Nashville everywoman McBride has the last laugh
Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:25PM EDT
By Ken Tucker

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Martina McBride is both Everywoman and the Everywoman's superstar.

A 40-year-old mother of three from Sharon, Kan., who has been married since 1988, she is her audience. That may be one of the reasons that McBride -- whose new RCA album, "Wake Up Laughing," is due April 3 -- has been one of country music's most consistent stars during her 15-year career.

Few artists in any genre can claim a career as consistent as McBride's. Every one of her albums, except for her first, has been certified either platinum (shipments exceeding one million) or multiplatinum by the Recording Industry Assn. of America. She has sold 12 million records, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Every album she has released -- save one, a Christmas project -- has outperformed the last when it comes to first-week SoundScan sales. Her most recent, the 2005 covers set "Timeless," sold 185,000 copies in its first week. By contrast, 1992's "The Time Has Come," her first record, started off with 1,000 units.

Her last proper album, 2003's "Martina," spawned the hit single "This One's for the Girls," which spent nine weeks at No. 1. "Martina" has sold more than 1.8 million copies to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

There's a major media push around the release of the new record, whose first single, "Anyway," is the first song that McBride has written or co-written in her career.

She will appear on NBC's "Today," ABC's "The View," Fox's "American Idol" and the 2007 CMT Music Awards, among other outlets.

McBride, who had the No. 10 grossing country tour in 2006, according to Billboard Boxscore, will kick off an arena tour April 12 in Kansas City. Keeping in line with her role as a wife and mother, McBride will tour only on the weekends.

During a recent interview, McBride was in mom mode -- winding her way through the streets of Nashville to pick up two of her three daughters at school. She spoke of her long career, producing her own records and trying her hand at songwriting.

YOU'VE WON A TON OF AWARDS, YOU'VE HAD NO. 1 SONGS, EVERY ONE OF YOUR NINE ALBUMS EXCEPT THE FIRST ONE HAS GONE PLATINUM OR MULTIPLATINUM -- WHAT'S STILL OUT THERE THAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?

I have never been one to set goals -- I've kind of been one who's just really happy and content to just take things as they come, and I just sort of feel like if it's meant to be it will happen. But this year, we are going to be touring for more people than ever, which is exciting to me. I hate to be greedy because I have had such an amazing career, but I would love for these singles to come out and do well at radio, and I would love to have a great year at the (Country Music Assn. Awards) . . . but that's kind of what you hope for with every record that you put out. I feel really grateful that 15 years into a career I still feel like it's really growing. I think anybody who starts a career hopes they have 10 strong years and that's a really big career, and the fact that this far into it we are still growing . . . that's exciting for me.

WHAT DO YOU CREDIT YOUR LONGEVITY TO?

Song selection, obviously, has played a big part in that. I also think that this career has been really slow and steady. I don't think we have had peaks over the years. We didn't really have that exploding-out-of-the-box kind of thing. That is, in my opinion, so hard to keep going for a long period of time. While sometimes it's been frustrating to not achieve something as quickly as you think you should or whatever . . . it's just been the best way. That slow and steady build we have had has allowed us to have longevity when a lot of people have gotten burned out.

I think when we have done press, we have done it really smart. I think it's been little bursts of really great press and great television, but not the "everywhere all the time in your face, until everybody is sick of you" kind of thing.

And we have built our touring career really slowly. We have had some really smart opening spots and then made the decision last year to really go for it and headline with the "Timeless" tour.

Above it all I think I've always really stayed true to myself, which I think people can sense.

YOUR NEW ALBUM IS THE SECOND ONE THAT YOU'VE PRODUCED BY YOURSELF. WHAT WAS IT LIKE PRODUCING THE "TIMELESS" ALBUM, AND WERE THERE THINGS THAT YOU LEARNED THROUGH THAT PROCESS THAT YOU BROUGHT FORWARD TO THE NEW ALBUM?

