My experiences remind me that it's those black clouds that make the blue skies even more beautiful.
Everyone says I'm like the girl next door... Y'all must have really weird neighbors!
I sing songs that I have lived or I write them because I have lived them. I think the believability factor is key.
I have the world's worst pregnancies.
It’s ignorant to think you know everything about a person. There’s many different sides to everybodys personality and there’s just different colours to a personality.
I just had my 30th birthday and we went turkey shooting. It's what I wanted to do, so we went.
I love my body. I'm very much OK with it. I don't think artists are ever the ones who have the problem with their weight, it is other people.
I'm actually not a big fan of the word hope. I think it's a depressing word. I don't want to hope - I want to know. Like I don't hope there's a God, I know there's a God.
I don't really exude that 'it' factor.
I'm the perfect amount of guarded. I don't reveal too much, and I never reveal who the songs are about. They are real life. People get that. I date a lot of musicians and they do the same thing. People that work with me - who I write about too - they get it. It's my creative outlet, my therapy.
I love dressing up and doing the red carpet every once in a while, but I am very much a jeans kinda girl, so it's all a little embarrassing for me.
By keeping her heart protected, she'll never ever feel rejected.
I'm restless and wildI fall, but I tryI need someone to understand.
I’m from a small town so, like, everyone’s married with children or about to have children. So it’s a little hard when you go home and people are like - and that’s why people think I’m gay - because they’re like ‘Why aren’t you married?’ And I’m like, ‘it doesn’t happen for everyone right off the bat.’
Seems like just yesterday, you were a part of me. I used to stand so tall, I used to be so strong; your arms around me tight, everything felt so right - unbreakable, like nothing could go wrong. Now I can't breathe. No, I can't sleep; I'm barely hanging on. Here I am, once again, I'm torn into pieces. Can't deny it, can't pretend, just thought you were the one. Broken up, deep inside, but you won't get to see the tears I cry.
Gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change, and break away. I won't forget the place I came from.
And more so now, since having a family - I don't seek out any other acceptance.
You should know that I lead, not follow
My friends and family are my support system. They tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear and they are there for me in the good and bad times. Without them I have no idea where I would be and I know that their love for me is what's keeping my head above the water.
I'm thankful For the blessing And the lessons that I've learned with you By my side
Music isn’t just heard, it is felt.
My mom and I are like sisters. We kind of grew up together. She always treated me as an adult. I never had curfew. She's a workaholic, like I am. We're not super family-oriented people, you know?
I wish I had a better metabolism. But someone else probably wishes they could walk into a room and make friends with everyone like I can. You always want what someone else has.
I live on a ranch in Texas and do my own thing. And I don't care what anyone has to say about it. My joke is that the only people I'm trying to please are myself and my fans, because they're the ones buying my records. And I have the best, most loyal fan base ever.
I've always been about less government.
I love to sing, and I love to talk to people at meet-and-greets.
I'm not super conservative, and I have no problem with people being risque or owning your sexuality or even putting it out there. I have a problem when it's all you are because you're not being fair to yourself; you have more depth than this.
People like us we gotta stick together Keep your head up nothing lasts forever.
Never take advice from someone you wouldn't trade places with.
I know a lot of artists say, `If you want your song on my record, I get 50 per cent' I'd like to kick them in the face.
The hardest thing about being in this business is just being able to be yourself. People act like there's this one set of rules to follow to be a pop star and I think, 'Well, you say I'm a pop star, so maybe that's not true.'
Everyone is different: different shapes, sizes, colors, beliefs, personalities, and you have to celebrate those differences.
Confidence is seen, not heard.
I never said I was a 'good girl.' I'm not a bad girl.
I've never been more nervous in my life than singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.
Even though I'm a pop singer, I really have more the life of a country singer.
I'm so happy now. I love that I'm in a relationship right now... I want a life... The past five years or so I've found my groove and my balance.
I'm very friendly or whatever, but I would hardly say that I'm that cookie-cutter. I don't live in L.A. or New York. I live in Texas, and I go to hole-in-the-wall bars, so there's no paparazzi there.
I was on Ghetto Idol. We didn't have any of the stuff they have now.
I have a big fear of change, or negative change, anyway. I'm basically the same person I was when I won 'Idol,' or when I was 10.
I've just never cared what people think. It's more if I'm happy and I'm confident and feeling good, that's always been my thing.
