The country star will join Cobra Starship, Katy Perry, Ne-Yo and host Russell Brand on the 'West Side Story' song 'Tonight.'
By Jocelyn Vena

Taylor Swift
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic

On September 13, Taylor Swift will join Cobra Starship, Katy Perry, Russell Brand and Ne-Yo for a special version of the classic "West Side Story" tune "Tonight," in honor of the 2009 Video Music Awards' return to the Big Apple.

MTV News was on hand as she shot her version of the legendary song, which will then be melded together with all the other versions of the track. Swift was very excited to get the chance to show the world her Broadway chops. "It's gonna be me and a bunch of artists, and we're shooting individual versions of the song," she explained. "Mine is shot in a vintage old cab."

The country superstar decided that for her part, she was going to show the world that she's about more than the teardrops on her guitar, making this particular performance all about embracing the song's 42nd Street roots. "My version of 'Tonight' was pretty theatrical, because I listened to the song and I heard the song and I'm just like, 'There's no way to do this and not play it up,' " she said.

Swift, nominated for Best Female Video for "You Belong With Me," added that if you think that she's all about country all the time, think again. "When we were in the studio recording, it I just kind of went all out — all show tunes. I am obsessed with Broadway," she said. "So I was pretty excited about getting to sing this song."

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place September 13 at 9 p.m. ET. Nominees, celebrity presenters and additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks. To be the first to find out the inside scoop, follow the Inside MTV Twitter account at Twitter.com/InsideMTV.

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