Kendal Conrad is really coming into her own with her new song. The singer-songwriter realizes her own power in her new acoustic single, "I Don't Need You Now" — and it draws from her real life and story.

Conrad has already traveled an interesting road in her journey toward country music success. She's sung onstage with Keith Urban, and she's opened major shows for Blake Shelton, Alabama and Kane Brown. Her song "Leader of the Pack" has earned more than 26 million views on TikTok and more than a million plays on Soundcloud.

The Pennsylvania native tells Taste of Country that "I Don't Need You Now" is the most vulnerable song she's ever released.

“In high school, I had a major crush on a guy who completely ignored me and never gave me the time of day," she recalls. "He saw me out somewhere years later and started chatting with me about how well I’ve done for myself since our high school days. He asked me what it was like to sing with Keith Urban, how was the experience opening for Blake Shelton, etc. He then checked his phone to see if he still had my number, and that was when it hit me: I finally had the attention I craved from this guy ... and I didn’t need it. That was a really powerful moment for me.”

Conrad shot the cover art for the new single on location at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pa., and she drew on her own real-life high school experience for another important aspect of "I Don't Need You Now."

“It was important for me to play the acoustic guitar I used in high school to record this song," she shares. "It’s a beautiful Martin and still sounds fantastic.”

Conrad is set to release "I Don't Need You Now" on May 20. The song is available for streaming via Spotify, and she says the process of writing and recording the track has made her come to a realization about herself.

“I never needed that guy, I just thought I did," she says. "I was always strong, it just took me awhile to realize my own strength.”

For more information about Kendal Conrad, keep track of her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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See the Most Played Country Song from the Year You Were Born

Who had the most played country song during the year you were born? This list is a fascinating time capsule of prevalent trends from every decade in American history. Scroll through to find your birth year and then click to listen. Some of these songs have been lost through the years, many of them for good reason!

Men named Hank dominated early before stars like Freddie Hart, Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson Clint Black took over to close the 1980s. More recently it's been Tim Mcgraw, Rodney Atkins, Kane Brown and Morgan Wallen. Did the most-played country song from the year you were born become a favorite of yours later? All info comes from Billboard's country airplay charts.

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