Lydia Loveless isn’t your average country singer. With rock guitars and unapologetic and, at times, abrasive lyrics, Lydia tells it like it is without the frills and fluff. And with her latest album, Real, she delves into the breakdown of a relationship but leaves you feeling closure without the bitter taste in your mouth. Since it’s been two years since her last record, Somewhere Else, she’s glad to have new material out.

“It’s been good,” she tells Myspace. “It’s nice to be back because we had a lot of time off. I like staying busy.”

Lydia is currently on the road and more than happy to be bouncing from city to city.

“I love to travel,” she admits. “I’m constantly flying anyway. So it’s my natural state to just be somewhere else, and that’s basically because I grew up on the road. I don’t know what came first having to be on the road constantly or hating being in one place. I also just love to perform, and that’s the best part. It’s what makes me happy.”

Despite all the movement, she took some time to chat with us about the new album, documentary and her love of pop music Britney Spears.

Hometown: Columbus, OH

What are some of your musical memories?

I have really nerdy ones. Definitely hearing “White Weddings” is one. My song that no one else knew because I was five. And the “U Drive Me Crazy” video by Britney Spears. That’s probably what made me want to be a performer.

Did you learn all the choreography for it?

Oh yeah. Totally.

Britney Spears and Lydia Loveless are really different. So how did seeing her inspire you to become a performer? Do you still listen to her stuff?

I do. I still listen to a lot of pop music, and I think it’s because what I do is so draining. And I’m kind of a miserable person. [Laughs] And with pop music, that’s how I think I survive.

So what’s your go-to pop song?

“Teenage Dream” [by Katy Perry], definitely that one.

So now moving onto your new record, how is this one different from your past work?

I think it’s a lot more universal and easier to find something to enjoy it. I think it’s less pigeon-holed than a lot of previous work. And I was really happy making it, and it was fun and challenging. I just had a lot of good feelings about it. I think it’s one of my most diverse [pieces of] work yet. That’s what makes it special to me.

Are there any songs that you found to be the most memorable to work on?

Probably “Longer” and “Heaven.” Those two were the most involved and experimental for me. I just had really excited feeling, and I couldn’t wait to go back to it and do more.

Do you struggle with overworking a song?

It kind of depends on the song. There were a few songs that had too much going on, and I had to take away from them to make them better. But with this [album], we had to do more and more and more that I just had to stop myself. But I feel like the balance is pretty good on this. I don’t think I did too much, which is good.

What’s “Clumps” about?

[Laughs] That one’s about… actually the whole record is about the end of a relationship and not really having negative feelings about it and seeing it more as an evolution than an ending. And that’s maybe because I’m the asshole in the relationship. It’s easy for me to say. [Laughs] It’s also just choosing to have a more positive outlook on relationships and not becoming bitter and hard-hearted and saying something isn’t real just because it’s over. That song is about that basically.

You also did a documentary called Who Is Lydia Loveless?. What do you hope people take away from it?

Hopefully they find us likable as a band, and I don’t come across as a huge jerk. I mean I come across all right. I do a lot of self-loathing, so some of it was cringe-worthy. But for the most part, it was about me and my music, and I hope people find us endearing while watching it.

How did the whole project even come together?

This director Gorman Bechard approached me, and we’re both Replacements fans. That’s how we started talking, and someone recommended me to him. He came to one of our shows, and I could tell he was hinting around that he wanted to do a movie about me. And I thought, “Yeah, why not?” Because it would be stupid to say no.

What was the best part of making the film, and what was the hardest part to watch when it was all done?

Pretty much anything with me. [Laughs] The best part was getting to capture [the band] in the studio and doing what we love to do. That was the coolest part, but the hardest part was just critiquing all the dumb things you do until you don’t think about yourself.