Kellie Pickler photo by Kristin Barlowe, courtesy of Sony BMG.

Blonde and boisterous Kellie Pickler has frequently professed her appreciation of Dolly Parton, and the North Carolina native seems to have the same approach to the world as Dolly, who grew up across the stateline in neighboring Tennessee.

“I’m from a small town, but I don’t think small town,” Kellie told The Raleigh News & Observer. “I’ve always thought bigger. I’ve always wanted to travel the world and learn about other cultures and their religions and how they live. I’ve always been interested in the world. I think my biggest fear in life has always been to settle — to settle with a career and a lifestyle that I’m not completely happy about. … There’s nothing wrong with staying in a small town. But if you get a chance to step outside, go ahead and do it. That small town is always going to be there.”

With feisty hits such as “Red High Heels” and “Best Days Of Your Life,” Kellie’s part of a wave of young country females that includes her friends Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. But she still has an appreciation for classic country by the likes of Dolly, Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn, and Kellie’s aiming to lace her third album with a more traditional sound.

“On the first two albums I worked so hard trying to make everybody else happy that I haven’t made myself happy,” she confessed. “You shouldn’t have to try to be yourself, you should just naturally be yourself. In my shows we play some of my favorite classics. I don’t worry if younger fans don’t care for it. You know what? Shame on [their] parents for not exposing them to real music.”

Kellie’s current video, “Didn’t You Know How Much I Loved You,” ranks No. 2 on on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown. Look for her Saturday in a GAC airing of “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night To Rock” at 8 p.m. ET.

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