Amanda Wilkinson is all grown up and she's ready to sing about it.
"I'm going to be 20 on my next birthday (January) and it's weird for me. Because we've taken a little bit of a break to regroup, people still think of us like we were on our first album cover -- I was turning 16 and Tyler was 14," Amanda says about her bandmate and brother, who is now 17.
"Songs that were appropriate on the first album are not appropriate now. I'm a young woman and I have views and things that are important to me that I want to sing about," says Amanda, who will play the Stampede's Coca-Cola Stage with her dad Steve and brother on July 10.
The big-voiced singer admits she's at an awkward age -- some friends are living it up at college, while others are getting married.
She's in the middle, but at least she's allowed to date now.
"Yes, they're letting me do that now. It was so funny; My dad sat down and had this talk with us. He's really protective of me. I'm the oldest, but I'll always be his little girl.
"He had this great talk when we were on vacation back home and he went fishing to this crazy remote place in Quebec and he came back and it's like he had this epiphany, like he'd harnessed this chi and found that zen he needed to find. He had this wonderful speech made up for Tyler and I about finding someone so we won't be alone and how he found my mom and how wonderful it's been to have her in his life. And we were like, 'Oh my gawd, you're the cutest,' " she says.
Sadly, along with dating comes heartbreak and Amanda has recently split with a "serious boyfriend" mainly due to conflicting schedules.
"It's hard to find someone to support what I do for the right reasons. Does that sound weird?"
She and her family are also taking the split from their old record company Giant, as well. The group was transferred under the Warner umbrella, but didn't feel comfortable.
Now, they've accepted a new deal with RCA and though Warner will soon release the new Wilkinson CD Shine, the family heads into the studio later this month to record a new album with RCA.
"RCA's enthusiasm for what we're about blew us over. To have the excitement from someone who is a major player makes us feel more secure about our situation and motivates us to get out there and write the best music we can," Amanda says.
And while the new album may include a heartache song from Amanda, she's not going to push the envelope too far.
"I'm a young woman and there's certain things I'd see and say, 'Yeah that's dang sexy I want to wear that,' but at the same time I think 'Wait a second, what will people think' ... it may be fun and cool, but girls are looking at me."
Being aware of her role-model status, she doesn't want to climb on a soapbox.
"There are some things I feel strongly about, but sometimes taking a backseat and not being really vocal about it is the best thing.
"To a degree, I think Eminem is brilliant -- he's a brilliant lyricist -- but he gets up there and has so many opinions about things and you know what people think of him."
The Wilkinsons are also pleased to play the Stampede.
"We grew up in Ontario and you grow up hearing about the Stampede. Out of my whole summer, that's the one show I'm most looking forward to," says Amanda, who also hopes to get out and check out the horses.