The "Timeless" album was the perfect record for me to produce first, because I had that great blueprint with all the music. There were original versions of the songs, and I wanted to stay really true and authentic to those versions. I learned a lot about production on that record, but I kind of had the safety net (because I had) the blueprint of the originals. But this record started from scratch. It was a blank canvas. You can paint this picture any color you want, you can paint any shape or form or whatever. So it was more challenging than "Timeless" for me. Especially with songs that I wrote like "Anyway," which didn't even have a demo to base it off of. It was just guitar/vocal. I thought "My gosh, how do I build this record? What instruments do I to use? What tempo does it need to be? What feel does it need to have?"

WHY IS IT THAT YOU'VE NEVER WRITTEN A SONG, LET ALONE RECORDED IT, BEFORE NOW?

For so long people have been saying to me, "You should write, you should write." And I keep saying, "I'm not a songwriter. I don't want to write." I respect the art of songwriting so much that I have never really wanted to attempt it. The Warren Brothers were out touring with me and ... they said, "We are here every day, we don't have anything to do all day long. Let's write a song." And I said, "I'm not a songwriter. I don't write songs." They came to me in catering one night with this idea for "Anyway." "We started this idea for a song. Will you finish it with us?" And I said, "I love that. I want that song. It's my song." And they said, "Well, you have to finish it with us." So we sat down in the dressing room and in an hour we finished it up.

I love the process of being able to, on the front end, really make the words fit me and kind of put my thoughts into the song. I still don't have a desire to go to songwriting appointments every day. This is not my passion, but when you get something right and when you hit upon a line and it's finished and you can all look at each other and go, "Wow, that's really great," it is a great feeling, I have to say.

LAST YEAR YOU WORKED WITH SOME OF THE CONTESTANTS ON "CANADIAN IDOL" AND PERFORMED ON THE SHOW, AND THIS YEAR YOU'RE DOING THE SAME THING WITH "AMERICAN IDOL." HAVE YOU BEEN A FAN OF THE SHOW ALL ALONG?

I actually, honestly, have not watched the show up until, crazily enough, this year. The "Canadian Idol" thing really changed my opinion of the show. I kind of had mixed feelings about it, like a lot of people do in the industry. (But) I was not really basing that on facts, because I hadn't even watched the show. When I went to do "Canadian Idol," it really turned me around. They were kids, I think the oldest one was 20 or 21 years old. Their excitement and their passion, their willingness to learn and their heart was really moving to me. I thought, "You know what? This is great that there is a place where people can go to have this kind of opportunity." So then this year I started watching "American Idol" before I was asked to be on it. Me and the kids started watching it together.

WHAT ABOUT BEING AN ARTIST OR ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT? OR DOES ANYTHING?

Yeah, yeah, certain things do. Like when I put a song out that I believe in, and I think it's really great and it doesn't do as well at radio as I had hoped. That's hard for me. When I put "Timeless" out and radio wouldn't play it, that was hard for me. I mean, they played it, but as a general rule, they weren't that accepting of the album. Little things like that. When you do things you believe in you want everyone to embrace it, and then you have to realize that's not going to happen. So you just have to let it go. Little things like that ... get under my skin, but I think they do with every artist.


http://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/...528777920070316

Great article. Thanks Sandi.

Great article Sandi...it will be interesting to see what her new stuff is like (other than "Anyway", which we've already heard).

I love her, I didn't always. When she first came out, I really didn't like her at all, I just didn't like her earlier songs. Same with Trisha. I liked "She's in Love with the Boy," and wrong side of Memphis. That about it, my love and adoration for Trisha really started with "The Song Remembers When," in 1994. It was still a few years before I started liking Martina, it was about 1997, 1998, when Trisha was really big and Martina put out "Broken Wing," when I heard that song I went "oh wow, what have I been missing. Martina can SING!" I got her album "Evolution" and loved it, when her next one "Emotion," came out I bought it immediately. To this day, they're two of my favorite albums of all time. Ever since then, I've loved Martina. I do agree that sometimes she pushes her voice too much and isn't as relaxed about it as Trisha is, but I still believe Martina has one of the best voices ever. What I like about BOTH Trisha AND Martina is the way they have consistently put out fantastic music, great songs and conducted themselves with the utmost chivilary. Martina (and Trisha) is the epitome of a lady and a family-person at heart, she is just beautiful and seems to really care about others and respect Country Music as a whole. And I respect that. In my book, Martina is right up there with Trisha, who are right alongside Reba McEntire and Wynonna Judd--imho, I think it's those four ladies who have graced country music with their incredible presence and amazing voices! I'm excited for Martina's new album as well, I'm looking foward to it and I'm sure it'll be great!

