A lot of fans have been requesting that in-your-face song, a sense of feeling empowered. And 'Good Woman' is that: a relatable song celebrating the good woman. I'm also really proud of the third verse, which I wrote.
I had a high school sweetheart that was my first. We were together all through high school. I had just broken up with him because I didn't think I was good enough. He wanted to be an anesthesiologist. I wanted to be an entertainer. His life was more planned out, and mine wasn't.
I have always been a reserved and conservative person.
I really do think that getting the golden ticket for 'American Idol,' it's just the start of something really great.
I'm an old spirit, and my voice tends to be kind of heavy and loud. I've been referenced as 'a young Aretha.'
I would describe my sound as classic Motown.
A lot of my fans wanted a kind of 'in your face' song. They wanted a song that exemplifies me overcoming the situation I was in and just that triumphant kind of song. So, I felt like I wanted to go ahead and get that out of both of our systems with 'Good Woman'.
I haven't always been confident. I actually suffered with low self-esteem growing up. Eventually, I got to a point where I was just like, 'OK, this is taking too much energy.' After that, I started accepting myself for who I was, and I was like, whoever is not going to accept it, they weren't really meant to be in my life in that way.
The kind of artist I would like to be is definitely versatile. I don't like being boxed in or put into a genre, so to speak.
I have a lot of written material, and all of it's different. Some records that I have are country, some pop, some alternative rock. I just write what I feel, so I can't specifically say. I just want to be an artist of truth and an artist that stays true to herself.
What made 'American Idol' different from 'The Voice' and all these other singing competitions... 'American Idol' just gave regular old normal people like me and like Trent a chance.
Kelly Clarkson definitely reminds me of Motown. She's pop, but she's also very, very soulful.
Some people believe they chose homosexuality, and some believe they didn't. Who's to say one is wrong? It's not fair to generalize anyone's sexuality or walk of life.
We don't have to have the same truths or personal belief systems to love one another and get along.
Anyone is welcome to hang out with me and have fun or sit down with me and talk. I don't discriminate against anyone. And I don't condone hating someone or treating them badly because they live differently than I do.
I embraced everything that I thought would hold me back from pursuing my dreams and used my insecurities to give me the courage to inspire and advocate for others who possessed many of the same insecurities I had.
I come from really humble people. We never had a lot.
A lot of people I guess, well, some people change when they get in spotlights and everything, but you can take the girl out of Mississippi, but you can't take Mississippi out the girl!
When people ask me a personal question, I answer it in a personal way. I can only speak from the footsteps and the shoes that I've walked in.
This is how I feel about the LGBT community: they are people just like us.
