Not everyone who has worked in show business for 30 years comes out the other side and while LeAnn Rimes has emerged triumphantly - that doesn't mean it has always been easy. Since careening into the country music industry as a kid - she won two Grammys at just 14 - Rimes has charted her own course to success through ups and downs. At 43, she's happily thriving and still evolving as a trailblazer. "Everybody wanted to keep me this little girl forever, and that was just not possible," Rimes exclusively shared in her Us Weekly cover story ahead of the premiere of her new ABC series 9-1-1: Nashville, which is out on Thursday, October 9. "For so long, I was afraid of all of these different aspects of myself because we're told not to allow that out. [Now] I'm not afraid of myself any longer." With support from loved ones - including husband Eddie Cibrian - Rimes has come to embody the word "resilience" and it's on full display whether she's performing or sharing an unfiltered look into her private health battles. PHIL CHESTER & SARA BYRNE "The best gift I've ever been given is to be an artist," Rimes, who also recently released the single "What Mattered Most" with Ty Herndon, added. "To have been as successful as I've been for as long as I've been, I don't take that for granted." In a wide-ranging sit-down with Us, Rimes reflected on her career evolution, finding autonomy and looking ahead to the next chapter. How would you describe this era of LeAnn Rimes? Everything I do at this point in my life is moving toward freedom, whether that is freedom of expression or freedom in my body or in my mind. When I find myself scared of something, I usually move toward it. I'm really in my era of exploration. I've always been one where as soon as somebody tries to fit me into a box, I break out of it in every way possible. I'm still in that era and forever will be - probably even more so now. I've done this for so long that I'm lucky enough to get to choose what roles I want to play, what songs I want to sing. Courtesy of Phil Chester & Sara Byrne Looking back at your early success, how do you think your music has grown with you? I got more comfortable telling my truth; I knew there were other people that were going through the same situations. As I got older and started writing my own material, it was so important to me to be authentic in that. I was this kid in a very adult world, so I always felt like an outcast. The whole industry had this camaraderie that I wasn't included in because I was so young. That's why [doing] The Voice in Australia and in the U.K. was so important. It was important for me to go on those shows and be able to mentor other people, because I didn't have that. Meet the Cast of ABC's '9-1-1: Nashville' - Including Country Singers Do you feel like you have more of a community now? When I recorded [my 17th studio album, 2022's] God's Work, I had so many peers that I called upon. From Ziggy Marley to Ledisi to Mickey Guyton, people were just gung-ho to come on the record. When you haven't had that, to now build it just feels really solid. You must have changed a lot along the way, too. The biggest piece for me was my perfectionist mindset and the people pleasing. The great thing about life happening is I have plenty to draw from for my art. But reclaiming that humanity for myself - and allowing myself to get messy - was the most pivotal point. This all came through a lot of deep work. This is not like, "Oh, I'm just going to decide one day to change the way I think and live." Did you ever get to a point where you thought about leaving it all behind? I'm sure there are moments where I was like, I'm done. I still have those where I'm exhausted. I've done this for a long time. What brings you back? I love what I do. I don't think I could ever walk away from that because making music truly feels like it's a soul need [but] my "why" is very different these days: to be able to communicate my feelings and to be able to connect with other people. What would you tell 13-year-old LeAnn if you could? Rest more. Say "no" more. "No" is your friend. You don't have to please everybody. Stay connected to your inner voice and your inner knowing. Returning to that was crucial for me in feeling like I wasn't just surviving but really thriving. Do you ever go back and listen to your own music? Aaron Parsons I don't really go back and listen to the early stuff like "Blue" and "How Do I Live" and "Can't Fight the Moonlight." ... Starting with the [2002] album Twisted Angel ... when I started writing my own material ... I do go back and listen. Every once in a while, somebody will mention a song on Instagram that they love, and I'm like, Oh, I haven't heard that in a long time. I'm really proud of all my work. I look back at that 13-year-old and the songs that I chose then, and the songs that moved me were so very adult. I'm glad they are, because I've been able to grow with them and they've grown with me. What are the professiona