Faith Hill

In just six years, Faith Hill has sold more than 11 million records, garnered eight No. 1 singles and ten No. 1 videos. This past year alone, she received countless nominations and statues from the Country Music Association, the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, Blockbuster Awards and TNN Music City News Awards. She celebrated the enormous crossover success of her first platinum single, "This Kiss," which culminated with her appearance on the 1999 VH1 Divas Live, where she shared the same stage with Tina Turner, Cher and Whitney Houston. She was named the newest face for CoverGirl Cosmetics and graced the cover of numerous magazines as diverse as Country Weekly, People, TV Guide and Glamour. After completing a 50-city tour—her first headline series of performances—she found herself back in the studio with barely six weeks to finish Breathe, the follow-up to the now quadruple-platinum 1998 release, Faith.

"This past year has been a complete whirlwind," explains Faith Hill. "I haven’t had time to take a breath. But I was on a creative high, I already had a few songs that I had recorded, and if you can believe it, I felt that the time was right to make another record."

With her breakout success this past year,Faith Hill has found herself in a unique position. Those country fans who have purchased her records for the past five years no longer find themselves alone.Faith Hill has been introduced to the industry’s proverbial mainstream. With a new contingency of fans who might not otherwise have known about her if not for the huge success of "This Kiss," her appearance on VH1’s Divas and her new nationwide print and television campaign as CoverGirl Cosmetics’ newest face,Faith Hill finds herself releasing a new recording for a new audience for the second time.

"I just need to stay true to who I am,"Faith Hill says confidently. "I could never just go out and make a pop record or, for that matter, a traditional country album. I can only do what seems natural for me, what is real to me. I just hope that in the end it works. I hope that I can create something, along with my producers and musicians, that will work across the board. As many people as I can reach with my music, I think that’s every musician’s goal."

And how has the 32-year-old Mississippi-born Faith Hill learned to deal with motherhood, marriage and her newfound super-stardom? "The biggest issue for me now is how to take it all in," says Hill. "It’s a challenge. I’m just learning how to take time for myself. Frankly, the thing that I want most out of life is normality. It’s difficult, but I try to find time for myself. It’s a daily struggle, certainly not a daily accomplishment."

But you can count on one thing. Whether or not Faith Hill finds time to "breathe," she will always stay true to those things that got her here: dedication, passion, focus and her commitment to keeping la vie en rose or life in the pink—Faith’s favorite Edith Piaf expression—for herself, her fans and those close to her.

"Everything is going great," says Faith Hill. "Each day I try to get as much out life as I can—to keep it real, sincere and very honest. Hopefully, people can get that from my music. And if I’m lucky, one day there will be a little spot carved away somewhere that says I made a contribution."