Why Kellie Pickler’s Life Is A Country Song
Kellie Pickler resides in sort of a country music no man’s land to a certain degree at the moment. Recently her music has taken a very decidedly traditional, independent direction, specifically with her last album 100 Proof that was named country Album of the Year by Saving Country Music, Rolling Stone, and others. But her past is very heavily steeped in the mainstream music industry, being an American Idol alumni who was initially signed to Sony, who subsequently competed on Dancing With the Stars (and won last season), and who started off in the entertainment world participating in beauty pageants.
This type of resume is what makes mainstream fans salivate, while it makes traditional and independent fans look at Kellie Pickler spuriously. Authenticity is such a key factor in classic country music; in selling the pain behind your voice and words to discerning fans. As sad as it was that the mainstream country industry seemed to abandon Kellie Pickler in her moment of creative breakout and unbridled expression, it may be just as sad that the classic, independent country world couldn’t connect with her as authentic.
The stereotype for artists that come from the reality TV world is that they didn’t have to work for what they got. It was all handed to them. How are they supposed to sing with soul when they haven’t experienced the pain of real life? But few spend the time to actually dig into the past of these artists to see just how their personal narratives may play out in their music, and with Kellie Pickler, she’s experienced more real world pain than most.
To say that Kellie Pickler’s personal life growing up was tumultuous would be a remark that resides somewhere between a gross understatement and a dramatic oversimplification. Kellie Pickler hasn’t seen her mother in over 15 years, since Kellie was roughly 11-years-old. Her father at last report was a fugitive wanted by the State of Florida. And that’s just where the story begins.
Before Kellie was even 2-years-old, her mother was arrested for writing hot checks and passing a fake prescription for Valium to the pharmacy of the Wal-Mart she worked at in Albermarle, North Carolina, just east of Charlotte. Kellie’s parents split up the day after her 2nd birthday, and in July of 1989, Kellie’s mother vanished completely.
This left Kellie in the custody of her father, Clyde, who was constantly in and out of incarceration for numerous charges including drunk driving, assault, and armed robbery. “He’d get out of prison, get on drugs really bad, get tied up with the wrong people,” Kellie explained to The Charlotte Observer in 2006.
When both of Kellie’s parents were gone or incarcerated, she would stay with her grandparents, who Kellie cites as one of her biggest influences. In stark contrast to her traditional home, her grandparents’ house was a stable environment, and with her father incarcerated, it became Kellie’s permanent home until Kellie was in the fourth grade. That is when Kellie’s mother returned to Albermarle after living in California, and Kellie became stuck in the middle of a nasty custody battle.
“My grandparents and I were eating out and my mother was in there with some of her friends,” Kellie recalls. “I don’t know how I knew it was her, but we made eye contact. She went to court trying to fight for custody of me.” Kellie’s mother won, and Kellie was placed back into a chaotic environment. “During that time, she was physically and mentally abusive of me,” Kellie says. For two years, Kellie’s grandparents fought in the courts to get her back, and in 1997 they finally won. Kellie Pickler has not seen her mother since.
Meanwhile Kellie’s father was in and out of the correctional system. Kellie grew older and got a job as a car hop at Sonic, started competing in beauty pageants, and eventually tried out for American Idol. While Kellie was advancing in the competition, her father Clyde sat in a Florida State Prison for stabbing a man in New Port Richey, FL, running from police, and ramming a police cruiser. Pickler would write letters to him, filling him in on her progress on the show.
Kellie eventually was eliminated from American Idol, finishing 6th. A week later on May 6th, 2006, her father was released from prison.
Kellie Pickler made strong and public attempts to make amends with her father and support his rehabilitation, but as her post-Idol career took off, Clyde Pickler couldn’t stay out of trouble. In May of 2007, Clyde was arrested in Albermarle on three counts of felony larceny for stealing old, abandoned vehicles and selling them to scrap yards. On February 7th, 2009, Clyde Pickler was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon when he attacked a female companion with a steak knife.
Just as the criminal record of her father was a theme when Kellie was competing on American Idol, it became another story line shortly after she competed and won Dancing With The Stars. A week after her win in May of 2013, her father was listed as a fugitive by the State of Florida for leaving the state in violation of his probation.
But none of this personal history makes Kellie Pickler a good country singer or songwriter, just like the lack of a tragic personal narrative doesn’t necessarily make a performer unqualified for writing or performing country music. Where Kellie’s story goes from tragic to inspiring is how she has used her real life struggles as inspiration in her music, very directly and very personally, not trying to hide her unfortunate past, but presenting it front and center in her music.
