Quotes from Kelsea Ballerini

There's a YouTube video of these two kittens that just fall over and pass out. My blood sugar's crazy, so I would pass out sometimes, like the fainting kittens.

I love pop music. I've tried to always be honest about that.

Growing up, I remember thinking country music was all honky-tonks and beer and trucks - Britney Spears was my first concert.

I share so much of my life on social media, and I love the honest connection with the people that follow me.

Hillary Scott from Lady Antebellum is like my big sister.

I remember telling myself when I got to start having artist opportunities, 'Let yourself be a fan, because you are. The minute that you walk in a room with Carrie Underwood, and you're too cool to freak out, you need to check yourself.' I just let myself be a fan.

I wouldn't be an artist if I didn't have Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift to look up to.

I am a fan before I am an artist. I was that twelve year old girl that looked up to Taylor Swift. I get what that role is as a fan. I think that because I know that, I'm really careful and intentional about what I say and what I put out. I want to be that role for anyone who wants me to be that.

Being a songwriter is really the base of being an artist, for me.

I really want people to know I'm a songwriter.

It's been really cool to me to watch someone like Sam Hunt, whose lyrics and roots are in country but you can hear that he listens to Drake and Justin Timberlake - and that's OK. It allows songwriters to be more honest because it's like, 'This is who I'm listening to.'

Songwriting was a gift that came to me when I needed it the most.

I love pop music. I listen to it; I think you can hear it in my songwriting and my album. I'd definitely say it's country-pop music, but it's country first.

My favorite songwriting trick is writing something like 'XO.' In my brain, I thought, 'This is probably going to be a love song. How can I change that and find ways to twist that.' As a songwriter, it's your job for the song to take twists and turns that people don't expect.

My songs are my stories... good, bad, ugly, beautiful.

I used to walk around trying to do the Britney Spears growl: 'Oh, baby, baby.'

I grew up loving music and being super involved in church choir and school musicals and such, but when I started writing is when I fell in love with the idea of doing it for the rest of my life.

The greatest gift I've been given is being naive, because I don't know what I can't do. And when you don't know what you can't do, you think you can do everything.

I've never been scared, but I'm very naive.

It's really humbling to be acknowledged by such established names like CMT and Billboard.

Even though there are incredible songs floating around Nashville, it's important for me to have my voice heard.

On stage, you can get away with more, so I definitely use that to my advantage and go bolder with fashion, hair, and makeup. I love a smoky eye and long lashes.

I have a picture of me with Lady Antebellum, when they released their first single and I was at CMA Fest as a fan. I'm in flower-power shorts and a headband - so not cute - and I'm fan-girling next to Hillary. I couldn't believe I was standing next to her.

Women in country music have always been a staple and always been important.