Though Lauren Alaina is still evolving as an artist -- in fact, she says, her next album might lean a bit more heavily into her traditional roots -- there's one thing about her music that the singer says will never change: her heartfelt honesty with her listeners.

"I think my songs will always be about different things, and, obviously, different things happen to me, but that one thing is so important to me is that my fans know that I'm going through things," Alaina tells The Boot. "People think of you, when you're in the spotlight, like you're in some kind of heroic position."

That's just not the case, the singer continues, adding that she makes a conscious effort to put all aspects of her life -- the good and bad -- into her music.

"Let me tell you: I am going through breakups. I am going through all kinds of stuff," she continues with a laugh. "I lost my stepdad. I had an eating disorder for six years. These are the kinds of things that I write about because I want people to know that, at the end of the day, I am a normal person."

Earlier in her life, Alaina admits, she shied away from talking about the darker parts of her personal life. "That's the thing that I felt like no one would ever understand," she says.

"Then I started writing about it and sharing it, and I realized that we're all going through the same thing, we're just different people," Alaina adds. "That's the kind of mentality I use when I write my songs."

The first few times she spoke openly about her eating disorder, it was scary -- but, Alaina says, the more she practices, the easier it is to be open and vulnerable about her life.

"When I first talked about the eating disorder, it was the scariest thing ever -- now I love talking about it," she reflects. "Because I realized, like, 'Hey, this is not embarrassing. This is just a part of my story.' And my parents' divorce. And my dad's alcoholism.

"Actually, I'm just a normal person," Alaina continues, "and that's okay."

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