I certainly felt the desire to reach as many people as I could; I wanted to make the most of this opportunity, sure. But I wouldn't call it pressure the way we're thinking of it now.

The bedrock thing of country music is, it's about storytelling. I feel like I was able to find a niche because I connected to that in some way.

Some people say that you should not tempt fate and for them I cannot disagree, but I never learned anything from playing it safe. I say fate should not tempt me.

I like to feel that every day or most days, I do a little bit of writing. I am a creature of habit in terms of the way I live.

Dreamland is a book, but it's my song in book form. It's translated itself into a different medium.

So I think that if I do feel more freedom right now in my career, it's not so much because I have less at stake but more a sense that I've learned more.

I feel like politics have always informed what I do. If you know anything about my music, you know I've never been shy about stating how I vote.