A 19-year-old Candice Crain made up her mind.

The woman who grew up in Pueblo loaded a 24-foot U-Haul and plotted a 24-hour course to Nashville, Tenn. — country music’s capital — seven years ago.

“I’m going with or without you,” she told her family then.

With her went the Yamaha acoustic guitar, experiences from performing at rodeos and races and the Hispanic heritage that once rooted Crain to her hometown.

At her new home in Nashville, she hasn’t yet found superstardom, but she has carved out a moderately successful career: playing at all the local clubs, performing just about every year at the Country Music Association Festival and taking home every category she entered at the CMA national finals, including “Most Promising Female Entertainer” and the prestigious Horizon Award.

Crain, 26, returns home this week a rising country singer, playing at the Colorado State Fair at 5 p.m. on Monday. Crain will perform on the Pepsi Stage, just a few miles from her childhood house, where there are plenty of reminders of what “country” means to her.

“Here, it’s more rugged,” Crain said. “Cowboys and horses and cowboy boots — it’s inspirational to me because it reminds me of who I am.”

Who is Crain? She’s the soprano who sings country because it’s all her mother played on the radio; she’s the 7-year-old who learned to strum guitar chords in a day; she’s the teen with the courage to drive to a strange faraway place to seek stardom.

“When you’re young, you’re fearless, and you’re naive, but why not?” Crain said. “Nothing could scare me.”

The only thing that scares her now is considering life beyond music.

“It’s heartbreaking when I think that if I weren’t doing this, what else would I do?” she said.

It helps her find comfort, knowing her multicultural heritage has separated her from other country artists: “I’m kind of hoping that because I’m different, I stand out.”

But she also knows that no matter how many CDs she sells or awards she takes home, this horse can’t ride forever. “I’m getting older,” Crain said. “I feel, in show business, you have a certain window of opportunity.”

Sure, the independent singer reasons she’s still got time. She knows she still has opportunities, opened by the success of Rick Trevino and Selena Gomez — Hispanic musicians who used to play on her mother’s radio.

She remains determined to follow in their footsteps while making her own mark.

“It’s not going to matter what color you are or where you come from,” said Crain, about the future of country music. “There’s always someone better than you, but there’s nobody like you.”

Candice Crain in concert

When: 5 p.m.  Monday

Where: Pepsi Stage, Colorado State Fair, 1001 Beulah Ave., Pueblo.

Cost: Free with fair admission

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