Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles Talks Dating in the Spotlight

As the success of Sugarland grows, so does lead singer Jennifer Nettles' fame, which is proving tough on her love life. After divorcing husband Todd Van Sickle in April of last year, the challenge of dating again has proved daunting, Nettles admits, particularly while she is embracing her celebrity status.

"It's definitely something that you can be conscious of and say, 'Is this person aware of me and attracted to me for me, or is there something with my job?' " she reveals to Nashville's Tennessean newspaper. "This is why people date within their peer group, within the entertainment industry, because people have an understanding of the schedule and what it's like to be or be around people that have a job in the spotlight, so they are less attracted to the job. But you also have to get used to the fact that other people care who I am seeing or what I am doing."

Nettles says she sometimes observes the lives of other celebrities to help her strike a balance.

"I look at people like Drew Barrymore  or Cameron Diaz -- the people I care about when I pick up PEOPLE magazine. They navigate it very well," she explains. "You protect those things that are sacred and personal to you, and I am a private person, but I also recognize that people care differently now than they did. It's part of it. You have to be able to take the whole reality."

Nettles is currently linked to Kenny Chesney's guitar player, Clayton Mitchell. But her fans often just assume she and Sugarland partner Kristian Bush are a couple.

"We have an intimate connection, which you can tell, because we've worked together so closely and creatively and that creates intimacy," Nettles says, sympathizing with her fans' misconceptions. "But for us it's like family."