I think I first realized I wanted to be in country music and be an artist when I was 10. And I started dragging my parents to festivals and fairs and karaoke contests and I did that for about a year before I came to Nashville for the first time. I was 11 and I had this demo CD of me singing Dixie Chicks and Leanne Rimes songs.
I grew up listening to Jay-Z and I think the first time I really became obsessed with learning and thinking about lyrics was when I started listening to rap I was 11 12 and started becoming aware of music beyond the familiar.