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.

With eight nominations in her pocket, Taylor Swift is one of the leading candidates for this Sunday’s 52nd annual Grammy Awards, and some analysts are predicting victories for her in the all-genre categories of Album and Record of the Year over such pop acts as Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga.

The critics can make whatever predictions they want. Taylor is keeping her mouth closed.

“I predict that I will be there,” she told Rolling Stone. “I’m planning on performing, and that’s really all that I can predict. You never know what’s going to happen. I like being nominated for eight, I’m not going to lie. I like that feeling. It makes me smile. All I know is that I’m a really, really happy person, thinking about being nominated for eight of them, and I think that’s a gift in itself, so we’ll see what happens in L.A.”

A rising tide, as they say, lifts all boats, and a couple of people who would benefit from a successful Grammy run by Taylor include songwriter Liz Rose and producer Nathan Chapman. Liz had only had one hit as a writer, Gary Allan’s “Songs About Rain,” before she started collaborating with Taylor. She’s now had a hand in more than half of Taylor’s hits, including “You Belong With Me,” which is up for Song of the Year; and “White Horse,” nominated for Best Country Song.

From the outside, it’s an odd pairing. At 52, Liz is old enough to be the singer’s mother. But that’s also why their writing relationship works. She has enough experience to act as a sort of editor as they go through the creative process. And she provides a sort of knowledgeable outsider’s view on the issues Taylor tackles.

“I don’t try and get into her head, except I have a daughter Taylor’s age,” Liz says. “I have a 20-year-old and a 22-year-old. Hayley and Taylor were the same age, so I knew what Taylor was goin’ through. Hayley would come home and tell me what was goin’ on, and Taylor would come and tell me the same thing.”

As her producer, Nathan would take home a Grammy if Fearless wins Album of the Year or Best Country Album. While she’s taken criticism from some music fans who don’t believe she’s country enough, there’s actually plenty of country instrumentation on the CD. The banjo and mandolin, in particular, get a workout amid all of her melodic hooks, and those country elements are just as much her doing as his.

“We co-produced Fearless, and she was askin’ for banjo,” he notes. “I would say ‘What about this?’ — fiddle or whatever. So the decisions to do those country instruments were the two of us collaborating.”

The Grammys air Sunday, January 31 on CBS, but most of the day’s 100+ trophies will be handed out during a pre-telecast ceremony. You can stream it live beginning 4 p.m. ET that day on grammy.com.

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