You may know Jennifer Nettles as the lead singer of the country group Sugarland. However, Nettles recently took a step in her own direction and released her first solo album That Girl, in early January.

During a recent interview with radio.com, Nettles opened up about her new album, and how she has tried to keep her album from sounding so “anthemic”. Her previous Sugarland album Wide Open featured songs that were used for different sporting events, and they were even featured on the 2010 AT&T Team USA Soundtrack.

“This album is so intimate and personal, it doesn’t feel like that big anthemic stuff,” she explained. “From my Sugarland records, ‘Wide Open’ I would say could definitely work in a sporty world.”

I would agree that Nettles lives in a sporty world. During the interview, she also revealed that she has had the privilege to meet several famous athletes while traveling on the road. “I’ve gotten to meet a couple of people here and there,” Nettles said. “The (NFL’s New Orleans) Saints coach Sean Peyton. He’s dear friends with Kenny Chesney, and when we were out on tour with Kenny, we got to meet Sean. I’ve been really close to a couple of players, especially on Kenny’s tour, because he’s so (into) football. They were there watching. I’m so not sporty it’s hard to be specific.”

Although Nettles isn’t a sports guru herself, she says that she would not keep her one-year-old son Magnus from playing sports if he chooses to do so. She thinks that sports, especially for boys, can be very beneficial, and she will not keep Magnus from participating in them.

“I think the joy of being able to use one’s body and sports are super beneficial on a lot of levels, especially for young men,” Nettles said. “There are so many lessons that can be learned, and life lessons within that. Not to mention, most importantly the joy I think that one can get from it, which is the same way I feel about music. People say, ‘are you going to encourage him to be a musician?’ I hope that he finds joy in music. What he does with that is up to him. Same thing for sports. I hope that he finds joy in that.”

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