I've heard Martina's album has a very "intimate" feel.

For those of you that like country music so much, you really should check out my friend's blog. She works in the music industry, and always keeps us up-to-date about what's going on.

great artical. I just absoutly adore Martina. She's such a wonderful woman/role model. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for that! I'm so excited for her new album and tour. I have 3rd row seats at her Hershey, PA show in June and I'm just flipping out about it!

And this blog would be where?

I'm pretty sure I can't post the link on the board per the posting guidelines, but if anyone's interested I'll be glad to PM you the link.

It's not necessarily the most popular thing to say (but I've said before that I'd rather get chewed out for being honest, than be praised for kissing up), but I've always been a fence sitter when it comes to Martina.

I've grown accustomed to the knowledge that Martina has that kind of voice capacity that can shatter glass, which I still find a tad bit off-putting, but I accept it. My main "complaint" with her is that a lot of the stuff of hers that they play on the radio is, for lack of better terminology, kind of bland and inoffensive, almost, dare I use the word, precious. I know this most likely has to do with the way a lot of country artists make albums now, with one eye on pleasing a certain prescribed country radio playlist. And I know that this is standard practice if you want the video of a certain song to get airplay on CMT or any other country music video cable network.

But from an artistic standpoint, I am not sure Martina is giving herself enough credit. The radio stations consistently play "Valentine", "Broken Wing", "Wild Angels" and stuff like that. But when was the last time that something far more daring of hers, like "Love's The Only House" or "When God Fearing Women Get The Blues" got airplay? Not that I would disparage the way she runs her career or anything like that, but in my humble opinion, it would be nice if the far more edgy side of Martina were seen and heard a bit more often.

Thank for thst article! I love Martina McBride...and "Anyway" is one of my fave songs right now! Thanks again!

I like Martina's voice but I do get tired of the constant pop ballads over and over again. Her songs all seem the same. But I LOVED Timeless. I am seeing her 7th row in Pittsburgh May 11th

Martina McBride - "Waking Up Laughing"

Track Listing:

1. If I Had Your Name
2. Cry Cry (Til The Sun Shines)
3. Tryin' To Find A Reason
4. For These Times
5. Anyway (Album & Digital Single Version)
6. How I Feel
7. I'll Still Be Me
8. Beautiful Again
9. Everybody Does
10. House Of A Thousand Dreams
11. Love Land

Thanks for posting the album info, Sandi...you're just building up my anticipation for this album!

Thanks for the info Sandi. I have to admit, I am not a big fan of Martina's - but I don't have a very good reason for that. I actually like some of her songs, but I don't always find that I "feel" the songs or music when I hear her sing them. I don't know what it is - I guess it is something that is indescribable - but it is something that Trisha has. She can make me feel all the emotions that go with a song. Her voice goes right into my soul - is maybe how I can describe what happens when I hear Trisha sing. But I haven't had that happen when I watch Martina.

But I do like her voice and some of her music. So thanks for the info Sandi. And I hope I haven't offended anyone. I just happen to love Trisha's voice - and no one else seems to come close.

I'm not a big fan either Debbie, so don't worry. Her songs either seem to be hit or miss with me, and it seems to be all in her delivery, in how she sings them. I either love the song, or can't stand it. :shrug: To me there's a fine line between having a powerful voice and overkill, and she tends to cross it very often--and in crossing it, she loses the emotion that goes with the delivery (especially when she sings live). So I completely understand.

