Taylor Swift Goes Global … and Pop?

Taylor Swift, international pop star? That's the plan, according to Universal Music Group, which has struck a deal with the teen singer's record label, Big Machine Records, to help expand Swift's fan base to other countries.

"I don't really see her as a country artist," Universal's Executive Vice-President Max Hole tells Reuters. "If you listen to the records and see her play live, she has much more in common with acts like Avril Lavigne and Miley Cyrus."

Universal wants to poise Swift for international stardom, hoping music fans in other countries will catch on to what millions of American fans already love.

"She is by some distance the biggest breakthrough for an American artist in America over the last year," says Hole.

The first step in the global plan is a new album in early 2009 that will include songs from Swift's self-titled debut CD and from her sophomore album, 'Fearless.' Several songs on the new project will reportedly be re-mixed to be more pop-friendly.

Swift is also planning a European trek next year, playing shows with small audiences and making the media rounds. An international tour could come in the fall.