Jamie Lynn: Britney Thinks My Songwriting Is Brave

Jamie Lynn left Hollywood after getting pregnant with daughter Maddie Briann at 16, but now she’s back in the spotlight, focusing on her newest love: country music.

“Well, I had a daughter so I was focusing on being a mom and I took about a year off to focus on strictly her,” said JL. “And then I grew a lot as a person and I wanted to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. So about five years ago, I moved to Nashville, me and my little girl, started writing.”

She recently released her latest single, “How Could I Want More,” landing in the Top 20 on iTunes.

“I think it was really, really awesome to hear the reaction that people had to ‘How Could I Want More?’ because I did put my heart and soul into it,” Spears said. “I did take a long time to make this project. And the reaction that I got was? It couldn’t have been better. It meant a lot that people really felt the emotion behind it and believed in the authenticity of what I was saying.”

She’s not yet signed to a label, but Jamie Lynn plans on touring radio stations to get her name out there as more than just Britney Spears’ little sister.

“This is my first step as an adult, making my career decisions and I think that’s something completely different,” Spears said. “Because I am choosing to make this choice, every step of the way. And of course, the reaction is going to be different. My last name is Spears, my sister is a huge pop star. So people probably scratch their heads a little bit. But that doesn’t bother me because it is just, it’s expected. And it gives me more of a reason to prove that I love what I am doing and make them believe in me.”

Music is in the Spears’ blood, but it was her dad Jamie that inspired her to go the country route.

“My sister was of course into the pop stuff. She loved like TLC and all those kinds of things,” Spears said. “And my dad, though, he was the one that was in love with country music. So I think that was something that was really a big part of our relationship and it has a big effect on my music.”

If JL ever needs some advice about handling the crazy music industry, she’s got a pro on speed dial – her big sister Britney.

“I just call her up if there is anything that I need to hear from or need advice on,” Spears said. “It’s just a sister thing. It’s not really anything about the job. But it is nice having someone whose obviously been very successful and been through it all to be able to tell you little secrets here and there.”

The two recorded a song together for Britney’s latest album titled “Chillin With You.”

“I played her some of my stuff and she really loved like the fact that I was writing it and she loved it,” Spears said. “And she was like, ‘Why don’t you come into the studio with me and why don’t we do a song together?’ And really it was not some big thought-out plan. It was like two sisters saying we want to do this together, why haven’t we done this yet?”

But JL said her sister loves her emotional songwriting and the two singers find ways to influence each other’s music.

“And then she thinks it’s brave that I am out there really laying it on the line with some of my lyrics,” Spears said. “So I think that we do influence just as far as the craft goes even though it is two completely different sounds.”