Well said! Ditto for me. Mind if I steal it?

Very well said Debbie. I agree whole heartedly.

Quote by sandis:



I think the motto that Martina likes to use was the one developed by Little Jimmy Dickens--"I'm little, but I'm loud." The problem with that, however, is that it really isn't necessary to be loud, and it doesn't always make for a great interpretation of a song.

Linda probably isn't too much taller than Martina, and has that kind of big voice voice, especially on her biggest rock and ballad numbers, that she once joked could knock down brick walls. But she also knew intuitively where such belting was appropriate, and where subtlety seved the song best, which is one of the reasons she's been able to stick around for 40 years. I believe Trisha understands that concept too; and if Martina would get into that mode, she could be just as significant a singing force (IMHO).

Just as a reminder to big Martina fans like myself,and to interested ones,Martina's new CD will be released to the public in 2 days,April 3rd, and her first single from that album,"Anyway",is music to my ears.

Martina was on the Opry this past weekend--if you missed it, you can catch the repeat on Tuesday.


Also, she'll be on two upcoming episodes of Primetime--no airdates yet:

Martina McBride will be featured in two episodes of ABC's Primetime as she discusses her small-town roots and the importance of knowing the right people when trying to break into the music business. In addition to the interview, Primetime will track six unknown singers from small towns as they try to connect with McBride by using the theory of six degrees of separation, the concept that a person is connected to any other person through a chain of no more than six people. If the aspiring singers make the connection, McBride will produce a professional demo for them and pitch one of the recordings to Sony BMG. Air dates have not been set for the one-hour specials.

Martina McBride calls the shots on new album
The singer-producer will likely coach the Idols to keep things sweet and simple.
By Randy Lewis
Times Staff Writer

March 31, 2007

BERRY HILL, TENN. — When Martina McBride turns up in a couple of weeks on "American Idol" to coach contestants on the finer points of singing a country song, don't be surprised if she starts quoting the adage that "less is more."

The woman who has won nine trophies from the Country Music Assn. and the Academy of Country Music, mostly for female vocalist of the year, isn't big on singers who like to showboat.

"There's just no need to make one word have 25 notes; there really isn't," says McBride, kicking back in a leather chair behind a large desk in the office she shares with her husband, John McBride, at their Blackbird Studio here just outside of Nashville, where they also live with their daughters: Delany, 12, Emma, 8, and Eva, 21 months. "It just is really not very soulful. Sometimes it is, like with Aretha [Franklin], but even she doesn't really do that."

If her "AI" charges on the nights of April 17 and 18 need proof that she's willing to put her money where her mouth is, she can spin them her new album, "Waking Up Laughing," which hits stores Tuesday. It does include a few wall-rattling crescendos, particularly in the first single, "Anyway," an inspirational ballad currently riding high on the country charts.

More often than not, however, McBride relies on restraint and an almost conversational delivery that establishes a more intimate rapport with listeners than singers who crank every chorus to 11, or torture syllables into submission because they can.

Overshadowed commercially during the 1990s and this decade by Shania Twain and Faith Hill, the pint-sized singer with the pipes of steel nonetheless has sold nearly 12 million albums in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. She's racked up five No. 1 singles, including "Blessed," "I Love You" and her first, "Wild Angels," and is vying for yet another top female vocalist honor from the ACM, which hands out its awards May 15 in Las Vegas.

"I never think, 'How can I show off on this song?' Sometimes, quite honestly, when I sing something really big or powerful, it's because that's the only way I can get it out," McBride says, leaning forward, elbows on her knees. "It's not like I'm constantly trying to go for that. I love singing a song that's soft and quiet, with lots of subtleties and nuances, just as well as I love singing something big like 'Where Would You Be,' " a hit for her in 2002.

"I'm conscious of that now, having done that a lot," says the singer, who was born 40 years ago in Sharon, Kan. "I don't want people … to think I'm just doing it for effect. So I probably go the other direction a little bit more now when I think about songs."

Her maturation as a vocalist is just one part of a continuing musical evolution. She produced the new album herself, her second time calling all the shots.

