Kellie Pickler Says She’s Hard At Work On Album No. 5

Kellie Pickler is ready to start living with her new music.

The Nashville resident recently played an intimate show just south of her hometown, and afterward shared some details of her upcoming album, which will be her fifth.

“I’m in the whole songwriting and song-picking process. We’re in the very early stages of working on it,” Kellie Pickler told Billboard. “It’s always great to have new music out — to freshen up the set list, and it’s exciting for the country fans. They are always eager to have new music.”

Pickler said her creative process is a very intimate one, which has her living and breathing her work for nearly a year until it is ready to share.

Pickler told Billboard:

“It’s interesting that when you’re working on an album, you pretty much live with it for the year that you’re working on it. Then you send it off for the copies to be made, and the artwork to be produced and distributed. That takes months. So you’ve lived with the album for almost a year before anyone hears it. Then, by the time it comes out, you’re ready for the next one, because you’re sung it a million times — but not for anyone outside of your circle.”

While working on the album, Kellie Pickler has had a chance to share the stage with some country legends. She said performing onstage with Kenny Rogers last year was “a surreal moment for me.”

“I was so nervous. I will never forget it,” Pickler said. “I remember watching him and Dolly sing ‘Islands In The Stream,’ so I told myself that I was going to pretend I was Dolly for a second. It was a special moment, for sure — especially there. There’s no bigger stage in country music than the Ryman.”

Kellie Pickler hasn’t just been holed up working on her new album, however. Aside from her performance with Kenny Rogers, the country star has been performing almost non-stop, including some recent concerts to benefit veterans.