Spotlight On: Kellie Pickler
Kellie Pickler first caught the attention of mainstream audience in the US when she became a finalist during the fifth season of the hit Fox TV show American Idol. During that competition, her good looks and heavenly voice easily helped her build a strong fan base that ultimately catapulted her to a sixth-place finish. From one country music blog to another, Pickler-mania dominated primetime TV during her American Idol stint. Since she was also heavily into country music, she was often compared with fellow American Idol alum, Carrie Underwood. Nevertheless, in recent years, Pickler has managed to step out of Underwood’s shadow and create a name for herself with a string of country music love songs that became her trademark.
In 2006, Pickler released her debut album, “Small Town Girl,” which sold over 800,000 copies. The album, certified gold by the RIAA, produced three hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts “Red High Heels,” “I Wonder,” and “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind.” According to Pickler, “I Wonder” was a “very hard song for me to release, and I think that’s probably the most personal song we’ve released to country radio. That was a big step for me to open up that part of my life.” Opening up that part of her life with her own brand of country music love songs did wonders for Pickler’s career as her fans seemed to have responded positively to her songwriting.
When asked about her rise to fame, Pickler said, “It’s definitely a dream come true. I never thought that I would have my own album coming out. Because in the past seasons of American Idol, usually the first runner up and the winner are the only ones that really put out a CD, you know? So, yeah, I was very surprised and shocked when I found out that Joe Galante from Sony BMG wanted to meet me and was very shocked when he signed me. It was just an incredible day and it’s just nice to finally have my dreams become a reality.”
Riding on the success of her debut album, she then released her self-titled sophomore album in 2008. This album spawned hits such as “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful” and “Best Days of Your Life,” as well as country music love songs “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You” and “Makin’ Me Fall In Love Again.” Incidentally, Pickler co-wrote “Best Days of Your Life” with none other than the reigning country music blog princess- Taylor Swift, for whom she has recently opened as a support act in her shows. Pickler is currently writing her new album while opening for Swift on her “Fearless Tour 2010.”
“I’ve been writing a lot,” Pickler said in an interview when asked about her third album. “I write because I love to. For my new album, I’m writing a lot for it and getting ready to jump in the studio.” She added, “I’m at a point with my third record where I’m trying to decide how much I want to let people in and how much I want to be open about and I don’t know how much I’m ready to talk about and really how much I’m willing to let people in. That’s where I am right now.”
Check out http://www.kelliepickler.com/ for more news.
For more tips and information aboutcountry music love songs, please visit country music blog.
