In Texas, we practically come out of the womb in jeans.

My mom and I are like sisters. We kind of grew up together. She always treated me as an adult. I never had curfew. She's a workaholic, like I am. We're not super family-oriented people, you know?

It's amazing to impact people's lives - it's a cool thing to have the spotlight and be able to reassure people, to say, "It's OK to be you."

I'm proud of everything I achieved with 'Idol,' and away from 'Idol' also. It's just such a different show now to what it was when I was on it. I didn't even know it was a TV show until the third audition.

I don't love traveling, because I'm never home. It's hard when you have a family.

I know a lot of artists say, `If you want your song on my record, I get 50 per cent' I'd like to kick them in the face.

I'm actually not a big fan of the word hope. I think it's a depressing word. I don't want to hope - I want to know. Like I don't hope there's a God, I know there's a God.