Taylor Swift is 17

Taylor Swift lets her curls go wild as she graces the May 2009 cover of Seventeen magazine.

The 19-year-old songstress opens up to the magazine about best friends, her favorite things to write about and her infamous break-up with Joe Jonas. Check it:

On putting personal emotions in her songs: “Writing songs about people is the only way I know how to do things. I mean, I can’t wish I hadn’t written a song about someone, because if I hadn’t, that song wouldn’t exist. I just don’t find any joy in writing about things I haven’t been through.”

On the subjects she likes to write about: “Right now, my favorite thing to write about is love. And breakups. And boys. And feelings. Honesty is a big part of my writing, because when I was younger and fell in love with songs I’d hear, I would always wonder who that song was about. It would have totally broken my heart to know it wasn’t about anyone and was just written so it could be on the radio.”

On who she considers her best friends: “In Nashville, it’s Abigail [who's mentioned in Taylor's song "Fifteen"], and Kellie Pickler. In L.A., Selena Gomez is one of my best friends. I’m also really close with Miley [Cyrus], Demi Lovato, and Emma Stone.”