For Taylor Swift, her last name isn't just a name. It's a way of life. After being born in the remote-sounding borough of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, to stock broker Scott and homemaker Andrea, she demonstrated a creative streak right out of the gate. Her three-page poem 'Monster In My Closet' won a national poetry contest when she was in fourth grade! At the ripe old age of ten, she began writing songs and singing at local festivals.

After a few early rejections, she's been riding high ever since her 2006 debut. Swift's latest album, 'Fearless,' was the biggest selling disc of 2009, a year that saw her profile raised by Grammys galore and a certain interruption by Kanye West.

In the latest issue of Elle, cover girl Swift dishes on a variety of topics, including childhood dreams, her analytical side, the use of heartbreak to fuel her creative process and some thoughts about a couple of hot young gentlemen.