Pickler debuts on Opry tonight

'Idol' finalist will perform 2 songs

North Carolina's Kellie Pickler makes her Grand Ole Opry debut tonight and her first album hits stores Tuesday, so she is to be forgiven for packing her stuff in a U-Haul four weeks ago and moving from Albemarle to Nashville.

Pickler might have only been a finalist on "American Idol," but all signs point to stardom.

"I'll always love Albemarle," Pickler, 20, said in a phone interview. "It's where I grew up and it's where my heart is, but since I was a little, I remember dreaming about moving to Nashville -- Music City -- where the people I looked up to have lived. Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, June Carter, Dolly Parton. What better place to live if you're going to be a country artist? I'm living out my dream."

Still, she admits it took her only two weeks to feel homesick, and the Tennessee foothills have been murder on her allergies.

But Pickler's life there has been everything she imagined, including a relentless schedule of TV and radio interviews, video shoots, celebrity encounters -- Kenny Chesney visited her in the recording studio -- and shows, such as her Opry appearance.

She is expected to sing only two songs, "My Angel" and "Red High Heels," but both hold special significance. "Red High Heels" is her first Top 40 hit (at No. 37 and rising), and "My Angel" is a dedication to the grandmother who raised her in Albemarle.

They are two of five songs she co-wrote for the new album, "Small Town Girl," all of which deal with her upbringing in Stanly County. Included are references to NASCAR, mud boggin' (four-wheeling in mud pits) and the thrill of hanging out at Wal-Mart on Friday night.

Executives at BNA Records were impressed enough that they signed up former Dixie Chicks producer Blake Chancey to work with Pickler.

"When I was on the American Idols Live tour, it took me away from everybody and everything, and I got to thinking about my life and all the obstacles that I've overcome," she said.

"I sat down and just started writing all these lyrics. It just came to me. I'd never really written songs before. But if you can write a diary, you can write a song. It's what your life is about, your feelings, your emotions."

Pickler's troubled upbringing gave her plenty of material: Her mother abandoned her as a child; her father had addictions to drugs and alcohol that resulted in a three-year prison term for stabbing a man. She reconciled with him in an emotional public ceremony in May, but her mother's whereabouts remain a mystery.

Their estrangement is the subject of "I Wonder," a song on the new album that makes it clear Pickler is not ready to forgive and forget. It was the toughest song to write, she says. "I wrote every question that I could think of to ask her," Pickler said. "It starts off with: 'Sometimes I think about you and I wonder if you're out there thinking about me.' "

She ended up being raised by her grandparents, Clyde Pickler Sr. and Faye Pickler, who is the subject of "My Angel." The new album is also dedicated to the late Faye Pickler.

"I look at her like an angel," Pickler said. "She was my grandmother, my mother and my best friend all wrapped up in one."

Coincidentally, Pickler has already returned to North Carolina for visits with family and friends, and she says Charlotte's Carmen Cutrona remains the only person she'll let cut her hair. She's also still dating the same Albemarle boyfriend, whom she has referred to as the "best garage-door installer ever."

It's all very exciting and new at the moment, she admits, but true to her small-town roots, Pickler is being cautious about how she spends money. The music industry can be fickle, particularly with former "American Idol" participants.

Clay Aiken, with three Top 5 album debuts, proved you don't have to win the show to become a star. But Ruben Studdard proved the "Idol" title doesn't guarantee runaway success.

"Right now, the main goal is the album, and next year we'll see what happens," she said. "I didn't buy a house in Nashville. I only rented my condo for six months, until I decide where I want to live.

"I might be back in Albemarle next week."