We're all given a window of opportunity, I think all artists are, of any genre. A window when you're truly relevant, the spotlight's on you and people are watching what you do.

The key to songwriting is just to be able to observe, and put yourself in situations to be around people, and let those ideas come to you.

I went to my dad when I was 17 and said, 'I want to be a country music star.' Which every dad loves to hear. And he said, 'I want you to go to college.' So we had a discussion. And I'm pretty stubborn. I'm a lot like him. And he said, 'If you go to college and graduate, I'll pay your first six months of rent in Nashville.' So he bribed me.

If I wanted the ticket to be a $200 ticket, I'd have made it a $200 ticket, but I don't want it to be that.

Country fans are the best fans out there because of the loyalty, and the way that they apply your music to every aspect of their life.

When you play the bars, you pay your dues. It does matter that you know those things [songs]. And the great thing for me, too, is that I draw on that stuff as influences. It's also stuff that you put in the tank that you pull from to make records.

The evolution of the music is what allows it to survive.