I think being a Texan - we sort of have that extra fire in us as a breed. I just felt like from day one I had something to say and I wanted to make sure people heard me, and it's worked.

I definitely don't ever want to burn out at my job.

Falling in love is awesome, but I'm never drawn to happy songs per se, so whenever you sit down to write a heartbreak song and you're happily in love, it's like, 'OK, now I have to go back to a sad place to get something good.'

I used to play for 200 people and now I'm selling out places that hold 16,000 people. It's a big change, and it's so cool to see people out there screaming the words to songs that I wrote. It just really reassures me that what I'm doing is working, and it really boosts my confidence, as far as on stage as a performer and a writer.

Both my mom and my grandma were really big influences on me not only by being strong and teaching me to be strong but also owning their salt as well.

Don't get me wrong, I love my first two albums a lot.

I feel like if you turn on country radio, you will find something you'll love because it's so diverse.And that's a great thing.