The Cadillac Three’s Jaren Johnston Says He Has ‘a Lot in Common’ With Taylor Swift

The Cadillac Three may be one of country music's most rocking groups, but band member Jaren Johnston says that he actually shares a lot in common with the genre's biggest pop star: Taylor Swift.

The band shares a label with Swift -- both acts are signed to Scott Borchetta's Big Machine Label Group -- but Johnston says that their similarities extend beyond simply having a label in common.

“She is a sweetheart, by the way. Her and I have a lot in common, because she writes a lot herself, and I do, too. Most people in country don’t," he tells MusicRadar. "Listening to her writing, she’s putting herself out there. It’s hard to do that, especially as she was 14 when she started up all this s--t ... When I was 14 I was popping zits, running on a skateboard and learning how to play drums. I was not together!"

Although some country music fans don't consider Swift a country artist, and others were sad to see her officially switch to pop music with the release of 1989, Johnston has nothing but kind words for the singer.

“I admire what she’s done and what Scott and them have built around her," he continues. "I mean, s--t, she sold like 1.3 million copies [of 1989] in the first week -- in a world where nobody’s selling anything! That’s impressive."

Swift's success with Borchetta at the helm is a good sign to a rising band like the Cadillac Three.

"For us, you want someone behind you like Scott that’s got balls and is not afraid to take a chance," Johnston explains.

The trio isn't worried that having a big label behind them will ruin their country outlaw aesthetic either.

“Well, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr., Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, all these f--king guys had record deals. It’s part of it," Johnston says. "With us, we just have to stand our ground. I’d quit before we did something we didn’t want to do.

"We’re out here to do this for fun," he adds. "If we were in it for the money, we would have quit a long time ago!”