![\"M-32-Kellie-Pickler\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/M-32-Kellie-Pickler.jpg\")
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Kellie Pickler knows well the serious nature of reality television competition: She gained fame on American Idol<\/i> in 2005 and won the Dancing With the Stars <\/i>trophy last year. But the North Carolina native hit a new level of serious on her fourth studio album, The Woman I Am<\/i>. \u201cI\u2019ll fight for my creative freedom,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m not going to be stuck in a box.\u201d Pickler, 27, remains steadfast in her pursuit of blending traditional elements into today\u2019s modern sound. \u201cI don\u2019t care about being pop or rap,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s no place I\u2019d rather be played than country radio.\u201d<\/p>\n
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How\u2019d you approach this album?<\/b><\/p>\n
I knew I couldn\u2019t do the same thing we did with my last album, 100 Proof<\/i>.\u00a0The response to 100 Proof<\/i> was great, and the critics loved it. But when we went back into the studio we wanted to capture where I am in my life. Each song on this album is a different chapter. I spent a lot of time reflecting on my life. The song\u00a0\u201cSelma Drye,\u201d about my great-grandmother, is real life. Even songs like \u201cSomeone Somewhere Tonight\u201d and \u201cI Forgive You\u201d make you think and feel something.<\/p>\n
How do you pick songs?<\/b><\/p>\n
When I look for songs, I have to be able to say, \u201cThat\u2019s my story.\u201d There are so many wonderful songwriters in Nashville, and I want to find these songs and shine a light on them. I don\u2019t have to be the one who wrote them. When you listen to Patsy Cline and Tammy Wynette, you don\u2019t think that they didn\u2019t write the songs. There was a tear in their voice. I want to make people feel the same way.<\/p>\n
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Was it a fun recording process?<\/b><\/p>\n
I\u2019m so happy. My team\u2019s been so good to me. I\u2019m their No. 1 priority. With a bigger record company, you can get lost in the mix. Black River Entertainment has guided me and supported me every step of the way.<\/p>\n
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What\u2019s your first musical memory?<\/b><\/p>\n
For my 8th birthday, my dad gave me\u00a0the option of having a little handheld television or radio. I wanted a radio. It was my greatest treasure. You could carry it with you,\u00a0or you could plug into the wall. I wore out\u00a0my George Strait cassette. I didn\u2019t know what country singers looked like back\u00a0then. When I first started in my career,\u00a0I\u2019d be backstage at an awards show and wouldn\u2019t even recognize some\u00a0of the artists.<\/p>\n
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How has reality TV changed you?<\/b><\/p>\n
Television is a powerful thing. Sometimes I relive that moment being on Idol<\/i>, and I can\u2019t help but appreciate it. I will never be upset that people ask about Idol<\/i>. That\u2019s like biting the hand that feeds you. Before Idol<\/i>, I was roller-skating at Sonic. Suddenly, I went to bed and woke up in everyone\u2019s living room. Being on Dancing With the Stars<\/i>, well, you can\u2019t really compare the experiences. To tell a story through a form of dance, it\u2019s intense\u2014mentally and physically. I\u2019m so grateful they gave me the opportunity.<\/p>\n
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Have you entertained other offers?<\/b><\/p>\n
As much as I love TV, country music is where I want to be. I\u2019ve turned down sitcoms and other shows, and the opportunity to move to L.A., just so I could do this. When you go to radio stations and look at the DJs\u2019 desks, there are thousands of CDs. What\u2019s different about mine? I don\u2019t have any sense of entitlement. If this single, \u201cLittle Bit Gypsy,\u201d isn\u2019t the right song, I\u2019ll come at \u2019em with another one.<\/p>\n
\u2013Blake Boldt<\/p>\n
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KELLIE PICKLER When it comes to country music, the reality star keeps it real \u00a0 Kellie Pickler knows well the serious nature of reality television competition: She gained fame on American Idol in 2005 and won the Dancing With the Stars trophy last year. But the North Carolina native hit a new level of serious […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23],"tags":[7403,3162],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12307"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12307"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12309,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12307\/revisions\/12309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}