Alexis Ebert admits she used to have a thing for bad boys, but says, "I think I'm a little smarter now." So she writes about them instead. The well-traveled country singer's latest single "Ride or Die" is Exhibit A, and she clearly enjoys telling the story during this premiere of her acoustic video.

Talking to Taste of Country, Ebert says she just wanted to write a "badass, rocking song about this guy who was more like the guy sitting next to you in jail. Not the guy picking you up." Done and done. It's personal in more ways than one, however — "Ride or Die" introduces a thread of fun, empowering and energetic songs found throughout her next record, songs that speak to her influences.

"Very '90s influenced," she says. "A little of it all — I would say more the men. Like Garth and Alan Jackson and Tim McGraw and Dwight Yoakam. My music doesn't sound like Dwight Yoakam, but those are the people I'm influenced by."

The Oregon native isn't older than she looks, she just started very young. She was six when she opened for Tanya Tucker and by 2000 she was visiting Nashville and playing stages with famous pickers. She toured and posted up in Branson, Mo., for awhile before getting a record deal at Warner Music Nashville that she lost when management changed over. That, she says, was her worst day in Nashville. Who at age 13 can let that roll off their back?

“For a long time I had to be like, 'Was I good because I was a kid, or was I just good?' And it took me a minute to really figure that out," she admits.

With a childhood that was anything but normal, Ebert admits she struggled to relate to her peers until she was nearly 20 years old, but that helped her define her sound. Sure, she swayed between genres. You might have found a young, angsty teenaged Ebert playing guitar in a rock cover band, but there was no peer pressure.

"I never had to go through a, 'These people think this is cool, I need to wear this’ … I always had a mind of my own and never let anybody deter me from what I like."

This acoustic video speaks to her talents as a live performer. She holds down the song on guitar while singing and creates harmony with the four musicians surrounding her. It's something she hopes to do plenty of in 2019.

Keep an eye on Ebert's Facebook page for upcoming tour dates.

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