Martina McBride Talks Movies, ‘Shine’ and Fine Wine

Life is sweet these days for Martina McBride, though likely busier than ever. With three beautiful daughters, a loving husband and a new album that recently debuted at No. 1 on the charts, Martina has a lot to celebrate but very little time to relax.

As CMA Music Fest approaches, Martina is gearing up for the YWCA Celebrity Auction, which she'll co-host. She recently struck a deal with Napa Valley's Blackbird Vineyard to issue a Martina McBride signature series wine, and she's been busy writing new music she hopes will land in an upcoming film.

"I wrote this song with Rachel Thibodeaux and Tommy Lee James, and it just seems like it fits a movie, so we're trying to pitch it to some movie people," Martina tells the Boot. "The title is 'Unbreakable.' We don't have a particular movie in mind. We're just getting a really good demo so we could go out there and let people hear it, and see if they want to put it in their movie.

"I've had a song in a film, but not a song that I've written. 'I Love You' was in 'Runaway Bride' and 'There You Are' was in 'Where The Heart Is,' but those songs were pulled off of albums, and I thought it would be fun to record a song specifically for a movie."

Martina's latest album, 'Shine,' has already spawned the hit 'Ride,' and her new release, 'I Just Call You Mine,' is currently saturating country radio airwaves. At this point in her successful career, you wouldn't think a No. 1 album would catch Martina McBride by surprise, yet she confesses when she first got the good news, she feared it was a joke. "It was April Fool's Day. [My husband] John got a phone call, and he told me that the record debuted at No. 1," she recalls. "I literally jumped up and down screaming! I was so happy, and then my second thought was, 'That would be a very cruel April Fool's joke -- surely somebody isn't pulling a joke on me,' but it turned out it was real. It was awesome!"

Even at this stage in her career, Martina never takes a No. 1 record for granted. "I never expect anything. You never know what's going to happen," she says. "You do the best you can, put it out there and it's out of your hands at that point. I can never really assume anything, so I was just waiting on pins and needles and very happy that we accomplished that."

In addition to playing on country radio, 'I Just Call You Mine' is getting exposure via NBC's 'Today Show,' which is using the song to promote the 'Today Wedding Show,' which takes place July 15.

Martina is particularly proud of her new album, which she co-produced with Dann Huff, well known for his work producing Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban and Faith Hill, among others. "I've known him for a long time, and he's played on a lot of my records. I just love what he does, as a musician and as a producer, and I've wanted to work with him for a long time," Martina says. "I just felt like this was the right time to take that step. After making two albums by myself, self-producing, I felt like it was the time to have him do the job, and I felt like it would bring a fresh perspective."

Martina recorded the album at Blackbird Studios, a Nashville recording facility that she and her husband John own. "I love recording here. I've gotten very spoiled," she says. "It's an amazing studio. Anything you'd ever want is right at your fingertips and there's a great staff. It's just a great place to record and a very creative environment."

Though the new signature series of wine named for Martina comes from Blackbird Vineyards, the Kansas native is quick to point out there's no connection between their studio and the winery. "We don't own any of the vineyard, it's actually just a coincidence that we have the same name," she says. "I'd heard about Blackbird Vineyards and had tasted some of the wine. So when we went to Napa a couple of years ago, we looked up the vineyard and called the owner, Michael Polenske, and sat down and visited. John said, 'We have this studio [named] Blackbird ... if you ever want to do a special wine with Martina's name on it, that would be kind of cool.' He was open to the idea and then a few months ago brought it back up. So they did a special bottling, a signature series. At first it's only being offered to my fan base, through a special email, but I'm working on trying to get that changed. I think I have a lot of fans that aren't on that list that would like to be able to buy it.

"I've tasted it and really I would recommend it," Martina continues of her signature series vino. "I love good wine, so it's really good. Matter of fact, I'm trying to get my hands on as much of it as I can, so I can have it for the future!"

Martina is looking forward to seeing many of her fans again this year at the YWCA Celebrity Auction, which will be held June 13 at the Hall of Fame Park in Nashville. "It's a wonderful organization," Martina says of the YWCA. "It helps a lot of women and children start new lives and really it's a place that they can turn to make a better life for themselves. They do great work."

Martina gets a kick out of seeing how much fans will pay for certain items at the annual auction. "Alan Jackson jeans always go for a good price," she says with a laugh. "I always hold them up and they always come up to about my eye level because they are so tall. We have all kinds of stuff from concert tickets to autographed guitars to stage costumes. It's always a lot of fun."

Juggling the demands of her hectic career and family don't leave Martina with much time to herself, but when she has a free moment, she's checking out pals on Twitter. "I follow Reba, Taylor Swift, Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum and Jack Ingram. I love it! It's fun," she gushes.

Martina began 'tweeting' herself around the first of March and wants fan to know that she is really the one writing the updates. "A lot of people have the record company do it or a fan club president, or maybe they'll have somebody on the road do it for them," she says. "But it's really me. I'm having a blast with it."

Up next for Martina is a trip across the pond to 'Shine' in shows in the U.K. and Ireland.