Fast Chat: LeAnn Rimes

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

January 13, 2008

Singer LeAnn Rimes appears in the press room at the 40th Annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tennessee. (Getty Images Photo / November 6, 2006)

No one has ever denied LeAnn Rimes' talent as a singer: Her soaring voice has wowed audiences since she was just 13, when she made her debut with the hit album "Blue" and earned a best new artist Grammy in the process.

But as the years went on, she didn't get much respect for being an artist - until now. Critics are lauding Rimes for her most recent release, the extremely personal album "Family," on which she sings about the well-publicized drama she had with her parents, and about the love she has found with her husband of nearly six years, Dean Sheremet. The album marked the first time Rimes has co-written every song on one of her albums. She also had some help from Sheremet, who collaborated on the disc.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press' Alicia Quarles, the 25-year-old singer talked about her growth as a songwriter, the trappings of fame and, of course, family.

Why did you decide to write your own material?

It was finally time for me to write my own material because I have lived life now. As a 13-year-old girl starting out in this business, I've written my whole life, but it was about very surface things when I was much younger. This time I felt I might as well dig into my own experiences and dig into those real emotions because I know I am not the only one who feels the way I do. This is not coming from the celebrity that people think they know from what they read. This is coming from LeAnn the real human being, a 25-year-old woman who has experienced a lot and has a lot to say.

Did you have any trepidation about delving into your feelings in order to write music for this album?

I don't know. I guess as an artist to be emotionally available and to really tell the story and be right there in the moment when I am singing, I have to dig into those emotions. I kind of wear it all on my sleeve. I don't hide anything, especially on this record. I don't think I ever was freaked out at all about telling the story because, like I said, I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. I think it is great to be able to put those emotions and feelings into a record and have people listen to it and say, "Hey, I'm not alone in this world. LeAnn Rimes feels the same way I do. She even talks about it in her music."

Do you read the tabloid magazines?

No. I try to stay as far away from reading any of those things as possible. The great thing that I realize is that they say the things they say to sell magazines. I just look at it from that point of view and it doesn't affect me and who I am. I think that's why this album is so important for people to get to know me as a woman and as a human being because it is not what they read in those tabloids. ... This album is a great way to get to know me.

You went through a public battle with your parents. What is your relationship with them now?

I know I am not the only one who has been through ups and downs with their parents. Mine were very public and turned into lawsuits at one point. All I wanted was my family to be my family and not my management - to really have that separation of business and personal life. I have that now. I have a wonderful relationship with both of my parents. I dive into that especially on the title track, "Family." I think that is a clarification song for myself and everyone listening. A lot of people like to talk and they think they know what went on, but I think this really was the way to dive in and say, "Hey, we are still blood."

You've been in the public eye since you were 13. Did you ever feel there was a point in your life where you could have turned into a wild child?

Absolutely. I lived in L.A. from the time I was 15. I went to parties and hung out. I had my moments. I was a teenager growing up in the business. I had a lot of respect for myself and I still do. I think my music was the most important thing to me and I didn't want anything to overshadow that in some way. I do think that my parents raised me properly. As big of a battle as it was between all of us, I still respected them as my parents and I think they did a really good job raising me and I love what I do, so I think it came down to realizing that I can end my career or I can choose not to and continue to work hard and do what I love.