Lucy Hale, star of "Pretty Little Liars," will be telling a lot of truths at the 48th annual CMA Awards show. The singer-actress will be tweeting up a storm from the red carpet, and she'll be presenting one of the coveted awards.
Hale will be a presenter for Vocal Group of the Year at tonight's (Nov. 5) CMA Awards.
"I am very excited," she confessed. "It's going to be fun."
HNGN caught up with Hale for an exclusive interview earlier today while she was helping to launch Colgate Optic White's "Red Carpet Ready" campaign.
"This is Colgate Optic White's first year to do a tie-in with the CMA's," she explained. "I love the company and I love their products. They're all about promoting self-confidence and being comfortable with who you are, so, when they asked me to be the face of this campaign, I thought it made for a really good match."
Hale will be tweeting from the red carpet and from backstage at the awards show that airs at 8 p.m. EST live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.
"The Optic White folks have been following me around during the lead up to the CMA's. And I've been giving my tips on what I do to get ready for a big event like this. We'll be doing some live tweeting from the red carpet, taking pictures and we did a Twitter chat yesterday. We've been doing a lot of fun stuff."
Hale, born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, released her first album, "Road Between," in June.
"It was probably the best experience of my life," she declared. "We spent about two and half years making the album. I had the liberty of taking my time and exploring different sounds and working with a lot different writers. I flew back and forth between L.A. and Nashville, and the extra time we spent on the album allowed me to dig deeper into the music than I normally would have been able to do."
"I really got lucky in the people who supported me and believed in me. And I got to work with some amazing songwriters. It turned out to be something I am extremely proud of. It's been quite an adventure. It's been really fun."
When it came time to select the album's second single, a song right out of Hale's own life, "Lie A Little Better," was the choice.
"'Lie A Little Better' is actually the good little song that could," she said. "Originally, it wasn't even supposed to be on the album. But it's a story inspired by my life, so out of all the songs on the album, I connect to it the most. What I like about the production of that song is that it kind of reminds me of Shania Twain. So, it's a little different than everything else that was on the radio from a female artist. It's got a lot of traditional instruments on it, but it's got that really 'hooky' chorus."
"When it came time to choose a second single, at first we thought it would be another song. But we started getting feedback about 'Lie A Little Better' and so we decided to go with it. And I am really glad we did, since I connect with it on a very personal level. And it's a lot of fun to perform live, too, which is important."
Is there a line or part of the song that you relate to the most?
"The tagline of the song really resonates with me. The whole moral is of the song is that sometimes we need to cover up a little better, we need to lie a little better. So the tagline of the song is that I guess I should have learned to lie a little better. That's my story."
"You know, I don't usually let on to people that I'm falling for them. So I was really falling for this guy, who didn't feel the same way as I did, and it was kind of a blow to my ego. But every time I was around him I would just kind of fall to pieces or embarrass myself or something. So, the whole moral of that and the song is that I should cover it up a little better."
Hale revealed that she is about ready to release a third single from "Road Between."
"We have two song options we're considering as the third single. So, hopefully, at the beginning of the year we'll release the third single."
In addition to her music, Hale has been really busy on "Pretty Little Liars" in her role as Aria Montgomery, a teenager with a lot of secrets.
"We're almost done with this season," she shared. "The entire season has pretty much been about the return of Alison, who, at the beginning of the series, was thought to be dead. And now we discover that she's been alive this whole time. So Alison comes back into town and the dynamics change, the relationships change and it puts sort of strain on all of the girls and on all of their relationships."
And next season, things get even more challenging for the cast members.
"We left off with one of the main characters of the show, Mona, dying. So we're sort of on to a new mystery as to who was behind Mona's death. And we're still dealing with the ultimate question in the show--who is 'A?' So, obviously, we're still on the hunt to figure out who 'A' is. We got picked up for two more seasons, so I am really curious and interested to see what the next couple of seasons bring."
Through her partnership with Colgate Optic White, Hale offered her tips on how to be "Red Carpet Ready" no matter what the occasion is. Here they are:
Take Care of Yourself: The absolute most important thing to do before any red carpet is take care of yourself leading up to the event. Exercise, eat well, get enough rest and hydrate!
Everyone Needs a Little Black Dress: A LBD can go to another level when you pair it with a standout colorful shoe and bag.
Best Accessory: A new handbag or necklace can really make an outfit pop, but I truly believe that my smile is my best accessory and Colgate Optic White helps me keep it bright and white.
A Belt Can Make All The Difference: There are too many times to count where I loved a look so much, but it just needed something. A chic belt - patent leather, metallic, chain-link - instantly accentuates the waist and adds a little more thought to an overall look.
Never Leave Home Without an Emergency Kit: Sure, there are so many cute statement clutches, but you will never feel 100 percent if you don't have enough room for all of your bits and pieces for the night.