Kellie’s first exploration of her personal story through music came with the song “I Wonder” from her first album from 2007, Small Town Girl. The song, and the truth behind it delivered one of the most memorable moments in recent memory on the CMA Awards where Kellie broke down during her performance and received a standing ovation.
Kellie’s last album 100 Proof delved even deeper. From the video of the song “Tough” that depicts a very young Kellie witnessing her father getting arrested in the family home, to the very personal songs “Mothers Day” and ” The Letter (To Daddy)” written for her mom and dad respectively, Kellie Pickler has proven that her creativity and honesty of expression can match her country cred, and that her life is truly a country song in every sense.
Kellie Pickler releases a new album “The Woman I Am” November 11th.Â
October 28, 2013 @ 9:21 am
To her credit she is obviously used all of this assorted cahos that has been so much of her life to find it within herself to became something in this life and not choose the same roads her parents did. As music fans we get to benefit from her using these situations to turn out some really fine songs. It is ashamed that the sorry state of the “country” marketplace doesn’t allow for more sucess for her music.
October 28, 2013 @ 9:53 am
Kellie is the real deal. I’ve followed her career since I first saw her perform “I Wonder” on some awards show a few years ago. She f’n sold me and anyone else who was lucky enough to catch that performance. BTW…… Dang Trigger – your writing is spectacular.
October 28, 2013 @ 10:15 am
Amen.
Ever since I saw that performance (on Youtube, in 2010), I have felt a personal connection with her.
October 28, 2013 @ 10:05 am
I bought 100 Proof as a result of Trig’s review of it and of Kellie, but it unfortunatey remains in the on deck circle.
I will give it a spin and download soon enough.
So I can’t say anything about her music and I didn’t know she grew up in such a tragic environment.
But, when it comes to character, this gal has it in spades.
Spurning her big label to pursue music which speaks to her and not to a marketing firm’s perceived audience took a remarkable amount of courage.
I don’t hate big label music, but I tend to buy very little of it and a whole lot of indie label music.
And kudos to her for not following her parents’ paths.
The answer to life is not in the bottom of a liter of whiskey or in a plastic bottle of xanax or vicadan.
October 28, 2013 @ 10:05 am
Thank you so much for this article. Kellie’s success AND level-headedness despite the hell that she grew up in is truly inspiring. “I Wonder”, “Mother’s Day”, and “The Letter” are easily among the best songs of the last 10 years.
October 28, 2013 @ 10:08 am
One complaint about “I Wonder”: The weather is definitely NOT nice here in California right now. It’s damn cold in the Bay Area!
October 28, 2013 @ 10:27 am
I appreciate your time on this article. She is way to polished for my taste. Her music sounds like the same music that is churned out by the Nashville record executives. Some of the words are good and meaningful but the polished up look and the polished tunes don’t work for me.
October 28, 2013 @ 10:37 am
“Her music sounds like the same music that is churned out by the Nashville record executives.”
You mean Nashville circa 2 decades ago? The idea that the music churned out by Nashville in general right now is in any way similar to “100 Proof” is so off the mark that it’s not worth arguing about.
October 28, 2013 @ 1:46 pm
I am not trying argue. I will leave that up to you. I can’t help it you have some vested interest kelly pickle and I don’t. Ill turn up my dallas moore and turn you off
October 28, 2013 @ 1:51 pm
If Kellie Pickler does not fit the taste of Funkywheel or anyone else, I can’t fault them for that. Taste is subjective. The point of this article was to illustrate that she indeed has lived a hard life and persevered and doesn’t deserved being stuck with the stereotype of reality show stars. If her music doesn’t speak to someone, her personal history may not much matter.
October 28, 2013 @ 2:27 pm
I know you’ve already mentioned this in your role model contribution previously following the ballyhoo of Miley Cyrus’s MTV VMA Awards’ performance……….but I respect Kelly Clarkson for much the same reason as I do Kellie Pickler here, and believe she, too, doesn’t deserve most of the flak she’s getting just because she rose to prominence through network television.
I’d rather Clarkson continue to focus her energies with Mainstream Top 40 and Adult Contemporary flavors and refrain from crossing over entirely into country, but she is among the pop artists I most respect at this time (even though there are singles of hers I don’t like including her recent smash “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”. One of my personal favorites happens to be “Catch My Breath”, and it is that kind of song I think Kellie Pickler would absolutely relate to in that she, too, had to go a long time without hardly having the opportunity to even catch her breath.
