Clare Bowen plays singer Scarlett O'Connor on the hit ABC TV show Nashville, and although the storylines include lots of drama and disputes, in real life, Bowen says that the stars of the show couldn't be closer.

"We are [like family]," Bowen tells The Boot. "We get to be a part of this thing, created by [Nashville's creator and producer] Callie Khouri, who knows Nashville like the back of her hand. The first people I met here, the first two people I met here, were [producer] Steve Buchanan and Buddy Miller, and they’ve become two of my biggest mentors ..."

Bowen, a native of Australia, now makes her home in Music City, which she says is exactly where she belongs.

"We love it here," she gushes. "Most of us on the cast and the crew who weren’t here before have bought houses here, and this is where we want our families to be. This is where I met the love of my life. This is where we belong, and we have been welcomed ...

"People like Callie Khouri, T Bone Burnett and Buddy Miller came and scooped me up from where I was, but the city of Nashville let us stay, and we’ll be forever grateful for that," Bowen continues. "It’s my home now. Nashville is a very special place."

Bowen is hard at work on a solo album of her own, which she says is being helped by her surroundings.

“I’ve met some wonderful people who are generous with their time and creativity," the singer reveals. "That’s the way Nashville is as a city.”

Nashville airs on Wednesday nights at 10PM ET on ABC.

Country Stars Who Have Acted in TV Shows and Movies

More From TheBoot