Kellie Pickler has a new single that has just shipped to radio. You know, Kellie Pickler, the former American Idol contestant, the cross-over oriented diva / fashion queen. Well, if that’s the Kellie Pickler you know, you are in for a big surprise. The new single, “Tough,” has a definite edge to it, very similar to something that Miranda Lambert or Heidi Newfield might cut. And, there’s a little bit more of a Country twang in her voice that shines through. Coincidence? Think again!

I’m really excited about the direction that we’re taking for this project,” she said in an exclusive interview with Roughstock.com. “I’ve been very vocal about what I want, and I haven’t been in the past. I’m excited, and hope everybody else on board, and excited about where we’re headed with it.”

While she has been pleased with the success of pop-styled hits like “Red High Heels” and “Makin’ Me Fall In Love Again,” she has wanted to showcase her Country roots from the start.

“Most everyone knows that my grandparents had a great hand in raising me,” she says of her background. “I grew up listening to traditional Country Music. My Grandpa Pickler actually taught me my first song—an old Hank Sr. song called “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It.” I grew up on the classics, and I want to show glimpses of that on this record. I’m excited about it, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the whole creative process.”

Pickler says that taking more of an active role in her music is something that she’ wanted to do for a while now. “I’ve never really spoken up and been vocal about things I wanted to hear. I really didn’t understand about that part, and being in the studio. Now that I’ve been in the studio, and have been able to learn about the production process, I’ve started to speak up, and I haven’t held anything back. If I want fiddle, I want fiddle. I might want the banjo here, whatever,” she says emphatically. “Frank Liddell, who is producing it, and Luke Wooten, the engineer, have taken all the thoughts and ideas and things I want that are in my head. They’ve made it happen.”

Another way that Pickler is branching out creatively is through her songwriting. She says that’s something that she has very much enjoyed while preparing the new album.

“I’ve been writing a lot,” she says with a tone of excitement in her voice. “I think that one thing that has really helped me is just taking our time with it. Frank is such a pusher in the studio. It’s the first time I’ve really been pushed, whether to write or sing and get in the moment. I guess the biggest push has been writing.”

As it turned out, digging deep brought out a lot of emotions in Kellie. “When you write, you kind of find yourself, and you find closure in different parts of your life. You learn things about yourself. When you branch out and write with different writers that you’ve never written with before, which I’ve been doing for this album---you learn that each writer is different, and they have a way of pulling out something in you that you’ve never shined a light on. I love everyone who has been a part of this record, from the musicians, Frank and Luke, and the writers. This has just been the most incredible record experience that I’ve had.”

While she has written some of the cuts for the new record, “Tough” was penned by ace songwriter Leslie Satcher, but Satcher says the song was definitely inspired by Kellie.

“Kellie speaks lyrically,” enthused Satcher. “Many of the lines in ‘Tough’ were inspired by conversations I had with her. I’ve only written two other songs specifically for artists. One was ‘Troubadour’ for George Strait and the other was ‘You Remain’ for Willie Nelson which he recorded with Bonnie Raitt.

Having a song penned with her specifically in mind was something very special to Kellie, as well. When somebody tells you they’ve written a song for and about you, the first thing I think is ‘how do they see me?’ When I heard that Leslie had written a song called ‘Tough’ for me, I just wanted to love it so much and I do! She knows me, she knows my heart and she captured who I am. When we recorded the song I said, ‘I want spoons on the record and one of the musicians got up, went to the kitchen, grabbed some spoons and bam, we got spoons on the track!”

She stresses that if fans are expecting an album full of passionate love songs because of her marriage to songwriter Kyle Jacobs, they need to consider the source.

“I’m not a big mushy gushy person,” she says honestly. “I’m very happily married. My husband is my best friend, soul mate, and life partner. But, there’s not a lot of mush and gush. That ain’t me,” she says with a laugh. “Kyle and I have been writing some stuff, and we’ll see what makes it and what doesn’t.”

Besides, Pickler prefers the heartbreak ballads to positive upbeat ditties any day of the week. “I’m kind of a sucker for the sad country songs. I love Tammy Wynette. She’s one of my favorite singers. There are many reasons for that, but one reason I love her music is she had a tear in her voice. She would rip your heart out. She really makes you feel. I haven’t heard anyone in a long time that can make me cry. There’s a lot of good drinkin and partyin’ and raising hell songs, but nothing that makes my heart break. But, those are my favorite kind of Country songs. We’ll have a little bit of that part that I love on the record.”

For more on the new single and album, and of course, more on Kellie, log on to www.KelliePickler.com!