October 28, 2013 @ 2:34 pm
Exactly trig. I read your article. Tried the music. Gave an honest opinion. I thought that was what this is about.
October 28, 2013 @ 2:25 pm
I am just arguing against the idea that Kellie Pickler’s music resembles most of what Nashville is producing right now. That is not a matter of opinion, but rather a matter of objective comparison.
October 28, 2013 @ 2:36 pm
I thought you were not arguing. Wheres your credibility now?
November 2, 2013 @ 6:41 am
Funky wheel the right to have an opinion doesn’t make it a valid one. You can not like her music if you choose of course but to make an inane comment about it being like the rest of the crap out of Nashville just makes you look and sound ignorant.
November 3, 2013 @ 8:35 am
Agreed. It shows I have no clue where the crappy pop country is created. I have not listened to the radio for about 15 years now. when I stopped listening that was where a majority of the country music was coming from (nashville). when I turn on the Grand Ole Opry I see a lot of pop country on that show. So whenever I hear polished country music I immediately associate it with Nashville. The Grand Ole Opry is in Nashville. I should not have generalized but the damage is done. One thing’s for sure there is a lot of good new music coming out of Tennessee. Many of the underground bands that I listen to are from Tennessee.
October 28, 2013 @ 2:53 pm
Kellie said she had to fight those Nashville record executives to make the more country music she wanted, and it’s clearly better and more country than everything else churned out by those executives. That’s why I love it. She’s got a great country voice and works with country writers, producers, and musicians. Most everyone else has gone pop and therefore lost my interest. When Kellie’s second album went more pop, fans and friends asked her to go back to more country and thank God she listened and did. Most others aren’t listening to anyone but the record executives controlling their music by contract.
October 28, 2013 @ 10:51 am
I honestly cried reading part of her back story (I’m a softie, but it’s hard not to imagine even hearts of clay being touched by this). Not just because what she has been through has been so heartbreaking, but because of how moved I am by how you can tell she is filled to the brim with gratitude in all she does for her fans and is willing to take courageous stands as she does with her music and other loves!
Pickler is a guiding light of this modern genre, and though it doesn’t translate at radio, I’m glad she’s starting to get the respect she deserves in the circles that matter!
October 28, 2013 @ 11:08 am
I am still upset about her snub by the CMA last year. How is it possible that “100 Proof” could be proclaimed the top album of all genres by Rolling Stone Magazine and other critics, and yet be completely shut out of CMA nominations?
It galls me that “Tailgates and Tanlines” was nominated for Album of the Year while “100 Proof” was snubbed.
As far as I am concerned, there is no better proof of your point that country music lacks a critic society of its own. This leaves commercial performance as the only criterion for awards.
October 28, 2013 @ 12:40 pm
While I fully hear you, it was never the slightest surprise to me that “100 Proof” was snubbed. This IS some self-aggrandizing industry spectacle we’re talking about here (overall).
As sad as it is, I nonetheless feel that Kellie Pickler has never been happier where she is as a recording artist, and probably in her entire life to date. It’s a triumph of the human spirit when you’ve been through so much as she has, and still defy all odds to live your dream and make the art you want to make. Pickler has already flourished with flying colors on that achievement alone, and I know she knows it.
October 28, 2013 @ 11:26 am
Add to that the fact that Kelly Clarkson keeps getting nominated for Female Vocalist. At least nominate actual country singers even if they don’t win.
October 28, 2013 @ 1:25 pm
Ashley Monroe deserved to be nominated equally as much as Kacey Musgraves. She should have represented the fifth slot.
And for 2014, I believe Brandy Clark deserves a nod.
October 28, 2013 @ 2:09 pm
I actually prefer Ashley Monroe to Kacey Musgraves although I don’t dislike Kacey I just think hype for her has gotten a little ahead of reality. Really this category is interesting because there are only three females getting any airplay anymore (Lambert, Underwood, Swift) and even Swift is becoming a question by focusing on pop airplay more. Her latest country single has really had to battle for a release by a such a huge star. That means there are two other nominee slots which could go to Monroe, Pickler, Musgraves or someone else. They may not win but it can be a big career booster as Lambert shows. And yes I agree about Brandy Clark, I heard ‘Stripes’ on SXM’s Highway channel this weekend which hopefully is a sign of things to come.
October 28, 2013 @ 2:20 pm
You KNOW it has been a glorious year for women in country music when Kacey Musgraves might not even rank among my top five favorite solo female country releases of 2013.
