From 11 to 17, I just toured my butt off with my dad and my sister. We hit the road and I was singing all kinds of different songs and different types of genres. But I knew from an early age what I wanted my sound to be, which was country on bass, and I wanted to be a country artist.

Gabby Barrett

Art Age Wit

I was always a homebody who wanted to be somebody's wife.

Gabby Barrett

Home Wife Who

I Hope' is the fourth song that I'd ever written in Nashville. I didn't know that it was as special as it was.

Gabby Barrett

Hope Written Ten

So many people have been so supportive of my music, my music videos, everything all around.

Gabby Barrett

Music Videos Video

When I got into the Nashville scene, with the Ross Coppermans and Zach Kales and Jon Nites and Nicolle Galyons, all these people who have No. 1 hits with huge celebrities, they were able to show me creative ways and right ways of formulating songs.

Gabby Barrett

Wit Who Were

My dad is my rock. Every single penny he earns goes into my dream.

Gabby Barrett

Very T Single

I'm actually pretty boring, to be honest.

Gabby Barrett

To Be Honest T Ring

The first time I ever had a song play on a legit radio station, I think I was about 13. It was a song of mine that I had written called 'Young Blood.'

Gabby Barrett

Time Young You

There were a lot of challenges I had to face on 'American Idol' that helped me grow in a few different ways that I'll take forever with my career.

Gabby Barrett

Car Wit Were

I naturally gravitated first to R&B and pop: Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle.

Gabby Barrett

Whitney Houston Whitney Us

I just think falling in love and being married completely changes your life in so many ways.

Gabby Barrett

Love Life Change

There's a lot to learn in Nashville. This town is just filled with amazing, talented, smart people, so it's been an honor to be part of that community and to have everyone open their arms wide to me.

Gabby Barrett

Art Amazing Wit

Country radio has been so supportive.

Gabby Barrett

Up UN Try

That's how I want to be with stuff: I always want to be in country music, first and foremost, forever.

Gabby Barrett

Music Wit Ways

I'm always looking to find things that are different in country music.

Gabby Barrett

Music Ways Way

I always try to write from a genuine standpoint.

Gabby Barrett

Write Ways Way

Labels and people didn't know if i could write original music or anything.

Gabby Barrett

Music Write Us

All of the genres are just blending now, which I think is another super-cool thing.

Gabby Barrett

Cool Which Us

From a young age, I was never into going out and partying.

Gabby Barrett

Art Age Young

I've always loved R&B. That love seemed to start in church. But then I saw Carrie Underwood on American Idol, and I fell in love with country. Heck, I loved the hair bands of the '80s too, so I have always loved country and rock 'n' roll.

Gabby Barrett

Love Car Art

From 11 to 17, I just toured my butt off with my dad and my sister. We hit the road and I was singing all kinds of different songs and different types of genres. But I knew from an early age what I wanted my sound to be, which was country on bass, and I wanted to be a country artist.

Gabby Barrett

Art Age Wit

Actually, zero labels were jumping toward me, and I couldn't get to anybody. Nobody was paying any attention. And I was like, 'OK, I'm going to put my nose to the ground and really work on writing and creating some good songs that people could gravitate to.'

Gabby Barrett

My fans have been amazing.

Gabby Barrett

I'm not the kind of person who walks in a room and is just like, 'Hi everybody!' I'm more somebody who is quiet and who isn't good at starting conversations.

Gabby Barrett

I think acoustic performances and full, live performances are always cool in different ways.

Gabby Barrett

I'm getting to put my music out into the world the way that I envisioned and hoped it would be when I was little, and that is a total dream come true.

Gabby Barrett

I think 'American Idol' has prepared me for anything.

Gabby Barrett

Full live performances are always my favorites, and I think a lot of people's favorites too, just because you can feel the energy off the crowd and there's so much more interaction, and just everything overall is just like very hype.

Gabby Barrett

I am very close with the whole cast; the Top 5 of us from 'Idol' are still super close, especially Cade and me. Wink wink.

Gabby Barrett

I love romance and talking about love, and I think it's one of the greatest things you can talk about.

Gabby Barrett

Country is and always will be my heart, but I don't have a problem with it spilling over into pop if it wants to.

Gabby Barrett

So, Shane & Shane are my favorite Christian artists out there.

Gabby Barrett

Things that are like overnight success things don't last long, and that's not something I wanted.

Gabby Barrett

Something a lot of people don't know about me is I sucked my thumb until I was in like eighth grade. It's cause, when I was a baby, I sucked my thumb and I guess my mom and dad never weaned me off of that, because they thought it was cute. And then it's like an addiction. That's your security blanket.

Gabby Barrett

To be given a chance to be in the finals was a dream come true, and I will forever be thankful to the whole 'American Idol' crew.

Gabby Barrett

I think you get a lot of influence from what your parents play around you. So I always loved country, R&B and rock.

Gabby Barrett

Nobody has done Mariah Carey whistle-tone notes in country music that I've heard of, and if you're capable of doing it, you might as well add it in.

Gabby Barrett

I've always tried from a very young age to be positive.

Gabby Barrett

There's a happy medium to everything, even with powerhouse singers. You don't have to belt it out all the time. You don't have to overuse something.

Gabby Barrett

I wasn't born with nerves. You have to take yourself out of the equation and think about everyone else - you're the entertainer.

Gabby Barrett

It was actually really hard to get a record deal after 'American Idol.'

Gabby Barrett

Be in Nashville if you want to be in country music, because everybody that can help you is here.

Gabby Barrett

I always wanted a girl growing up, as well as a boy, so to have a girl first is just really exciting.

Gabby Barrett

Not every single person is bad, not all guys are bad, and I found my good one.

Gabby Barrett

I really respected women that could sing their tails off and entertain really well, so I wanted to get that across before I brought any of my own music into it.

Gabby Barrett

I was a terrible writer at first.

Gabby Barrett

If you're going to compare me to somebody and it's going to be Carrie Underwood, I will absolutely take that as a compliment.

Gabby Barrett

I wanted to put in the time and the work, because eventually it pays off in a good way.

Gabby Barrett

For marriage, yes, people always had their opinions of, 'Oh, you're too young,' because it's become a stereotype, for some reason, for people to get married later in their 20s.

Gabby Barrett

I try everyday to give it my 110%.

Gabby Barrett

Just stick to what you feel you sing best at, no matter what it is.

Gabby Barrett