Sheryl Crow Says Move From California To Tennessee 'Saved My Life'

Californians are increasingly fleeing the state for places like Florida, Texas and Tennessee. Better housing markets, lower crime rates and lower cost of living are all reasons for The Golden State's shrinking population. But according to Sheryl Crow, the move actually saved her life.

Performing at the Sea.Hear.Now Music Festival in New Jersey this weekend, the Grammy-winning artist extended empathy for those in the crowd experiencing difficult times.

"I know how hard it is for especially young people — and I don't know if anybody was pained by struggles like I did when I was young — but these are some tricky waters to navigate now," Crow told her fans.

"I'll just tell you that, for me, getting out in nature really saved my life."

(Photo by Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images,)

Sheryl Crow moved from Los Angeles to Tennessee in 2003.

"I moved to Nashville, and I bought a farm," Crow said. "I sat in the trees and just asked God to give me some answers, and I wound up writing this song."

The move to a 150-acre Nashville farm coincided with several hardships in the now 61-year-old's life, including a public breakup with Lance Armstrong and her battle with breast cancer.

But it was an escape to nature and a sense of community that helped her pull through.

"I completely relate to Nashville because I have a lot of friends there who are also in the music business," Crow said. "But not only that, I just relate to the people. I relate to the friendliness and down-homeness. I feel a relaxation that comes over my body that I usually don't feel when I'm in New York or L.A."

Sheryl Crow performs onstage during the CMA Awards in Nashville. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images,)

She eventually moved to a smaller, 50-acre farm closer to town, where she lives with her adopted sons, Wyatt and Levi. And she says Tennessee is an ideal place to raise her children.

"It's great to have my kids grow up with the mentality that they live in a community, they owe their good fortune to helping other people," she said.

For what it's worth, Crow is an outspoken leftist. As such, her politics align much more closely with the state she escaped than with her neighbors in Tennessee.

In July, she slammed Jason Aldean's hit song "Try That in a Small Town," calling the tune "lame" and claiming it incites violence. In the song, Aldean takes a stand against chaos in big cities and celebrates the close-knit communities in America's small towns.

You know — the exact reasons Sheryl Crow left California and moved to Tennessee.