There are probably a million descriptives that run through your mind upon hearing the name Tara Conner -- disgrace, victim, liar, fall-guy -- but for the first time the former Miss USA is trying to add country music star into the mix.
The 23-year-old is throwing her cowgirl hat into the ring for season three of CMT's addictive "Gone Country," in which seven celebrities compete to release a country music song and hopefully create a whole new fanbase for themselves. For Tara, the decision to join "Gone Country" could not only jump start her career, but she might finally prove to America they totally have the wrong idea of who she is.
PopWrap: What made you want to join "Gone Country?"
Tara Conner: Because I'm a country girl at heart. I'm from Kentucky and the first Miss Kentucky to become Miss USA -- it just fit. Plus, I love singing and I've always been a performer, it's just one of my biggest fears.
PW: What is, singing?
Tara: Singing in front of a crowd. But I've always wanted to do it and this forced me to.
PW: I would have thought being Miss USA would make you comfortable in front of crowds?
Tara: Well, it's different when you're singing versus just walking [laughs].
PW: What was your reaction when you found out people like Taylor Dane, Sheila E. and Justin Guarini were your competition?
Tara: My first thought was that I had no idea who any of them were. I know that sounds bad, but I'm not good with names. One I heard them sing and realized who they were, it was scary. Like, what had I gotten myself into. But they pushed me to be better.
PW: The show is all about writing a country song -- typically those are pain-filled, right?
Tara: Yeah, it's all about the song and what we put into the song. I have so many things to pull from, so many different experiences to use in writing this song.
PW: Does it make you nervous to put yourself back out into the public eye?
Tara: I was more ready to let people see what's going on with me. I'm an open book, I have nothing to hide. I've been through my share of ups and downs, but I've grown so much from that. But I think people's perception of me is so different from who I really am. I'm a lot nicer, a lot sweeter and a lot more wholesome than people seem to think. This was a great opportunity to show off the real me.
PW: Was writing the song cathartic for you?
Tara: It was effortless. I have so much to tap into, it was therapeutic. It was beautiful. When I left the show, I felt like I was living again. It's one thing to go through an experience and feel the shame and guilt but it's even better when you get to use that and turn it into something beautiful.
PW: What is the one lesson you took away from this experience?
Tara: I need to believe in myself more. I have a habit of setting myself up to fail because of that past. I need to have a little more faith in myself now.
PW: Do you see a future for yourself in country music, regardless of how the show turns out?
Tara: I would hope that I have a long-term career. I have been working with my vocal coach and recording a couple if tracks. I'm trying to do this right, start from the ground up. I just want to jump into this because I love it -- if it works out, great. If it doesn't, at least I tried.
PW: Not only are you competing on the show, but also living with the rest of the cast -- did you all get along?
Tara: OK, here's the thing -- on the show, they end up calling me Mary bleeping Sunshine. But the truth is, I don't have a mean bone in my body. There might be some roommate drama, but it ends up being hilarious. We end up becoming like a family, with all the typical family problems.
PW: It is true that you're writing a book, too?
Tara: I was working on it, but the thing is, I'm 23 years old. I'm still growing. Ultimately I want my book to be of service to anyone because my experiences have been so crazy, but it's still a work in progress. I just hit 2 years sober, so I want to have a little more sobriety under my belt and a little more wisdom before I start saying, "here's the story of my life."
PW: This is your second reality TV experience -- after "Pageant Place" -- have you gotten used to being filmed?
Tara: With "Pageant Place" it was a pain in the rear because I wasn't used to have a camera in my face. But with this show, it isn't made to create drama. It's not built to put you down so I wasn't worried that the producers were doing things to make me look bad.
PW: So I was a "PP" watcher and I'm wondering what your relationship with Katie Blair [her former BFF and 2006's Miss Teen USA who tattled about Tara's drug and alcohol abuse] is like today?
Tara: Katie and I are friends today. She and Josh broke up
PW: Well, anyone who watched the show knew that was coming!
Tara: [laughs] Yeah. She's dating this really cute guy named Doug now and she lives near me in LA. We have such a strong connection because of everything we went through together -- so many ups and downs. She's growing and I'm growing and at the end of the day we just have to let bygones be bygones and try to coexist in the world.
"Gone Country" airs Saturdays at 8 p.m. on CMT.
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