Though she didn’t win the competition, the exposure launched her into the spotlight. Soon after, she released her debut single “Red High Heels,” a confident anthem that earned her a CMT Breakthrough Video of the Year nomination. Her debut album, Small Town Girl, was a commercial success, debuting at No. 9 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and selling over 800,000 copies in the U.S.But beneath the fame and the glitz, Pickler still carried the ache of her past. Her success couldn’t erase the emptiness left by her mother’s absence — and that pain became the emotional fuel behind her most powerful performances.