After working for most of her career with producer Paul Worley, she decided to try producing on her 2004 Grammy-nominated "Timeless," a tastefully inspired collection of country songs she grew up loving.

"I wanted to be in a position where I wasn't dependent on someone else's schedule and availability," she says.

"What if I want to get up and do some work at 3 in the morning? Or if I want to keep working until 3 in the morning? It was very liberating," she says, dressed weekday casual in a short-sleeved knit top and cargo pants, fresh from mom duty reading for Emma's third-grade class.

For the first time, she's also getting songwriting credits, having co-written three songs, including "Anyway," with Brett and Brad Warren, a.k.a. the Warren Brothers.

"We were in this very room. They were sitting on the couch, and they said, 'Would you ever sing something like this?' And they started playing a song. I said, 'Of course, I love it.'

"They said, 'It needs a bridge…. We've got to go, so why don't you write it?' I said, 'Yeah, right.' And they left."

That song became "Beautiful Again," an unconventional narrative about a young girl who leaves home after a brush with an abusive relative, then maps out her own circuitous path to happiness.

"I love that girl in that song," McBride says, "and I love the fact that even after everything she's gone through and all the hard times, she still is determined to see the good, and to know that things do get better. But I love the little moment of doubt she has in the bridge.

"I feel like the verses and the chorus can show her story, but I feel like that bridge really shows her soul," she says of her contribution to the song.

"She has that little moment of doubt like, 'Dang, this is hard! Am I doing the right thing only seeing the good side? Maybe I should wallow in it a little bit.' And then she sees her little girl and she knows she's doing the right thing, and to me that's her character, her soul, her spirit."

It's clear that McBride identifies with the optimistic outlook in that song, an attitude that permeates the Blackbird complex, where she and her family can be rubbing elbows one week with the Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban and another with the White Stripes and Beck.

She's experienced her own hard moments, as the rare female singer who's also a producer, mentioning a magazine story she read recently that described John as her "husband/producer."

"Now how does that happen?" she says, laughing indignantly, with John seated next to her after strolling from the office to a dining table in the studio's communal kitchen.

It's mild frustration — more than surprise or outrage — that lights up her crystalline, sky-blue eyes at the assumption that it must be a man who is in the driver's seat when a female singer is in the recording studio.

John did work on the album, but as an engineer following her orders. He is completely clear on who's the boss on this one.

"I might make a suggestion about something I think might work," John says, "but as an engineer, I know better than to argue with the artist and producer." The not-so-subtle subtext: If an engineer gets uppity, he's liable to be replaced, wedding ring or no.

Besides, there are other McBrides around who are all too ready to put in their two cents' worth. While they were playing back one song for their daughters, Delany ventured an opinion born out of the comfort of being around musicians all her life.

"She told me, 'Mom, all these other people around you won't tell you what they really think, but I will, and I don't like those background vocals,' " McBride says of her little Simon Cowell-in-the-making.

"And she was right! We ended up taking them off."


http://www.calendarlive.com/music/la-et-mc...-music-features

Well, if she really is conscious of it, it will be more interesting to see what this new album will deliver.

20 Questions With Martina McBride

She Answers Fans' Questions About "Anyway," Anniversaries and Elvis Presley

Monday, April 23, 2007

From last week's guest appearance on American Idol to an upcoming cover story in Ladies Home Journal, Martina McBride is one of country music's most famous faces. However, it's her powerful voice and memorable songs that keep her in the music spotlight.

McBride is back on the charts with the emotional ballad, "Anyway," from her new CD, Waking Up Laughing. Here she answers questions from her fans about her latest music, feeling overwhelmed, forgetting to warm up before concerts and focusing on what's important.

1. I love your new song, "Anyway." Every time I hear it, I get goose bumps. Where did you get the inspiration to write such a great song?

