'Moving out of LA saved my life': Sheryl Crow says relocating to a farm in Nashville has helped her relax

ASHBURY PARK, NEW JERSEY: Sheryl Crow claims that leaving Los Angeles ended up "saving" her life. The 61-year-old country music star relocated to Tennessee over 20 years ago at the height of her fame.

Sheryl Crow reflected on her past during her performance at the Sea.Hear.Now Music Festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey on Saturday, September 16.

She said, "I know how hard it is for especially young people - and I don't know if anybody was pained by struggles like I did when I was young - but these are some tricky waters to navigate now. I'll just tell you that, for me, getting out in nature really saved my life. So, I moved to Nashville and I bought a farm," as reported by People.

Sheryl Crow wrote 'Cross Creek Road' after immersing herself in nature

Sheryl wrote the lyrics for her 2017 single 'Cross Creek Road' after she reconnected with nature on her farm. "I sat in the trees and just asked God to give me some answers - and I wound up writing this song," she explained.

The 'If It Makes You Happy' singer, who was born in Kennett, Missouri, previously stated that she could "completely relate" to the people of Nashville, Tennessee and that purchasing the farm had allowed her to "relax" in a way that some of her more glamorous homes in the past had not.

Sheryl Crow felt she could 'relate to the people' in Nashville

In a 2003 interview, she had told Rolling Stone, "I completely relate to Nashville because I have a lot of friends there who are also in the music business…"

She continued, "But not only that, I just relate to the people. I relate to the friendliness and down-homeness. I feel a relaxation that comes over my body that I usually don't feel when I'm in New York or L.A. I didn't feel like I had roots anywhere."

Sheryl Crow's early family and career

Crow grew up in a musical family. Her mother and father played piano and trumpet in jazz bands on weekends, respectively. Crow began playing the piano when she was five years old, and by the age of six, she could play by ear. She wrote her first song when she was 13 years old.

In high school, she learned to play the guitar by playing in local rock bands. She studied music composition, performance, and teaching at the University of Missouri, Columbia.

She moved to St. Louis after graduating in 1984, where she taught music to children with special needs. Teaching also gave her the opportunity to sing in bands on the weekends. 

Her singing career slowly took off from there. One of her biggest breaks early in her career was when she became a backup vocalist for the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, himself, for his 'Bad' tour between 1987–1989.

After a scrapped debut album in 1992, Crow finally saw international success with the album 'Tuesday Night Music Club' in 1994. The album also won Crow three Grammy Awards in 1995, namely, Record of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Female Vocal Performance.