“Same Trailer, Different Park” is an impressive, though somewhat overrated, album. Yet, Ashley Monroe’s “Like a Rose”, Brandy Clark’s “12 Stories”, Lindi Ortega’s “Tin Star”, Caitlin Rose’s “The Stand-In” and (maybe) Valerie June’s “Pushin’ Against A Stone” (this one is questionable because I don’t consider it a proper “country” release so much as a compelling singer-songwriter showcase like Neko Case’s two most recent albums) all rank higher on my shortlist as of now.
Which, of course, is AWESOME.
October 28, 2013 @ 7:23 pm
Since some of those could be viable AMA album of the year candidates (Lindi Ortega, Caitlin Rose, Valerie June), I would also add these Americana friendly albums as great contributions from women:
Patty Griffin – American Kid
Holly WIlliams – The Highway
Amanda Shires – Down Fell the Doves
October 28, 2013 @ 11:32 am
I don’t mean to side track here but another female that has a similiar background is Elizabeth Cook. Father in and out of prison for moonshine and sister being a drug addict.
October 28, 2013 @ 2:32 pm
Dolly also got her big break on a TV show (The Porter Wagoner Show). Like Dolly, Kellie is one of those rare, multi-talented artists who has the talent to do it all: write, sing, perform, dance, host TV and radio shows, star in movies, help charities, etc. 100 Proof earned more critical acclaim than every country album released last year. Kellie’s songs belong at #1 on country radio and they need her to bring more balance to all the men and pop they play.
October 28, 2013 @ 7:33 pm
Kacey Musgraves way off topic: I saw something odd that I almost forgot about when watching Zac Brown’s “Southern Ground Music and Food Festival” on TV about a month ago.
Kacey was the last performer before The Zac Brown band came on. In the middle of her set (before a song), she had this big smile, waved and said “Where are all my gays at!” (followed by something else I don’t remember to ‘the gays’). A lot of people screamed, so as far as I know that concert at the Nashville river front was loaded with gays for some reason.
I don’t have any problem with gay people at all but something always bothers me when celebrities pander to gay people (some make a living out of it like Kathy Griffin, etc.). It’s some odd Hollywood culture thing where people feel the need to go overboard showing how much they love gay people(?). She’s not the first country artists I’ve seen do this lately either. In theory, gay people only make up 8 to 12% of the population (the numbers are all over the place – no one agrees). Roughly you could say that’s the same percentage as African Americans. My point here is you don’t see someone like Kacey on stage going “Where’s all my African American’s” or “Where’s all my Latinon’s”. I just don’t get the pandering and it seemed especially odd coming from Kacey Musgraves.
We have a gay character on Nashville now, Randy Tranvis had gay rumors circling him for years and I keep waiting for Kimberly’s Perry’s brother to come out. I’m kind of shocked he hasn’t yet (wouldn’t bother me at all). The most interesting story I can think of is Brad Paisley dating Cheryl Wright who turned out to actually being a Lesbian that did a real head job on him. If Hunter Hays jumped out of the closet I wouldn’t be shocked either.
Anyway, the Kacey Musgraves gay pandering left a bad taste in my mouth. Hopefully nobody takes this wrong, the pandering is the only thing that bothered me about it. Was she really excited she has gay fans, or was she just sucking up like Hollywood celebrities do? I don’t get it… why call out a single faction at a concert like that?
October 28, 2013 @ 10:51 pm
While I understand where you’re coming from, you nonetheless have to understand the context here in that, among established male country acts especially, there is utter silence on the issue of GLBTQI rights.
Among women, there’s more of an even split I’d say between those who at least provide lukewarm support of the community, and the other half who don’t publicly state their opinion. But even to this day among most established country acts, they tend to duck or sidestep the issue altogether out of the fear of alienating their target demographic that in some respects is much more likely not to support same-sex marriage or transgendered rights, for instance.
Musgraves understands this all too well, I’m sure, and while what she’s doing probably is pandering, I can nonetheless understand why she did so. There are tens of thousands of GLBTQI Americans who indeed truly appreciate country music to various extents, but are nonetheless distraught that they are constantly in the blind spot of the genre in terms of cultural appeal and outreach and perhaps even feel vilified in that they’re caught in the crosshairs of the “culture wars”. So I’m declaring “No foul!” here.
October 29, 2013 @ 12:50 am
Yeah I remember Carrie Underwood got a bit of backlash for her support for gay marriage from some fans. GLBTQI rights is obviously an issue a lot of country singers aren’t willing to touch so I welcome Kacey showing them support.
