People: Taylor Swift Won’t Be Lonely on the Road

By Eileen Finan

Taylor Swift – who has topped the Billboard chart for the past eight weeks with her second album, Fearless – has announced her first headlining tour, which will take her to 52 cities over six months. 

Swift, 19, will officially kick off her Fearless Tour 2009, which she calls “a dream come true,” on April 23 in Evansville, Ill., immediately followed by Jonesboro, Ark., and St. Louis, Mo. (Tickets go on sale Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. PST. For a complete tour schedule, check her official site.)

One tour must-have? Her BFF, Kellie Pickler, who will accompany her as a featured artist. 

Calling Pickler “the older sister I never had,” Swift met her in 2007 when they toured with Brad Paisley. “My mom looks at [Kellie] as a second daughter – it’s a family thing at this point,” Swift has told PEOPLE. 

The singer’s show will feature multiple costume changes and an illuminated fairy-castle – and the new country group Gloriana. 

Despite the extravagant set, the singer – who just launched a line of affordable dresses at Wal-Mart – says she’s mindful of the tough economy, so she plans to start ticket prices at around $20 in most markets. 

“I want to be sure that everyone has the opportunity to come see my show,” she said. 

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The Year In Review: Top 20 Country Music News Stories Of 2008

9. Taylor Swift Continues to Dominate

Taylor Swift’s self-titled debut album wasn’t an instant classic–it took weeks for that album to claw its way up to the #1 spot on Billboard’s Country Albums chart. But once Swift made it to the summit, she stayed there. Taylor Swift continued to dominate the charts in 2008, and when July’s Wal-Mart exclusive Beautiful Eyes EP sold 45,000 copies in its first week, landing at #2 behind Taylor Swift, the teen sensation became the first country artist to hold the top two slots since another teen sensation, LeAnn Rimes, did it in 1997.

Swift continued to flex her sales muscles with her sophomore release Fearless, which sold nearly 600,000 copies in its first weak to debut as the number one album in the country (in all genres). Currently, Fearless sits at #1 while Taylor Swift sits at #4, although the two have a strong possibility of claiming the top two spots when #2 (Faith Hill – Joy To The World) and #3 (Elvis – Christmas Duets) lose their holiday sales boost.

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