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There's a lot going on in country music, with indie-label hipsters and underground bloggers arguing their interpretations of what country is, and pop-country stars defending themselves. That deserves to be poked fun at.

I hate labels; the problem is that if you say you're one thing, it's hard for people to imagine you as something else. Music is way more complicated than that.

I've always tried to stay clear of being labeled, putting a label on what type of music that I make.

I hate record labels. They think they know everything. I want to hear them try to sing it.

It doesn't really matter to me what the rest of country is doing. I'm not caught up in trying to make a record that sounds like everybody else. That, to me, is a record label's absolute biggest downfall.

Before I really knew country music, I listened to pop, and I still do.

This is just strictly me wanting to make a record that is the real deal. It is all the stuff that I have learned and know that I remember. It's what I perceive as country music is about.

I don't like to be labeled, to be anything. I've made the mistake before myself of labeling my music, but it's counter-productive.

I want to reach the point where people hear my name and immediately think of real country music.

I'm always kind of surprised how much I'm associated with country music.