I think on a stage in front of thousands of people is a wildly invigorating and amazing experience, and it requires a certain skill set; then being in the studio, and being curled up in the fetal position under the piano, that requires another skill set.

Everything changes in every genre, whether it's pop, rock or country.

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.

It's a marvelous feeling when someone says I want to do this song of yours because they've connected to it. That's what I'm after.

Was it a light only she could see? A gypsy's spell? A mystery?

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.

In the late 80s, artists could be signed to labels and be nurtured. It wasn't, "We're going to give you one shot, and if you don't measure up, you're gone".