Mario Tarradell

DALWORTHINGTON GARDENS – In the kitchen of the Lawson household hangs an LED banner, just above the stove, that reads "Melissa Lawson Winner 2008 Nashville Star."

It was a gift from her husband of 11 years, Rick Lawson. It's also the only significant sign that a celebrity lives at this address in the cozy municipality of Tarrant County. Otherwise, the newly crowned Nashville Star seems like any other mom. She has five kids vying for attention – Maverick, 8; Harlan, 7; Zaden, 4; Xander, 2; and 11-month-old Ryker, who sleeps through much of our visit.

The house is in various stages of disarray, especially since Mom hasn't been home for the better part of 2 ½ months. Ms. Lawson is unpacking, only to pack again. By today, she's already in Beijing preparing to sing at the Olympics. Her performance will be televised live on NBC-TV's Today Tuesday morning.

Earlier in the afternoon of our interview, the whole family went to Chick-fil-A for lunch and then to Target for some much-needed shopping.

"This is literally the first day I've been out in public," says Ms. Lawson as she sits at her dining room table. Maverick clings to her side during our conversation.

So how did that outing go? Did people come up to you?

"Yeah, pretty much the whole restaurant at Chick-fil-A and almost every shopper at Target. It felt great," says Ms. Lawson. "That those people feel comfortable enough to approach me is wonderful. And that they supported me through this and obviously are continuing to do so by approaching me is great."

Ms. Lawson, a Dallas native who grew up in Arlington, struck a chord with about 5 million people during the run of the sixth season of Nashville Star. She's a wife, a mother, an overachieving woman and she's not model-thin. She represents every woman in Middle America who works hard to keep a family and a marriage alive and still finds the time to dream.

"What is so great about my wife, Melissa, is that she does embody that," says Mr. Lawson as he stands against the kitchen counter. "She's the real deal. The person that we see on television, the loving mom trying to do it all, the take-charge personality ... My nickname for her is 'Freight Train.' That's real."

Ms. Lawson, who auditioned for Nashville Star in Austin, considers it a privilege to speak for all those women.

"When you have something like this that will ultimately change our lives as a family completely and totally, that's a huge thing especially since it's not me that did it," she says. "It's everyone out there that voted for me that did it. That is crucial. I will not forget that, never forget it and every day that I get to live this lifestyle and live my dream is because of all those people who are at home working hard. They might not even ever have an opportunity to chase their dream, much less feel like they can. If I can be an encouragement to them to say yes, you can do it, then so be it and I'm grateful for that opportunity."

The madness has barely begun. Ms. Lawson's debut CD, to be produced by Nashville Star judge and country music singer-songwriter John Rich, should be released in early 2009. The recording will be done during downtime from the Nashville Star tour, which runs from mid-September through mid-November and comes to Fort Worth's Billy Bob's Texas on Nov. 1.

Ms. Lawson will be choosing songs with Mr. Rich, as well as co-writing with him and perhaps even Jeffrey Steele, another Nashville Star judge. She wants songs like her first single, the effervescent country-pop number "What If It All Goes Right." And she'll quickly tell you what she doesn't want.

"I want to make sure it stays true to who I am," she says. "They asked me lyrically is there anything I would not want to sing. Absolutely. I'm not going to sing about going and cheating on my husband. For one, I don't believe in it. For two, not that it doesn't happen to people, but for me, that would never happen.

"And for three, I thought it was important to me that the fans that voted for me, they know why they like me and I need to deliver music that tells who I am and continues along with my life story."