Taylor Swift Has No. 1 Album and Just Might Take Home a People's Choice Award

Teen-Pal Miley Cyrus Might Win One as Well

Taylor Swift regained the No. 1 position on the Billboard 200 albums chart two weeks ago after hanging out at the No. 2 position for a couple weeks. And she is still at No. 1, giving her four nonconsecutive weeks atop the charts in all and the distinction of being the last No. 1 for the year as well. She had previously hit the No. 1 position with "Fearless" in its debut week on the chart.

Taylor Swift held off Beyonce's "I Am... Sasha Fierce," which finished the week at No. 2. Britney Spears was No. 3 with "Circus." At No. 4 was Nickleback's "Dark Horse." And rounding out the Top Five was Kanye West's "808s And Heartbreak."

Not only did Swift retain the No. 1 position for a third week in a row, but she and fellow country singer Kelly Pickler helped Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark ring in the New Year on ABC's "Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve." And although she was snubbed by the Grammys this year, along with teen-pal Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift is up for a People's Choice Award (Favorite Country Song, "Love Story").

If her life sounds like a whirlwind of late, it seems to not have slowed down much throughout the last few years. According to Billboard, Taylor Swift swift began honing her guitar skills at the age of twelve and would not stop practicing until her fingers bled. At 16 years old, she signed a major recording contract with Big Machine Records, released "Tim McGraw," which was a huge No. 1 country hit single (and video hit as well), and found herself catapulted into the music industry limelight.

Swift is the first artist in history to chart six Top 20 debut singles on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart in a calendar year. Those six singles and a total of seven tracks on the Hot 100 also tie a record set by aforementioned pal Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus).

But even phenoms like Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus could not save the music industry from the recession-wallowing economy. Sales for the year were down over 14%, according to Billboard, slipping from sales of 500.5 million in 2007 to 428.4 million.