Kellie Pickler Misses Moonshine!

Kellie Pickler returned to her home state of North Carolina last week to participate in the Southern Girls Night Out event held by local radio station WSOC/Charlotte. The concert benefited the Make-A-Wish Foundation and included a quirky Q&A with the 'American Idol' finalist. (Watch the full video below.)

Things started out on the right foot when the 'Red High Heels' singer answered the first question, "What's your favorite thing about North Carolina?" "Moonshine!" Kellie told listeners with a laugh. "Just kidding ... I miss the hospitality and being around people that talk like me, [laughs] that don't go, 'Where are you from?' I miss everything about North Carolina. This is where I lived my whole life, until just recently. I moved to Nashville after 'Idol.'"er

However, Kellie does have a piece of home with her on the road: her bus. "It's really like my sanctuary," she admitted. "I really feel like I'm at home on the bus because I grew up in a trailer and my bus is like a trailer on wheels. It just rolls down the road. I feel like I take home with me everywhere."

She also revealed her dream duet partner for CMT 'Crossroads.' "I just got back from another USO tour -- we went to Iraq again -- and I had invited Joan Jett to come with me," Kellie explains. "She came with me and blew it out of the park. So maybe her or P!nk."

Fans were eager to hear about Kellie's new album, which she's still working on. "It's been a long process, but it's been a great process," the singer said. "It's given me a lot of time to figure out what I want to say. When you only got 10 songs, how much of me can I fit in this little bit?"

The untitled project is expected later this year. "I haven't named the whole album package quite yet," she explained. "I want to wait until we get every single song recorded and I can listen to it front to end and really say that one word that sums up that whole record."

The newlywed was able to collaborate with her husband, songwriter Kyle Jacobs. "We wrote a song together for the last album and we have been able to write a lot for this record," she said. "There are at least two songs that are going to be on there for sure that he and I wrote together. He's so talented and so amazing. It's really great because we have so much in common ... It's so neat that we're able to take that love into the studio and record and work together, professionally and intimately."