<p id=”par-1_51″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/taylor-swift/?swcfpc=1″>Taylor Swift</a> began releasing <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/music/”>music</a> while she was still a teenager. She admitted that because of her age, people seemed to look down on her despite her success. After she released her first single, a music manager in Nashville said she should consider going back to school. Here’s how Swift responded. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-taylor-swift-didn-t-seem-fazed-when-a-music-manager-told-her-to-get-back-to-school-nbsp”>Taylor Swift didn’t seem fazed when a music manager told her to get back to school </h2>
<p id=”par-2_31″>In 2006, Swift released <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/taylor-swift-tim-mcgraw-debuted-15-years-ago-song-about.html/”>her debut single</a>, “Tim McGraw.” The song performed quite well, but longtime music promoter and manager Jerry Bentley wasn’t sure it was enough to sustain a career.</p>
<p id=”par-3_56″>“Tell her to get back in school and come back and see me when she’s 18, and bring her parents,” he told <a href=”https://web.archive.org/web/20061201093824/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15841390/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>MSNBC</a>. “Even if she were 25, the odds would be against her. At 16, it’s near impossible. You have to work 300-plus days for a couple of years, and there’s no guarantee even then.”</p>
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<iframe title=”Taylor Swift – Tim McGraw” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/GkD20ajVxnY?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-4_18″>When she heard what Bentley said, Swift didn’t seem bothered. She believed her talent would speak for itself.</p>
<p id=”par-5_14″>“I’d like to meet him and sit down and play for him,” she said.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-she-couldn-t-stand-when-people-thought-she-was-too-young”>She couldn’t stand when people thought she was too young</h2>
<p id=”par-6_20″>While Swift responded calmly to Bentley’s words, she admitted she disliked it when <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/taylor-swift-producer-worst-decision-career-told-12-year-old-swift-perform.html/”>people doubted her</a> because of her age.</p>
<p id=”par-7_73″>“The cons of being a teenager in the country music industry is that you get some people that will talk down to you, like you don’t know what you are doing,” she said in a Q&A for <a target=”_blank” href=”https://web.archive.org/web/20090904141832/http://blogs.gactv.com:80/gactv/asktheartist/taylorswift/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>GAC</a>. “Some people ask questions like, ‘So how do you feel about your rise to the top being so quick and you being so young? What could you possibly have to say, you are only 17?’”</p>
<p id=”par-8_12″>She believed her perspective was just as valid as an older person’s.</p>
<p id=”par-9_57″>“I hate the phrase ‘You’re only 17!’” she added. “It’s <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/young-taylor-swift-revealed-horrible-horrible-comment-constantly-heard.html/”>a horrible, horrible phrase</a> and nobody should ever say it anymore! At least not with the undertones of, ‘How could you possibly know?’ Because if anyone has been paying attention to what’s happening, I mean, obviously there’s a place for somebody young to be in country music.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-taylor-swift-finished-school-in-nashville”>Taylor Swift finished school in Nashville</h2>
<p id=”par-10_49″>Swift grew up in Pennsylvania, but she <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/taylor-swift-detailed-nashville-guide-gives-celebrities.html/”>moved to Nashville</a> in high school. She signed a record deal, and the family moved to the city for the sake of her career. Her mother said she wanted to give her daughter as normal an experience as possible despite the circumstances.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Taylor-Swift-4-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Taylor Swift wears a sparkly silver dress and accepts an award.” class=”wp-image-3789261″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Taylor Swift | Kevin Mazur/WireImage</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-11_58″>“We moved far enough outside Nashville to where she didn’t have to be going to school with producers’ kids and label presidents’ kids and be reminded constantly that she was struggling to make it,” she explained, per <a target=”_blank” href=”https://people.com/music/all-about-taylor-swift-parents-scott-andrea-swift/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>People</a>. “We’ve always told her that this is not about putting food on our table or making our dreams come true.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_10″>Swift finished school early in order to pursue her career.</p>