Watch Danielle Bradbery Perform Live at Paste Studio

Texas native Danielle Bradbery got her start in a very public way—she won Season 4 of NBC’s The Voice as a 16-year-old country wunderkind with a pocketful of traditional country songs. To capitalize on the triumph, she released a self-titled debut album with traditional country songs like “The Heart of Dixie” and “Young in America,” and made live appearances with Voice host Blake Shelton as well as Brad Paisley, Thomas Rhett, Scotty McCreery and Hunter Hayes. But, the 21-year-old says, “I didn’t know myself as a person back then. I didn’t know my sound yet. Now I want to talk about real things. I want to be honest.” Three years later, Bradbery has returned wiser, more confident, and less country on new album I Don’t Believe We’ve Met, out Dec 1. A hard-earned sense of freedom is evident on pop-centric songs like “Hello Summer” and “What Are We Doing,” both of which incorporate elements of R&B and hip-hop. “I feel like the line of what is country music gets pushed every day,” she says.

Watch Danielle Bradbery perform LIVE at Paste Studio!