"Anyway" was inspired by many things, among them a poem by Mother Teresa. It was also inspired by real life and the fact that we all face adversity in one way or another. It's a song about hope, love, perseverance and, mostly, faith. Faith that it's not always in your hands or things don't always go the way you planned, but you have to have faith that there is a plan for you, and you must follow your heart and believe in yourself no matter what. The part about believing tomorrow will be better than today was especially meaningful to me to write because I have a tendency to hear the news or read some kind of article, whether it is about terrorism or global warming or whatever, and I get really scared and nervous about our future. So that line is especially helpful and meaningful to me. It helps me remember that we're all part of a bigger plan and that we must have faith in the future and it isn't all gloom and doom!

2. I found out recently that "Anyway" is the first song that you wrote and then recorded. Is there any reason that now seemed like the right time?

I have been fighting writing songs for a long time. People keep telling me I should write, and other writers have offered to write with me, and to be honest, it's not something I've ever really had a passion for -- plus I wasn't sure I had the talent to do it! We were out on the Timeless tour and the Warren Brothers were opening for me. They are such talented writers and they write every day. They kept asking me to write with them, and I kept putting them off. One evening at supper, they came to me with the idea for this song. They had already written the chorus, and I loved it immediately. They said it wasn't finished, and they wanted me to finish it with them. So I agreed, and we got together in the dressing room the very next day and finished it in about an hour. It came really easily, and I really surprised myself with how much I was able to contribute and how exciting it was. We decided what ideas we wanted to portray ... build, dream, believe, love, sing ... and then came up with ways to say it. After that, we wrote two other songs for the album. So I have to credit Brad and Brett for opening that door for me and pushing me through it. And having the friendship we have makes it so much easier and more comfortable for me to explore writing.

3. I read that you solo-produced your new album. Do you think you would like to produce other artists' albums, and if so, do you have anyone in mind?

I love producing! It's so much fun to start with a blank canvas and create the picture you want to create and see it all come together. The thing is, it's really time-consuming, at least the way I do it, so I would have to make sure I had the time to focus on it. Also, I would worry about helping someone make an album and then it not be successful! I would feel just awful and so responsible! So I would have to get over that hurdle, and knowing me, I don't know if that could ever happen!

4. What is your No. 1 rule of thumb before going onstage? How long before a show do you eat, what do you drink right before ... stuff like that.

I don't really have any kind of rigorous or definite routine before I go onstage. I like to eat at least an hour or two before I go on. If I can't do that, I just wait until after. I try and drink lots of water before I go onstage.

5. It's easy to see how vocally demanding your concerts are. Do you do any warm-ups to prepare you for a show, or do you go on cold?

Sometimes I warm up and sometimes I don't. I really should, and I know that I start out the show better when I do, but sometimes I just forget! Sometimes I say a little prayer asking God to bless the show and to let the music do what it's meant to do, whatever that may be. I always have lots of candles in my dressing room.

6. When you're in the middle of a concert, do you ever feel like your voice isn't going to make it and find yourself praying for it to hold out the rest of the show?

My voice actually gets stronger as the night goes on. That's one reason I usually put "Where Would You Be" or "Broken Wing" or "Independence Day" toward the end of the set.

7. What is a typical day in the life of Martina McBride on the road like?

A typical day starts out with [daughter] Ava waking up. I usually stay in bed until she wakes up and, luckily, she's not an early riser. We get up, and I make her some breakfast. I check e-mail and talk to her while she's eating. Then when everyone else gets up, I usually shower and get ready for the day, and then it depends on where we are. Sometimes we get out our bikes and find a bike trail and go riding. Sometimes we hit the mall or some local shopping. Sometimes we'll hit a museum or an aquarium or something like that. Sometimes we just hang out on the bus. Then we do soundcheck in the afternoon, and then we all eat dinner together. Then I get ready for the show!

8. To say you have stage presence would be an understatement. Is this something you cultivated, or did it occur naturally as you played more shows? When did you first become conscious of it?

Well, growing up performing for people really helped me be comfortable on stage. But I do think it gets better each time I go out on tour. And some nights are better than others! I tell you, the audience makes a huge difference in how comfortable a performer feels onstage. At least that's the case for me. If I walk out onstage and I get a warm, excited response, it makes me feel so confident and happy, and then it's so easy for me up there.

