Like many music stars today, Kellie Pickler is doing a lot more than singing songs. Sure, she’s been working feverishly on a new album, due out, she hopes, some time this summer. But she’s also starring in her own reality-TV series, and she’s even selling a line of home goods inspired by the memory of her great grandmother.
That’s the kind of thing that happens to you when your singing talents get you to “American Idol,” and eventually to country stardom.
“I’ve got a plate full, that’s for sure,” said Pickler, who performs live Sunday at the Santa Cruz American Music Festival.
Pickler came out of North Carolina to the nation’s attention on “American Idol” as a 19-year-old in 2006. “Idol” got her a record deal, which she turned into “Small Town Girl,” a gold-certified hit that spawned three Top 20 singles.
Since then, she has fashioned a career that has touched on the country-pop mainstream as well as into traditional country, building credibility with discerning fans with such albums as “100 Proof” which evoked the classic sound of Tammy Wynette.
“I’ve always loved Tammy Wynette,” she said. “Dolly Parton and, of course, Loretta Lynn. They’ve all been big influences on me since I can remember.”
Her most recent album was 2013’s “The Woman I Am,” on which was a song called “Selma Drye.” That happened to be the name of Pickler’s great-grandmother, a key figure in an early life that featured largely absent parents.
Now Pickler is selling a line of items for the home in her great-grandmother’s name. The Selma Drye collection features home goods designed to recall Pickler’s modest, small-town upbringing.
“She was a spitfire of a woman,” she said, “ and a big part of my childhood. She was a very simple woman, and she didn’t have much, but she made the best of what she had. The ‘Selma Drye’ song was my favorite song on the last album, and I was really inspired to create a line honoring her.”
At the same time, she’s gearing up for a reality show designed around her life with her family, all while trying to get out her latest album, which she promises will include a variety of styles.
“I always want to be creative and do different things. I never want to re-create what has already been done. Not every song has to sound the same. You can do a variety of things. Everybody likes their coffee different, y’know.”
