Mindy McCready was the exception to the rule when she arrived in Nashville at the age of eighteen. She did not grow up listening to country music and in fact, didn't even listen to it until she was almost sixteen. She gave herself a deadline of one year to get a contract and received one just one week before her self-imposed deadline.

She began listening to country music when Trisha Yearwood came out with her hit x's and o's. This song influenced her entire career and she lists Trisha as one of her major influences. She works very hard and also is taking care of her two younger brothers, trying to be a good role model for them. She is currently in the top ten with her second album, If I Don't Stay the Night.