Interview: Kellie Pickler Talks Idol, Reality Series & Broadway Dreams

Kellie Pickler gained fame as one of the most memorable and endearing contestants to have ever competed on AMERICAN IDOL. The country music star finished in sixth place on Season 5 of the FOX singing competition, and went on to release her debut album 'Small Town Girl' in 2006. The album, which was certified gold by the RIAA, produced three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Her self-titled second album was released in 2008 and included the single "Best Days of Your Life," which she co-wrote with Taylor Swift.

Continuing to demonstrate her wide array of talent, Pickler partnered with professional dancer Derek Hough in 2013 to become the champions of the sixteenth season of ABC's DANCING WITH THE STARS. Her reality series, I LOVE KELLI PICKLER was just renewed for a second season on CMT. The show follows Kellie as she navigates her madcap relationships with friends, family and the unpredictability of couple hood alongside her husband, Kyle Jacobs.

Today, Pickler speaks exclusively with BWW about her recent appearance on the series finale of AMERICAN IDOL, her new partnership with Flonase Allergy Relief and her dream of one day starring in a Broadway musical!

The final season of American Idol was such an exciting season and I was so glad that you were a part of it. What was it like to take part in the series finale?

Oh it was so wonderful. I thought it was a high energy packed show and it was also an Idol reunion. They gathered contestants from 15 seasons so it was crazy to think that Idol was on the air for 15 years. So yes, it was just wonderful, and I thought the show was great.

Earlier in the season you served as a mentor for two of the Idol contestants. What was that experience like?

It was wonderful. The two ladies that I was working with Tristan [McIntosh] and Amelia [Eisenhauer] , were so talented and so young, Tristan is 16 years old! So it was wonderful to be able to work with them and then when we reunited at the Finale it was just like we picked up from the last time I saw them, so it was great.

What advice would you give to the finalists La'Porsha Ranae and Trent Harmon, now that they are both starting out in the music industry?

Oh my, I don't know if they need my advice! I think they're in great hands and they're both going to have very successful careers. But I would say that you just have to keep working hard, you never stop paying your dues. You know you look at people like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, they're still out touring and working on their records, so you never stop paying your dues for as long as you want to do this. Just never stop working hard.

Your reality series, "I Love Kellie Pickler" was recently picked up by CMT for a second season. Congratulations on that.

Well thank you!

Why did you decide to do a reality show?

Well obviously I was introduced to the world on Idol, which was a reality show, when I was 19 and still very green. And since then, all of the television that I've been able to work on and be a part of I have really enjoyed. And I feel that today in the entertainment world it's all about building your brand. I don't think it's about limiting yourself to just one profession. I think you can do it all.

And you know my husband and I, we actually get to see each other a lot more now because we get to work together on the show, so it's given us the chance to capture our fun memories that we've made with our friends, who we consider to be our family. And we also get to document our fun summers together. So we're looking forward to seeing how Season Two is put together and we've had a lot of fun so far shooting. We still have a lot of work to do, but we're having a blast.

Can you give us a preview of what's ahead in the new season?

Well, we have all of our fun, crazy friends, and we'll introduce people to more of our friends, and Kyle's parents moved to Nashville last summer from Minnesota, so they're going to be in a couple of episodes and my sister is actually going to be in an episode with her husband, my brother-in-law, Brad and their little girl. So we've got more family and more friends and it will be an adrenaline packed season for sure!

You recently teamed with Flonase Allergy Relief on a really fun adventure along with social media stars, the Eh Bee family. Can you talk a little bit about that and your own allergy issues that you've suffered from in the past and how Flonase has helped change all that for you?

Yes, absolutely. I've always been somewhat of an allergy sufferer, especially after moving to Nashville. Little did I know that Nashville is one the highest allergy-ridden cities in the country, which is kind of wild if you think about it, it being 'Music City.' There are so many performers and entertainers that live there and thankfully I have my Flonase so that I can breathe and do my job!

So yes, through Flonase I met the Eh Bee family and they are just a terrific family, their kids are just so wonderful and they're good people. So we kicked off this road trip in New York on April 18th and we sent them across the country to the highest allergy-ridden cities with Flonase Allergy Relief in hand, and I'm meeting up with them today in Austin. So if people would like to follow along on the journey, we'd love to have as many as possible! They can check out the Eh Bee Family's adventures on the road and join the conversation by using the hashtag #BEGREATER and people can enter for a chance to win their own ultimate adventure at BeGreater.Flonase.com. So, yeah, lots of really fun stuff going on and we're just having a ball out on the road. Never a dull moment!

You'll be performing at the iHeartCountry Festival today. What else is coming up as far as touring and special appearances?

Well we're shooting our show until July, and then the show premieres in August. So we'll be on that tour, promoting the show. And I've got a few tour dates sprinkled here and there and hopefully I'll get back into the studio this fall or winter to record some new music.

Oh that's great news! I am a big fan of DANCING WITH THE STARS and your season was truly one of my favorites. What was that experience like for you, because I know you gave some very emotionally-driven performances throughout the season.

Well that was by far my favorite thing I've ever participated in as far as television projects go. I didn't realize that I would have this love for dance, I had never ballroom danced before in my life. Derek Hough, who was my dance partner, he really helped me discover another passion that I didn't even know that I had and I loved it. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Well now that you've added dancer to your resume, I'd say you are officially a triple threat! Would you ever consider doing a Broadway show in the near future.

Oh that would be a dream! I think if it were the right part, then I would love to, that would be amazing. I took theater arts in school and drama and all that, and I love and have a great respect for anyone that does that, it's not easy!

Well we would all love to see you on the Broadway stage one day.

Well we'll just see what happens, who knows what the future holds. But yeah, that would be great!

AMERICAN IDOL photo courtesy of FOX

I LOVE KELLIE PICKLER photo courtesy of CMT

DANCING WITH THE STARS photo courtesy of ABC

All other photos courtesy of Flonase® Allergy Relief.