Country music tell stories. That's something that I can relate to.
In the past, I've always written about my experiences, and people related to that, but there's a lot of other things that I've never written about that people have gone through. I'm still keeping it young and edgy, but I'm definitely putting more of a mainstream twist to it.
I love writing with really experienced producers and co-writers who open my mind to things I never would have thought otherwise. We may think the same way about something, but they might say it in a way that I never would have thought to say it.
For 'Hey Monday,' there were songs that I co-wrote with songwriters or producers, but our last EP, the whole band did everything together. I've had a lot of experience with co-writes, which is basically what I'm doing now. I am writing things on my own, but I really believe co-writing makes you a better writer.
I want to sell music, and I want radio to play my songs.
Certain people were more of the arms-crossed kind of radio people that weren't sure about me.
I know people always say to get out of your comfort zone and take risks, but when you are on a live national television show, and you are competing to stay on it, then I don't think you should be uncomfortable up there. I think you should sell it and be your own best self.
The more people do hear my music, they do realize that I'm being true to myself. So there is that conflict, but I think more and more, people are realizing I'm just being me.
I'm just going to sing my music; I'm going to write my songs, and I think that people get to know me in that sense.
I'm not the best at expressing my feelings other than in songs or on paper. It's just been such a blessing for me my whole life to get my feelings out there in a positive way.
You have to be really, really confident in your decision to marry somebody. I don't think my parents were stupid, but I do think maybe it was rushed. But if they hadn't gotten married, my sister and I wouldn't be here. I think everything happens for a reason. I've always believed that.
My parents are civil, but they don't keep in touch or hang out or anything. If they're in the same room together and are around each other, they're totally fine and act like adults.
I actually started singing country music at 4 years old, right when I started learning how to sing. I would cover a lot of Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, Trisha Yearwood, that kind of stuff, and it just feels very authentic to me. It's always been there through the years. Even when I was in my band, I still listened to country.
I really love my True Match concealer: it is great if you just want to cover some spots, and you don't have to cover your whole face. I don't really like wearing a face full of makeup all the time; I just like covering up the spots that I am a little self-conscious about.
I do feel grateful, and I love what I'm doing, and I'm happy, and I'm living in the moment, but I also have my eye on the long game and the big prize, and that is just to make this a life-long career. To make a big enough impact on everybody to stick around for a long time.
I don't know if I'll ever feel like I've made it. That is part of the reason why all of us, as artists, are always wanting more and working towards more and keeping busy. There is just so much that we all want to accomplish, and I just have so many goals that I haven't met yet.
I'm from Florida, and my family somehow is really into country music. We're all southern in a way: My grandpa hunts, my uncle's, like, a redneck, and we're all NASCAR fans.
I'm not trying to claim I'm a country singer, but I do love country music.
I always want to pick songs that are really crazy rangy, and sometimes those low notes aren't there. But I started taking it way more seriously after a certain point, and I started doing vocal warm-ups every day, even when I wasn't singing, sometimes twice a day.
I really love that song. I love when people cover songs that are familiar but have been kind of forgotten about. So when you play it, it takes people back to a certain place. That's what I wanted for 'Torn.'
