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LeAnn Rimes will honor Merle Haggard at Billy Bob's: 'He was so honest'

It's been 20 years since a 13-year-old LeAnn Rimes first stunned us with her rolling powerhouse chords. In a recent phone chat, the Garland-raised singer shared what life is like as a stepmom and a wife (she's married to actor Eddie Cibrian), and talked about the new music that we can expect in the next year.

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First up, though, is a concert tour that brings her to Billy Bob's Friday, April 8. Since the new tour honors the material of her musical role models and contemporaries, you can definitely expect to hear a tribute to Merle Haggard. Our back-and-forth:

Your tour is called "Under the Influence Tour: Their songs, her voice." Does this mean you're covering other Texas artists?

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Specifically for this tour, we're honoring so many great Texas artists that I've been influenced by. I'll be covering everything from Tanya Tucker to Beyoncé to Bob Wills. We will also be doing some of my songs. It's been something that I've done since I was a kid. My friends joke that I'm a human jukebox. I just love any type of music. I wouldn't be where I'm at without the influence of so many great artists.

I know Merle Haggard isn't from Texas, but because he just passed, do you think you will add anything to Friday's set list in his honor?

Yes, I definitely will. I'm going to miss him. He was such an incredible, badass man. He was so honest. I love so many of his songs — I've actually recorded some of his songs. He'll be greatly missed and we will do something to honor him for sure.

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Even though it's been a few years, your marriage and your family continue to be the topic of discussion online, in tabloids and on reality TV. How do you handle the negative press?

I've come to learn that people are going to see whatever they'd like to see and they're going to write whatever sells their magazine that day. That's what it's about it — it's not about real life. Unfortunately, society buys into that and the perception becomes reality, even though it's so far from it.

I've really had to grow in so many ways. I knew I had a thick skin before... this has made me have a different kind of thick skin. It's also made me incredibly vulnerable in more ways than ever.

We try to keep the kids as far away from it as possible, within our house. We don't watch any kind of reality television or news — or a lot of TV for that matter. We're very open with them when they ask questions; I've always wanted to be that way.

It seems like you love being a stepmom. Do you someday want to expand your family or are you happy with it being the four of you?

Right now, I'm totally happy with it being the four of us. I feel like there are five of us because my job and touring life feel like another child. It's a lot to juggle. I love being a stepmom and I think that eventually we will expand.

Are you currently working on any projects?

Yes, I'm in the middle of working on a new album. I've been writing since the end of last year. I think it will probably come out at the end of the year or the beginning of next year. This time it's a whole new experience for me because I was at one record label for 20 years. I've taken the time to grow and figure out where I want to go next and if I even wanted to do this anymore.

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Since you started at such a young age, is there anything you wish you would've done differently?

That's the one thing I wish you could teach kids, to stop and take it in. I didn't really know to take in the fact that I walked onstage at 14 to win two Grammys. Nobody can tell you what that feels like. You should take a moment and realize that you just accomplished one of your dreams. My life moved very, very fast. I've gone through some deep stuff — a lot of it publicly. Everything I've gone through has led me to this point and I'm really proud of where I'm at.