Taylor Swift Straightens Out Jay Leno

Taylor Swift appeared on 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno' Monday night, November 22, to set the record straight .... about her hair, that is. She talked to the late-night host about going straight for the American Music Awards, where even friends didn't recognize her! She also chatted about her newly redesigned apartment and the funny things she'll do while alone in her first home, along with plans for her big 21st birthday, right around the corner. Here are some highlights from Taylor's 'Tonight Show' appearance:

Taylor on straightening her hair for the AMA Awards: "My hair is naturally kind of 'fro-ed' out, so that's why I always do it curly, because it's a little easier! So last night, they straightened my hair, and I'm walking through the halls of this awards show and passing by people I've known for years ... And I'm passing by going, 'Hey!' And (they're not responding, so) I'm like in junior high right now! It was weird! [laughs] This is what it used to be like!"

On whether she writes her awards acceptance speeches ahead of time: "No. Because my parents raised me to believe that being presumptuous is the most irritating quality in a person. If you go on an award show and you're like, 'I'm gonna win tonight,' well, if you win, you're not gonna be excited because you knew it. And if you don't win, you're gonna be disappointed. So I'd just rather go to an awards show and not assume you have any shot at winning ... and then if you do, just get up there and say whatever happens to come to your mind."

On why she always looks perennially surprised ... each and every time she wins: "It's just so exciting! I never thought I was gonna be at awards shows, and nominated! It's just ... 'What?!' [laughs] It's always fun!"

On watching CMA Awards shows as a kid: "It's like the Super Bowl for me when my favorite artist would win. Like when Shania Twain would win a CMA award, I would like freak out and start screaming, to the point where I would lose my voice! And I'd be running around the house, singing their songs all night, like a celebratory parade -- in celebration of their winning awards. And then I'd go to school the next day, and people would be like, 'Why don't you have a voice?' And I'd be like (melodramatically), 'Umm ... I cannot believe you were not watching the CMAs last night!' I mean, to me it's like football."

On her upcoming 21st birthday, and if she's ever had a fake ID: "Do you really think I'd ever have a fake ID? First of all, I'm not a drinker, and I'm not obsessed with the idea. I've never been like, 'Let's go party!' [laughs] I don't think I was born for the clubs! So I've never had a fake ID. But if I did, imagine me going to Nashville and going (holding out an imaginary ID card), 'Jane Willower is my name ... '"

On her purposely mismatched condo: "I moved in the beginning of the summer. I've been working on this condo in Nasvhille about a year, doing construction. When I walked in, it was really trendy, and I eventually fell in love with it. But the inside of it was like a dude's bachelor ... and I was like, we need to change this and make it cozy and pretty and mismatched! So we ripped out everything [and] put in like barn, hardwood floors, old reclaimed brick ... And the kitchen! Oh my God, I love my kitchen! It's got mismatched colored cabinets and mismatched knobs on cabinets and mismatched chairs ... but it's very girly, and they're well-matched mismatched! There's lots of pillows everywhere."

On living on her own: "I love cooking. It's one of my favorite things to do. And now I have my own kitchen -- so now I can! And I make my bed everyday! [laughs] I didn't used to do that, back when I lived at home. My mom comes over now, and she'll walk in and be like, 'Wow ... so you do this now? You didn't do this before, but you do this now. Great.' [laughs]"

On why she didn't go for a wall mounted, big-screen TV in the new place: "Because that would be dude-like ... so I was contemplating not having any TVs in my place at all. I was like, do I really need a TV? And then at the end, I realized I did. But I put it in this contraption that I found online, where you can have it hidden, and then have it come up when you want to see it. Because it's a very antique kind of apartment, so I thought, I can't have a big TV mounted on the wall! It would ruin everything. So I had to hide it ...and you push a button, so it comes up! Sometimes when I'm alone, I'll push up, down ... up, down! [laughs] You can do that when you're alone-- and nobody's gonna judge you! [laughs]"

On her Thanksgiving Day NBC TV special: "I can't believe it! It's crazy! I'm really excited about it. The cameras were following me the entire release week of this very important record that I was really proud of. And it's just very exciting to me that it's documented."