You have celebrities who are pushed to the brink of a public meltdown, and so the public thinks that every person in the public eye has dirty secrets that they're keeping, or isn't what they seem, or is masking it and faking sincerity, faking authenticity, faking being surprised at award shows when you win a Grammy.

There are no rules when it comes to love. I just try to let love surprise me because you never know who you’re going to fall in love with.

I think that growing up is something that you should do gradually.

I think songwriting is the ultimate form of being able to make anything that happens in your life productive.

Try things. Laugh a lot. Mess up. Apologize. Hug people. Take chances. Trust yourself. Lose things. Get over it.

When I was a teenager, my biggest lessons came from Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley. I learned so much from opening up for those artists, and it also taught me how to treat your opening acts and make them feel like they're part of a family, not just a tour.

I love it when people say things to me in public and want to meet me, because I want to meet them! Early on, my manager told me, 'If you want to sell 500,000 records, then go out there and meet 500,000 people.'