Juggling a family and a singing career is one of the toughest challenges Kelly Willis faces.

Willis, a country singer and songwriter, says she doesn’t know how much more singing she will do in the future because it’s hard to provide what her family needs and be on the road.

Touring isn’t something Willis gets to do as much as she used to. Her tours now usually run no more than about six days, she says.

“Since I don’t have a record out right now, I’m able to play about four gigs a month,” she says. “But whenever I put a record out, I’ll have to really get organized about it. Unless you’re a platinum artist who’s got a ton of company money to hire all kinds of helping hands, it’s really hard to balance it all.”

Willis is the mother of three and is expecting another child, but being a mother hasn’t completely deterred her from playing live shows.

“I’m pushing it – I’m about seven months pregnant right now. I’ve played into the eighth month and by the eighth month, it’s hard to hit the high notes, but at this point I can still pull it off,” she says.

Struggling between her two greatest loves, Willis says she would be glad to find a happy medium.

“I’d like to have this nice balanced life, where I could do some small tours around record releases, as well as be a full-time mother, giving them all the things that they need in their life,” Willis says.

“I don’t see myself singing a ton more. I’m just trying to balance it all out in little spurts here and there.”

Her husband Bruce Robison is also a singer. Although the couple enjoys performing together, they don’t perform together now as much as they have in the past.

“I think it’s probably good for our relationship and our marriage if we can kind of keep our professional lives separate,” Willis says.

When she does perform, it is usually in smaller environments like the M-Shop. Willis says although the bigger arena shows are really fun and exciting, she really likes to connect with her audience.

During her shows, Willis says she talks to the crowds about her songs, which makes for a much more intimate setting.

Willis says the thing that stands out the most about her music is her recognizable voice.

“I think what makes people stand is when they take what other people might consider something quirky about them, and if you just embrace it and not worry about it and not try to get rid of it,” Willis says. “I don’t sound like all the other singers. I think it’s better to be original and unique than to be like everyone else.”

Willis began her music career after joining her then-boyfriend’s rockabilly band. She was terrified and not very good in the beginning, but she knew she wanted to become better at it, she says.

“I had always been so shy that it was just this amazing opportunity to express myself,” she says. “So I just saw myself just being a singer after the first two shows that I ever did and knew that’s what I wanted to do with my life.”