I'm cute - and God I hate that. Because that's not cool. I'm like your niece, and nobody wants to date their niece. It's the chubby cheeks. The whole reason people voted for me on American Idol is because I'm an everyday, normal girl.
I love a sexy video. I don't even mind raciness. I don't mind that at all.
Oh, there's all these rumors that I'm a lesbian. I have a boyfriend now, Brandon Blackstock; my manager Narvel's son, Reba McEntire's stepson.
If I can wake up everyday before I die and know that I don't have to serve anyone food or drinks, I will be happy!
I put on the Hank Williams and the Patsy Cline and the Rosemary Clooney on vinyl - I'm not trying to be some cool indie-rock person, I just love the way it sounds - and throw on a T-shirt and jeans. In Texas, we practically come out of the womb in jeans.
I try not to date musicians. It's all I've dated. Every guy I've dated is a musician. Obviously, it's not working.
My happy weight changes. Sometimes I eat more; sometimes I play more. I'll be different sizes all the time.
I'm a hygiene freak. I'm like obsessive-compulsive when it comes to washing your hands.
Who are you wearing? Who are you wearing?
My winning is getting to perform. That's my victory.
The fact that I get to do what I love and 14 years in, I'm still doing it - I don't know how anything could get better.
I'm waiting for the floor to drop out from under me.
Pick the weeds and keep the flowers.
I think one thing you could probably say for all my albums is that they're all pretty eclectic pop. There's always a little bit of urban influence, some dance, a little bit of country, singer-songwriter, pop-rock. I like everything! On every album you can find that.
When people talk about my weight, I'm like, 'You seem to have a problem with it; I don't.
Like every other girl in the world, my most embarrassing moment had to do with a guy completely turning me down. His loss!
No matter what size I am I love performing no matter how big or little I am! I feel good.
Life's too short to be a pushover.
I'm loyal and I think most Texans are very loyal, but I'm also stubborn.
I don't love traveling, because I'm never home. It's hard when you have a family.
People are really concerned about my relationship status. When I tell people I'm happy being single, they don't believe me. They say: 'You have to be miserable being alone'.
Two must-haves for me are a great book and my iPod.
I just blow-dry my hair and put on mascara and lip gloss, and I'm ready to go. I really don't get long nails. They're so Edward Scissorhands.
Really, what I try to instill in my fans is to be healthy and happy. I have no desire to be super-skinny.
When I'm picking songs for an album I always want a song that I can relate to and that I have experienced. There's nothing worse than watching an artist try and sell a song that isn't believable coming from them.
I would not be a good mother. I mean, I love being an aunt to my niece and nephew. And I used to want to, like, adopt 10 kids - because I had friends who were adopted, and I thought that was the coolest thing, to be chosen. But again, my job is too selfish.
I never said I was a 'good girl.' I'm not a bad girl. I'm just normal, and that's what I'm going to be. There's no bad girl with whips and chains that's going to come out. I think people like me because I was myself.
Now all that's left of me, is what I pretend to be. So together, but so broken up inside.
I do cardio. I run. I strength-train using my own body weight. I don't like free weights, because I build muscle easily.
I feel like you can be the best role model by being yourself.
In Texas, we practically come out of the womb in jeans.
Books have always been important to me - my mom was a first grade teacher, so I grew up reading all the time.
I was in a very dark place for a long time. It's just so hard to have normalcy.
I go to bed every night and the list of what I've accomplished is astounding.
I'm proud of everything I achieved with 'Idol,' and away from 'Idol' also. It's just such a different show now to what it was when I was on it. I didn't even know it was a TV show until the third audition.
Even though I hate acting, I love doing videos for my songs.
As a mom, you just don't have time, so you get straight to the point.
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly. I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky.
I LOVE Taylor Swift's 1989. I think it's really cool at the moment that the production on her record is just as strong as the writing. I like the fact that the early nineties sound seems to have come back around
I was a poor kid, and my mom was a single mother of three.
When I went to Los Angeles right after high school, I got some acting jobs, and I never, ever wanted to be an actress! Public speaking and acting make me want to vomit. But I have never been nervous singing. When it comes to public speaking, I stumble on my words, sweat, and pull at my clothes.
It's amazing to impact people's lives - it's a cool thing to have the spotlight and be able to reassure people, to say, "It's OK to be you."
