budding acting career and a strong American fan base. But now that she has seemingly conquered the recording industry and mainstream market on her native soil, Swift is setting her sights internationally.
Later this year, the young star will perform her first headline show overseas on November 23 at Wembley Arena in London, England. The 12,500-seat indoor arena could be a good test of Swift’s power to fill other major arenas across the UK and mainland Europe.
In the United States, Swift has been the reigning golden girl in the music industry with her November 2008 release “Fearless” breaking first-week female artist sales for the year and holding an impressive No. 1 run on the Billboard 200 well into 2009. She is currently in the midst of a six-month headline tour, her first ever, and intermittent supporting dates through the summer with fellow country musician Keith Urban.
Overseas, Swift’s album sales have been respectable and her track “Love Story” charted within the top 10 in about eight countries, including a No. 2 peak position on the UK Singles Chart. Her late fall concert in the UK will be a good indicator of how those successes will translate into a dedicated live audience not just for a single performance, but for future international ventures as well.
Swift isn’t the only country artist looking to jump into a wider concert scene. Other breaking acts such as Sugarland and Dierks Bentley are making the international push, as well as more established acts like Brooks & Dunn and Alan Jackson, according to a recent report by the Associated Press.
“Most country acts are reluctant to go overseas because they can’t make the same money,” Joe Galante, chairman of Sony Music Nashville, told the AP. “But you have to go there and spend some time and build a marketplace.”
Tickets for Swift’s London performance are ₤32 (approximately $53) across the board and go on sale tomorrow, June 20. Presales for the one-night concert have already started.