9. What is your favorite way to spend your wedding anniversaries?

With [husband] John, of course!

10. How do you keep your girls so grounded, and what do they think about their mom's success?

I think it's because they see that in me and John. What I do is definitely a part of our daily lives, but we balance it with a very normal life. The kids go to school, and we're involved in their school lives and activities. We sit down to dinner together every night. We go to the grocery store and the movies. We help with homework. We have dentist checkups and doctor checkups and normal things like that. I really don't think they think about what I do and my success much. It's just normal for them.

11. How have you kept yourself and your family away from the tabloid press?

We really don't have much interesting for the tabloids! As a matter of fact, it's hard for me to get on some TV shows and in magazines because I don't have anything controversial or juicy enough! I guess writing about someone who is happy and fulfilled and who works each day to try and do their best just isn't exciting enough in today's culture where we want to hear about everything celebrities are doing wrong and then criticize and judge and tear them apart!

12. Do you ever feel overwhelmed? If so, how do you stay focused?

I absolutely feel overwhelmed sometimes! The past couple of months have been particularly overwhelming with finishing the album and then all the press to promote it, rehearsals and launching the tour. I just try and take one thing at a time. Obviously, I have to be thinking about many things at once, and, luckily, I'm pretty good at that. But I try and focus on what needs the most focus. Like, right now, I have to stop this interview and change Ava's very stinky diaper!

13. How much sleep do you get normally?

Not enough! I feel really good if I get eight hours, but most of the time I only get five or six a night.

14. Are you an Elvis fan, and, if so, what is your favorite song of his?

I am an Elvis fan. There are so many great songs of his. I like "Suspicious Minds." I think that is a great record. Also, for sentimental reasons, "Blue Christmas." My dad used to play that every year around Christmas, so it brings back good memories.

15. Did Linda Ronstadt have any influence on you when you were first starting out?

She definitely did. I would go home after school and put on her records and sing through every one of them. I thought of it as "practice." I felt that it would help me learn how to sing like her! I memorized every nuance and tried to match her tone and hit all the notes. We really didn't have the opportunity for voice lessons or anything like that, so I think that was a way for me to learn.

16. Have you ever had a song that you related to so much that you couldn't sing it without crying at first?

"Loveland" really affected me, and it still does.

17. Is there any chance we might ever hear a duet between you and Faith Hill?

I would love to do a duet with Faith. I think it's just a matter of finding the right song and then coordinating our recording schedules. She's one of my very favorite singers.

18. Have you ever thought about starting a clothing line or jewelry line? Maybe even a perfume?

I have been approached to do that. My only concern is that I am such a perfectionist, I don't know if I would ever be happy without being really involved on every level. And I just don't see myself having the time to devote to that right now. Maybe some day in the future. I would like to do a line and donate the profits to help out children's charities.

19. I am a huge Reba fan, and I know she has influenced you. We all know that she has gone from Nashville to Broadway to Hollywood. My question is, where do you see your career going from here?

I don't have the energy and drive that Reba has! I'm just happy with what I have, and maybe someday I would like to get into some other aspect of this business, but Broadway and Hollywood would involve moving and giving up a huge chunk of time, and that's not an option right now.

20. What is your biggest lesson in life that you can share with your fans?

I think the Golden Rule is a good one to live by. Also, I read a book called The Four Agreements that I thought had some great points, one of which is not to judge, which I think is really hard for everyone but worth aspiring to. I look at our culture and how we judge everyone at face value without knowing all the details or even knowing the person. Especially celebrities but really anyone in the news. Even people we see on the street. We judge everything from their appearance to why they act the way they do without knowing anything about them. I try not to do that, but it's hard, especially in a culture where we use other's misery or misfortune as entertainment sometimes. There is a song on my album called "For These Times" that addresses that. And it talks about having mercy and kindness. That's the life lesson I'm working on.

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