Kellie Pickler Hopes ‘Opry Goes Pink’ Inspires Women of All Ages

Kellie Pickler will be part of an all-star lineup at the Grand Ole Opry this Saturday (Oct. 22), for the third annual Opry Goes Pink event, in conjunction with National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Naturally, the singer is thrilled to participate in such a worthwhile cause.

"It's just really exciting, because I've not been able to be a part of it before, in the past," Kellie tells The Boot. "It's a great way to bring awareness to breast cancer. The technology and the knowledge that we have today is so advanced. We have such a greater advantage, and a lot of technology ... to catch things in the early stages before it gets out of control, versus past generations -- even the '90s, that wasn't long ago, but even the technology in the '90s is so different than today. It's so much better."

The North Carolina native hopes her appearance on the legendary stage will inspire other women to be proactive about their health. "[We need to] take advantage of these opportunities as a woman, especially as a woman," she notes. "Everything's changed for women over the years, and this being one of them. This is such a great advantage we've had in the past ... We keep drawing a light to this because there are certain things you can do to prevent things from getting out of control. It's a good way to bring awareness, especially to the younger generations now."

Kellie is getting ready to release a new album by the end of the year, and if her first single, 'Tough,' is any indication, fans will enjoy a closer, more intimate look at the 25-year-old through the new set of tunes.

"People hear the word, 'tough,' they automatically go to being physically tough. The song is not about that," Kellie explains to The Boot. "It's about being emotionally tough. Going through my life, and this video, it was very therapeutic and healing, because there's parts of my life, things that have happened with my father and I that I have not addressed and I've not revisited those places. So it's just been subconsciously in the back of my head, but it's still there. I think the first part of healing with that is going back and walking through those places as an adult."

Kellie will be joined for the Opry Goes Pink by 'Good Morning America' anchor, and cancer survivor, Robin Roberts, who will host the first of three shows. Other stars appearing include Ronnie Milsap, Lauren Alaina, Eden's Edge, and a special appearance by Martina McBride, who will perform her latest single, 'I'm Gonna Love You Through It,' about a woman dealing with cancer.