Kellie Pickler: “I’m Glad I Stood Up For Myself.”
When we talk about artists who could help save country music, we tend to focus on folks who are on the outside looking into the music industry, but traditionally these are not always the performers in the best position to shake things up. The Outlaws like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings already had established careers when they decided to start making waves on Music Row, putting them in a better position to stimulate change compared to an unproven artist.
Just from reading her resume, Kellie Pickler might look like a country traditionalist’s worst nightmare. She started in beauty pageants, got her musical break on American Idol, and is the reigning champion of another reality show, Dancing With The Stars. But instead of disqualifying her from being able to help save country music, maybe this all makes her the ideal candidate. Kellie can create her own hype, and generate her own publicity as opposed to having to make songs for country radio or pander to formulated marketing campaigns.
Still, the most important element is the music, and when it came to the music on Kellie Pickler’s last album 100 Proof, it spoke to heavy traditional country and honky tonk influences served with very little sanding of the rough edges. This is the reason it was awarded Saving Country Music’s 2012 Album of the Year.
And to save country music, you must be willing to speak up and speak out, and once again when being interviewed recently by Rolling Stone (who also called Kellie’s 100 Proof one of 2012’s best), Pickler had some insightful and inspiring words about what motivates her to make “Kellie Country.”
“I’ve made records where I’m trying to make everybody else happy and say what other people want me to say. That was miserable. If you go in and you’re honest, people will either like you or not. You can’t please them all, so you might as well be happy with it yourself. It’s your face on the cover. You can’t change who you are to please other people.”
“I didn’t sell a lot of records with [100 Proof], but it’s my favorite album I’ve ever done because I went into the studio and said what I wanted to say and made a more traditional record. Had I gone in and made the same old shit, then Rolling Stone and different music critics wouldn’t have picked it as one of the best albums of 2012. That showed me that I made the right call. It was tough, but I’m glad I stood up for myself.”
CaliforniaCountry
July 20, 2013 @ 8:28 am
Totally off topic:
Have you heard John Mayer’s single, Wildfire? Even he’s getting into roots music.
Trigger
July 20, 2013 @ 10:40 am
I have. I’m not sure if it is as much of a significant departure from what he normally does as they’re trying to sell it as. But it’s an interesting song.
SamIam
July 21, 2013 @ 3:00 pm
In Wildfire I’m hearing influence of the Grateful Dead which certainly fused elements of many genres. Do you know how the album is being positioned in the marketplace? With JM’s guitar chops, it would be interesting to hear him play live if the entire album is roots based.
Davis
July 20, 2013 @ 10:02 am
I ended up with a free VIP ticket to the Heartland Jam in Davenport, IA last night. Yes, the kind of massive country 2 day festival that I would normally steer clear of and could possibly even cause me to leave the area. The headliner? Darius Rucker. Ugh. The performer right before him? Kellie Pickler.
So, going against my normal routine, I decided that I was going to go and I am glad I did. She put on a hell of a real country show and I loved it. How many big names like her would do Tammy Wynette and George Jones covers and play the crap out of them??!
Anyway, just wanted to share and to say thanks because had I not read about her on this site several times, there is no way I would have gone anywhere near the Heartland Jam.
Oh and I only lasted a few tunes into Darius Rucker’s set. When the first Hootie song showed up, I was done.
Tom
July 23, 2013 @ 7:03 am
Were you there for the opening act, Charissa Mrowka? Her drummer is from my hometown so we go see them when they’re in the area. They aren’t traditional by any stretch – typical teen girl country-pop – but they put on a good show and my daughter loves them.
Davis
July 24, 2013 @ 1:12 pm
Unfortunately, no. Had to work all day so it was only Kellie and Hootie for me that night.
Tom
July 24, 2013 @ 1:42 pm
I can certainly relate to that.
Casey
July 20, 2013 @ 12:35 pm
I have been a Kellie Pickler fan from day 1. I absolutely love “100 Proof” and can’t wait to hear the new album. I was fortunate enough to see her at a fan club performance this last June in Nashville and she was great! She put on a fabulous show. Great musicians and a true professional. I can only hope her next album is just as good if not better.
