My granddaddy on my momma's side, he was a romantic. He loved love songs. Every Valentine's Day, I remember him buying a red carnation for my grandmomma, my momma and my sister. That was something you could count on every year.

What I did to celebrate was I went home to my 535-square-foot apartment by myself and ate supper by myself. That was how I celebrated getting a record deal.

I came from a rural background, and I didn't come in contact with a lot of wealthy people.

I love Tennessee, but they don't have the pine trees and the sandy soil and the black water that I grew up around.

Don't let your children take priority over your marriage and your work and everything else.

A No. 1 record is hard to come by.

When you get married and have children, and you start having hits and success and your business starts growing, there's less and less time for songwriting.