I respect country music because I feel like it's more about the talent and the songwriting and I put on a big show and we have a lot of stuff, but I feel confident in myself enough as an artist and a singer that I can have all of those fun toys and know that we don't need all the bells and whistles either.

[Carnival Ride] is part of a line from my favorite song on the album, "Wheel of the World." It sums up everything that's happened to me. It's nuts to think of where I was a couple of years ago.

My hometown is extremely supportive of me and I feel blessed to be able to create something as a way of giving back; to say thank you.

So many people always try to help me carry my luggage and help me do things I can do myself. If I can do it myself, I'm going to do it myself. I'm not going to let other people do it for me, and I think that's a big part of where I came from. I'm not a real prissy girl.

I grew up listening to Queen. They were no stranger to throwing in the unexpected and something a little more dramatic.

Mama, you taught me to do the right things / So now you have to let your baby fly / You've given me everything that I will need / To make it through this crazy thing called life

I did most of my volunteer work when I was in college because I knew of more ways to get involved. In high school, we'd do things like, there was a homeless shelter near our hometown and our church group decorated one of the rooms. In college, I was in a sorority, and we did a lot of things, like pick up trash on the highway.