Kellie Pickler, the country artist best known for surprise midseason elimination from American Idol in 2005 and her hits I Wonder and Red High Heels , said she knew her television fame might open doors but that it was going to be up to her to build a career after she had walked through.

In the 18 months since her first album, Small Town Girl, debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, Ms. Pickler has been doing just that, cultivating her image as the quirky, perky country singer capable of surprising depth.

"The thing is, when you come off a show like American Idol , you have to strike when the iron is hot," she said in a recent telephone interview. "I mean, in a few months there's always going to be a whole new group, a new Top 24."

Although Idol is based around the idea of finding a pop star, Ms. Pickler said she knew that her career and musical proclivities would be best served looking not toward Hollywood, where the show is produced, but Nashville, Tenn. She said a lot of artists experience real difficulty finding a voice and style that suits. For her, the decision was obvious.

"That can be the hardest thing," she said, her inflections drawn long by her central North Carolina drawl. "But for me, it was easy. Country music was always what I wanted to do."

She approaches music from a storyteller's perspective. When she writes -- she wrote both I Wonder and My Angel for her debut album -- it's to tell stories. When she sings, it's to interpret others' stories.

"Behind every song is a songwriter," she said. "And behind every songwriter is a story. The writer is telling that story, turning it into a song. As a performer, we are just telling that story again, the best we can."

Recently, Ms. Pickler was recognized at the Country Music Association awards for her song I Wonder . She said that although receiving recognition for such a personal song (it was written about the mother who abandoned her as a toddler), real success comes from finding her place in the world, and discovering that place allows her to thrive and survive as a working musician.

"Everyone's definition of success is totally different," she said. "And some do define it with trophies and medals. I don't think you need recognition to be successful. I think I find success in being able to do what I love."

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.