Country music has always sort of been country music.

I don’t care about being stick-thin. I don’t want stuff to jiggle. Really skinny actresses make me hungry — I see them and think 'Honey, you need to eat!' I’m lucky I don’t have to live like that. I feel my best when I’m a toned, not flabby, size 8. Women come up to me and say, ‘You’re beautiful and confident, and that makes me feel I can be, too.’

There's room for everyone. There's room for pop country, for 'rock & roll' country, for stone-cold country, and everything in-between. Great music is great music.

For each album, I let the music that I love at that point in my life be my guide.

I wouldn't want to bring a kid into this crazy world right now.

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.

I'm really fortunate because, in my career, I haven't had to deal with anybody trying to make me something I'm not.