Taylor Swift performs “Forever & Always” at “The 43rd Annual CMA Awards,” on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network. Photographer: John Russell / CMA. Provided by Country Music Association.

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The top news story in country music is unavoidable. Taylor Swift was everywhere, doing everything and reaching everybody in 2009. She appeared in movies with the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus; headlined her first concert tour; showed up on two different episodes of “Saturday Night Live”; won Entertainer of the Year from the Country Music Association; sold more records than anyone else in the year; crossed into the pop charts; contributed to albums by John Mayer and Boys Like Girls; and finally turned 20 in December.

Oh, and she earned lots of unintended sympathy by simply being on an awards-show stage at the same time as some perpetually angry guy named Kanye West.

In the process, she became a polarizing figure for country fans. It’s practically guaranteed that this article — because it’s about Taylor — will be followed with tons of comments by readers who absolutely adore her and by some who simply can’t take any more of her.

Taylor topped the country field in an unprecedented way, writing about the anxiety of her teen years and attracting a core audience of young girls, even though she works primarily in a genre that’s habitually geared toward adults.

And in the wake of the million-selling certifications and the magazine covers, there’s more to come even after New Year’s Day. Taylor is nominated for eight Grammy awards on Jan. 31. She resumes her Fearless Tour and headlines an NFL park for the first time when she visits Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts in June. And she’s eyeing the release of her next album toward the end of 2010.

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