Honestly, I just think we all have special gifts, everyone. You know, obviously, some are more noticeable than others and that's why there's the limelight. Everybody's in it.
The thing I love most about going on vacation is that I get to leave behind any kind of schedule. My entire life is scheduled from morning to night, and when I'm on vacation, there is no schedule.
I've always dreamed that love would be effortlessLike a pedal falling to the ground; a dreamer following his dream.
I may not be Einstein but I know dumb plus dumb equals you.
I've loved my 20s, but I would never repeat them.
You need to be happy with who you are and, whoever that is, let your little light shine.
I've got a song on One Direction's album called 'Tell Me A Lie'. It's a really cute song - I love it. I loved that they liked it. They sound really great on it. I already have it - I'm so VIP with my copy on my computer! It does sound really good.
I get hit on by the hottest girls ever. Oh my god, if I was a lesbian, I would be so in luck. But it's just not my thing. I've always batted for the boys' team.
My whole point is like, well, if I'm the pop star, then it should be whatever I am. There's, you know, room for Katy Perrys and Adeles and Rihannas and Lady Gagas and Ke$has and me and Pinks. I think what's great about all of us is that we represent something different.
My kids are obviously growing up very privileged, but I want them to have a servant's heart. We do community service as a family, and I also call them out on things like getting impatient when they stand in line - because they hardly ever have to. But that's just the reality of what they were born into.
The fact that I've managed to find a husband who understands and respects everything I do is astonishing.
Since you've been gone, I can breath for the first time.
I sound the same regardless if I'm 20 pounds heavier or 20 pounds light, and I think that's the key thing with my fans and why they continue to be loyal because I'm that type of person.
I'm not that girl who's really concerned with it. I've dated a bit and it's just draining to me. If it's not going to happen natural, obviously it's going to be someone in the industry because that's the only time people ever really see me.
I've dated a couple of guys who were awesome, and the celebrity part of my life and the traveling part are hard to get around. You never get to see each other, especially if you're both musicians.
This is my life; these are my fingerprints; I'm unique; this is what I want to do. You worry about your own front porch and what's happening in your own world.
I'm from a small town where everybody always has something to say - you shouldn't sing secular music, you shouldn't do this or do that. A ton of "shouldn'ts."
Everything changes, but beauty remains.
I'm always going to be a singer.
I don't obsess about my weight, which is probably one of the reasons why other people have such a problem with it.
The question I love to get asked is: 'What's the hardest part of your job?' And literally, the answer is probably real sad, but it's to just to be me. Like, it's really hard, because I think people, you know, have a set idea of what a pop star should be.
I still watch 'Idol,' and it's still the No. 1 show, so obviously I'm not the only one who loves to sit at home and be entertained.
I sound like such a tool, but becoming a mother has made me next-level confident. I've never felt more empowered.
You don't know a thing about me
I am just like my mother. She raised me to love and take care of animals, especially the ones that need it the most and so I started Eddie's Rescue Ranch. We take in animals that need extra care and attention and the animals that get left behind.
I love healthy stuff and junk an equal amount. Whatever I'm craving, I go for it. I'm never trying to lose weight - or gain it. I'm just being.
Everybody always says that I'm the girl next door, which makes me think that y'all must have a lot of weird next-door neighbours.
People keep asking me if I am having more fun, being blonde, but I always have fun! Whether I'm blonde, redhead, or brunette! I always have fun.
The thing about Christmas is that it almost doesn't matter what mood you're in or what kind of a year you've had; it's a fresh start.
Just because I’m single and don’t date a lot, that doesn’t make me a lesbian.
I love Twitter! At first I made fun of it, because it is very narcissistic, and there's already so much narcissism flowing in this industry, I was like, 'Really, one more?' So I was against it at first. But I really love the idea of the direct connection - there's no middle man muddling it up.
God will never give you anything you can't handle, so don't stress.
I'm always going to live in Texas. Texas is my home - it'll be my home forever.
I stand before you and my heart is in your hands, And I don't know how, I'd survive without your kiss, 'cause you've given me a reason to exist
There is no greater feeling than hanging out with my dogs, or just walking around the land with our horses. My rescue ranch is is where I feel the most at peace and where I'm reminded of the simple things in life and let the chaos of my crazy work life fade away.
I'm sorry I'm crying again on national television.
I feel like as a generation, we sell ourselves short. I just expected more from us.
