Today, however, she tells CBS Sunday Morning's Lee Cowan she was never really a fan of the genre. Maines didn't simply dislike country, she said "it burned my ears."

The revelation comes as Maines is emerging with a new focus as a solo artist�her debut solo album Mother was released May 7. The Chicks are still performing occasional dates, but they have not released any new music since 2006.

And the material on Mother is aimed not at her country fans but at rock audiences. It includes covers of songs by Pink Floyd, Pearl Jam, Jeff Buckley, and others�not a single country song or lick to be found, let alone fiddles and banjos.