October 29, 2013 @ 11:48 am
I think you will start seeing a lot of female artists unafraid to show their support for the gay/lesbian community. It is actually more popular now to voice your support for it, than to speak out against it. To speak against it will absolutly get you destroyed in the media, even if you are doing so politely and just stating your beliefs. If you speak out for gay marriage/rights, you are instantly hailed as a hero almost. I think this is the reason you will see a lot of females start speaking out for it, even if they aren’t being sincere. It is not hard to see acts like Pink, Keisha, Lady Gaga and see the unbelievable support and record buying revenue they get from the gay community. Don’t think for a second that labels aren’t seeing that demographic and how much support they can offer. I just hope that we don’t have a bunch of non sincer people start doing this.
October 29, 2013 @ 1:01 pm
There is a vast cultural difference between the average pop fan and the average country fan. It is still a very risky business move for a country star to speak out in favor of gay marriage.
November 3, 2013 @ 2:19 pm
Serious question: What is the “QI” representative of in that acronym? I am familiar with LBGT, but not that addition..
November 3, 2013 @ 6:28 pm
Good question, and I’m grateful you asked it! =)
The “Q” stands for either Queer and/or Questioning. The word “queer” has often been subject to intense scrutiny and division because to some it is a more broadly inclusive term that covers all the greyscale between the ends of the sexual orientation spectrum that are homosexual, heterosexual and bisexual………..as well as reject the heteronormality of mass culture. To many, however, it is considered a stigmatizing term because it is sometimes use in the context of hate speech (particularly in the past).
For those inclined to lean toward the latter, the word “Questioning” is often used instead: meaning directly questioning heteronormality and identifying with a non-speciality not otherwise indicated among the gay, lesbian, transgendered and bisexual communities.
*
The “I” stands for Intersexuality: meaning those who are born with ambiguous sexual genitals and chromosomes (I.e. both male and female sexual organs, androgen insensitivity syndrome, third sexes, etc.)
*
I identify as “Questioning”, as well as “genderqueer” (meaning I’m a non-gender conformist that doesn’t abjectly deny my masculine traits and characteristics, but nonetheless often identifies more with my feminine side and prefers to dress in clothing traditionally marketed to women. “Genderqueer” also may differs somewhat from one person to the next (to others it may mean having two or more genders, while some identify as genderfluid/evolving, and yet others are trying to transcend gender altogether).
November 3, 2013 @ 6:33 pm
I can’t begin to tell you how often my closest friends have taken surprise when I acknowledge country music is my favorite musical tradition, despite country music being arguably the single-most heteronormative genre from a cultural perspective.
I long to see the issues incessantly facing the GLBTQI community be covered much more extensively in country music in the coming years, and I lament that they are almost completely ignored to this day. That said, I’ve always been drawn to the storytelling and imagery of the genre unlike any other, and I see so much potential for the genre to eventually lead the way with the “three chords and the truth” clarion call in addressing the man nuances and “living a country song” struggles this community regularly endure. I think there’s a leviathan potential for so much staggering great music to come out of all of this…………..when the genre is ready to embrace the community increasingly.
October 31, 2013 @ 6:16 am
It’s simple. Commercial. I mentioned it on my blog when I reviewed Kacey Musgraves last album. While I don’t care who she supports, and believe she has the right to care about whatever movement she likes, I still feel this was done with the bottom line in mind. Case in point: Katy Perry sent out a tweet encouraging people to buy Kacey’s album… Why? She didn’t promote Holly Williams album which was very similar in style… She didn’t promote Ashley.Monroe, who was arguably a bigger name at the time… Kacey supports gay rights and so does Katy so its cross marketing between the two. I’m NOT saying Kacey is lying for sales, or that she doesn’t believe what she says, but I think you will see people dropping gay and lesbian references in songs to sound “edgy” and “controversial” when really it would be far more “outlaw” to write a song saying you DON’T agree with gay rights… It falls right in line with Triggers article about marijuana references. It isn’t edgy, controversial, or outlaw. It’s pandering and catering. Just my two cents.
Man that got off topic. Kellie Pickler is fantastic, she is the real deal….
October 29, 2013 @ 5:49 am
Thanks for a great article on Kellie. I’ve loved and championed her “100 Proof” album. She didn’t get a nod from CMA’s or ACM’s because her record company dropped her and didn’t lobby or support her. She is the real deal. Not mentioned is the fact that she has toured with the USO for many years. She just received the “Heart of the Warrior Award” in North Carolina. She gives back and respects country music and knows her roots. I’m looking forward to the release of her new album.