Jordan Stacey
July 20, 2013 @ 6:21 pm
I’ve been a fan of hers since her American Idol days. I am a fan of mainstream country (to an extent cause some of it is just horrid), and even when she was saddled with the more pop sounding stuff it was obvious to me that she had something in her trying to get out.
I remember hearing her second single, “I Wonder”, for the first time and thinking how much she reminded me of Tammy Wynette. I remember defending her against many people who would dismiss her for not being real country, but I heard the potential there. I’m so glad she’s been able to find herself artistically and I hope she can continue to make music like ‘100 Proof’ cause she’s exactly what I’m looking for in modern country.
Chris
July 20, 2013 @ 8:52 pm
Kellie is popular and likes to talk so that’s a key. Any cause she’s on gets a lot of attention and lucky for country music, country music is her main cause.
Kellie is from a tiny town and didn’t have the music scene, money or parents around to move her to Nashville to get discovered. She said she used to sneak into karoake bars to sing, hated beauty pageants and entered them only for the talent part so more people could see her sing. Before Idol, she did very well on a local TV singing competition called Gimme The Mike and the judges predicted she could go far and be a big star. One judge even warned her that she was about to enter shark-infested waters in the music business, and as we’ve seen those sharks tried to hold her back and swallow her up. Because she couldn’t afford a plane ticket, she almost missed the Idol auditions until they moved them from New Orleans to NC after hurricane Katrina. TV is a great way for artists to get discovered. Dolly on the Porter Wagoner Show, Miranda Lambert, Chris Young and many others were discovered or advanced on TV and movies.
Reflections From The Circle – Kellie Pickler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBI4xR8b9tM
Country radio listeners are dying to hear Kellie’s new single but so far they aren’t playing it and instead are playing weaker songs listeners like less. Here’s some excellent listener survey data:
http://www.mjsbigblog.com/idol-sales-news-%E2%80%93-week-ending-071413.htm#comment-965755713
As usual Kellie is kicking ass with the best single getting the best scores in the country radio listener polls, even beating songs radio plays more of so listeners are more familiar with them (the more radio plays and people hear a good song, the more they like and higher they rate it). She’s beating some by a big margin. However instead of listening to what their own listeners want, radio is playing more of heavily promoted weaker songs listeners like less to a lot less.
Here’s where those 4 fairly new songs are on Callout America and I added Miranda
Kellie 27
Scotty 29
Miranda 33
Cassadee 35
Kelly ? I’m guessing her pop song would be around #35-40
And here’s where they are on country radio (Mediabase, Billboard, weeks on Billboard)
Miranda 34 32 4
Cassadee 39 37 6
Scotty 43 40 13
Kelly 47 44 4
Kellie 50 51 7
Something is terribly wrong with this picture. Kellie’s superior song should/deserves to be at least 5 spots ahead of Cassadee’s on radio, just like Miranda’s song is #34 after just 4 weeks because she’s no longer getting robbed. Same is true for other songs, Kellie’s Callout scores are better than many weaker songs getting played more than Someone Somewhere Tonight. Just 1 more example, I Want Crazy is only #30 on Callout but #6 on radio, so it’s getting much more airplay than it deserves. Plus listeners rate Kellie’s singles higher than some from artists radio constantly plays, including Miranda this time. All of this clearly shows that radio is still ass backwards and badly robbing Kellie more than everyone. She should definitely be getting the same amount of airplay as all of the other equally talented artists (Easton Corbin, Carrie, Miranda, Chris Young, etc.).
Andrew L.
July 21, 2013 @ 7:27 am
It’s kind of funny to think that for all the new singers who call themselves outlaws, Pickler is one of the biggest outlaws in Nashville in the Waylon and Willie sense of the term.
doombuggy
July 21, 2013 @ 5:02 pm
I’m glad she stood up for herself too. 100 Proof is great.
TX Music Jim
July 22, 2013 @ 10:00 am
Trig, you are right it will take someone like her to give a more mainstream face to tradtional country music. I pray that with the next record she can move significant prouduct to make the suits at the labels realize they were wrong.
Tom
July 24, 2013 @ 1:54 pm
I mostly like her because she looked hot dancing it that Brad Paisley video.
John from MA
September 10, 2013 @ 3:18 pm
I thought of this the other day at work when I heard it playing. It’s nice to see more going this route it seems. I have been leaving country radio behind… found some great artists and even more since I stumbled across this site about a year ago.