One of the things people don't really recognise about the similarities between country and hip-hop is that they're celebrations of pride in a lifestyle.

'The Story of Us' is about running into someone I had been in a relationship with at an awards show, and we were seated a few seats away from each other. I just wanted to say to him, 'Is this killing you? Because it's killing me.' But I didn't. Because I couldn't. Because we both had these silent shields up.

I tend to think things are love and then look back and reevaluate.

And, honestly, if somebody wants to criticize me for not being a trainwreck, that's fine with me!

I'd like to do a completely off-the-wall collaboration. I would like one of my songs to be the hook to a rap song. That would be so much fun!

I've apparently been the victim of growing up, which apparently happens to all of us at one point or another. It's been going on for quite some time now, without me knowing it. I've found that growing up can mean a lot of things. For me, it doesn't mean I should become somebody completely new and stop loving the things I used to love. It means I've just added more things to my list.

When I was growing up in Pennsylvania, auditioning for Broadway was my dream.