Life's up and down from the time you get here to the time you leave.

I'm kind of at a point in my career where I can get away with traditional stuff and then get away with some more rocky and pop and edgier stuff, too.

Alcohol is perfect for me to curb the nerves a little bit.

I'll always have songs with a farm connotation on my albums. It's in the fabric of my music, and I plan to keep it that way.

My thing is you just have to try to feel young and stay young. Obviously you get a little older, but I still want my music to be young. I don't want to sound like an old dad onstage, so you just have to write music that sounds young.

American Idol allowed us to find Carrie Underwood.

It's pretty cool to see how far music can take you.