October 29, 2013 @ 9:06 am
Here’s what is crazy to me: in all reality I think her story is more relatable to most people living in the real world, but these types of (very real & current) issues are kind of avoided or never addressed in a meaningful way…..I’d be willing to bet that the vast majority of people here have been directly affected / impacted themselves, or friends/family/etc) by all of these same things (addiction / poverty / etc)…
Which makes it all the more bizarre to me what “country” music songs are about. I know that this is clearly what is selling right now (country rap / laundro-country [new genre for laundry list songs/artists lol] / etc), which focuses on all the opposite aspects (success big money bigger trucks gettin chicks full-time job partying etc etc etc). I guess to a degree the powers that be have realized that (most) people want this escapism in the midst of so much turmoil in the world….
It just seems that there should be a lot more people wanting & relating to “our” kind of “country music” I’ve been sharing the PPJ album with a bunch of family / friends and everyone has been blown away! I think there is a huge & under-served market of people just like us…….
Last night I was watching a documentary about The Band recording their album in LA, and the producers were explaining that they were so successful so quickly largely due to the fact that many music fans were sick of all the standardized / homogenized popular music – they were interviewing all of these people saying that “these guys are representing the real America” or basically that people wanted REAL MUSIC with Feelings / Emotion / History / Etc that they could relate / connect to…
Throughout the entire documentary I was just thinking of the similarities / parallels between these two musical eras. I think that very soon a lot more people will be hearing & finding out that there still is authentic music being created as we speak….but at the same time society has progressed closer & closer to a scene from Idiocracy….trig & everybody else let’s all do our best to keep fighting the good fight & spreading the word! I drive my girlfriend / everyone crazy suggesting bands / songs but 9 times out of 10 if I can get somebody to listen for just a second they’re a “convert” sorry to rant
October 29, 2013 @ 4:38 pm
The lack of songs about poverty in hard times like this is especially surprising. But I have a theory about this:
Singers generally sing about the environment in which they grew up. The current singers did not grow up in tough times. However, those who are growing up right now and aspire to be country singers will sing about poverty when they hit it in the music industry. So perhaps we can expect deep songs about the struggles of life topping the charts in about a decade.
A good analogy here is the Great Depression. During the Depression, there were not very many songs about economic struggle. Upbeat Western songs were most popular then in the country sphere. However, the generation that was born during the Depression grew up to make the deepest country songs of all time that brought country music to its artistic peak. It is no accident that Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Tompall Glaser, Bobby Bare, Johnny Paycheck, David Allan Coe, Don Williams, etc. were born during the Depression.
When it came to country music, the Silent Generation was truly the Roaring Generation.
October 29, 2013 @ 9:21 am
Country music used to pingpong between nostalgic, sun-splashed songs and reflective melancholy.
I remember when I thought/bought into the notion that TSwift was actually living out of the backseat of a car with her mother….traveling around and chasing her dreams. A kid trying to help her family out…she was driven by ambition.
Then I found out that her family had it made in the shade. It didn’t change her path or anyone’s perception of her. She is at the top with extreme wealth.
Why does Kellie or anyone else have to eat dirt sandwiches to be relevant?
October 29, 2013 @ 9:48 am
Well maybe this goes to show that it is still possible to be pretty and popular without singing pop trash. I have no issue with her being from American Idol, on Sony or been on dancing with the stars. It just makes me suspicious. I am not anti being popular and dipping in to the main stream. Im just anti playing the flavor of the week written in a focus group songs that usually get you there. But hell if you play real music and can break into the mainstream ill be rooting for ya….so go kellie!
October 29, 2013 @ 4:23 pm
Maybe there should be a reality show based on songwriting. It could be designed such that a vocalist would either opt to write songs himself/herself or pair up with 1 songwriter. America would then vote on which singer/songwriter team or individual singer-songwriter is the best.
October 29, 2013 @ 6:25 pm
That’s so sad. I’m happy she took different path in life. I really like her music. I’m so excited for her new album.
October 29, 2013 @ 8:51 pm
How is this a country song? I see no mention of jacked up trucks, cold beer and bonfires, bro! 😉
October 30, 2013 @ 7:31 pm
Trig,
Always be grateful for your intro to Kellie, 100 Proof, before that she was just a Idol winner. Album of the Year Absolutely. Thanks