A Lancaster, Minn., native had to choose: go after solo fame, or go on with her sister act. Twang, twang, twang go their heartstrings

Not only does she get a visit from all 12 of her siblings and her mom, Kelli — whom she hasn't seen or talked to since the show began — she also sees her dad, Jim, who is on leave from a job in Iraq, where he is training Iraqi border guards.

In preparation for the show, the Hewitt's loaded their 12-seat passenger van and made the trek last week from Lancaster to Nashville to see their daughter.

On the phone from the Nashville hotel where the family has been staying, Kelli described Ashlee as being "the life of the party" and remembered her daughter performing when she was still in diapers. When company would come, Ashlee couldn't wait to jump onto the countertop and sing for everybody. Kelli said it was evident from an early age that Ashlee enjoyed being in the spotlight.

When Ashlee was 5, she started singing with her sister Katrice, then 7. It's been 15 years since the two started performing as a duo and since then, they've recorded a few albums, played various music festivals and even sung the national anthem at a Twins game. The pair were inseparable when making music. They even live together in Nashville.

But like any good country song, there's heartbreak in their story. Earlier this year, the Hewitt Sisters tried out for "Nashville Star." After thousands of singing hopefuls were weeded out, Ashlee and Katrice were still standing. Then the show's producers called.

"Ashlee got a call, and they said, 'We've got bad news and good news,' " said Katrice, 23. "They wanted to invite Ashlee onto the show and wanted her to go solo. I guess it was a big shock the first day, because we either thought we'd make it together, or not get picked at all together."

Kelli Hewitt recalled the emotional predicament the call created: "It was very devastating for our family. I thought of it as someone asking a couple to get a divorce — that's how tough it was to separate them, because they depended on each other so much when they were onstage. The producer said, 'You think about it for a few days and get back to me if you change your mind.' "

At first, Ashlee refused to do the show alone. She wanted to focus on the Hewitt Sisters. But after talking it over with her family, she changed her mind.

"She supports me a lot, and it's really nice to have her support," Ashlee said of Katrice, who urged her to do the show. "I wouldn't have been able to do it if she hadn't told me to."

But being on stage solo hasn't been easy for Ashlee. She said that even though her sister isn't sharing the spotlight, she's still in her heart and mind:

"I think about her when I'm up there. I can hear her harmonizing."

Watching her sister on television the past few weeks, Katrice called Ashlee's performances "awesome" and gushed about how proud she is of her:

"I know she's having the time of her life, because it's all she's ever wanted to do — there's no question about it. A lot of people go back and forth — especially in their teens, but ever since she was little, she's wanted to be a country singer. She's living her dream right now."

Ashlee's dad, Jim, can remember the first time he saw his daughter living out her dream on television. He was traveling through Baghdad.

"They show 'Nashville Star' on a military TV station there, but it's a week late," said Jim, who also catches up on her performances via YouTube. "I had one of my friends with me, and it was on Father's Day. There were a couple of other guys in the room, and we all really had a good time watching it."

In the past few weeks, Ashlee, who cites Johnny Cash, Dierks Bentley, Brandi Carlile and Patty Griffin as some of her favorite musicians, has impressed the show's judges, especially pop/folk singer Jewel, with whom she's been compared. Ashlee has proven to be a force on the show: She's managed to skillfully take on Cash ("Ring of Fire") and nicely twangify Britney Spears ("(You Drive Me) Crazy"), positioning herself as one of the front-runners in the competition.

"I'm glad she made it country," Jim Hewitt said with a laugh about the Spears song she sang during last week's pop-goes-country-themed epi-sode. "I guess that wouldn't have been my first choice of a song for her, but that's the way reality TV goes."

So what is it that drives a girl who grew up on a 2,500-acre horse ranch in a town of fewer than 400 people to chase her dream of becoming a country star?

"It's just in my blood," Ashlee said. "It's something I have such a passion for, and I have to do it. There hasn't been a day since I learned guitar when I was 10 that I haven't picked up my guitar at least once a day."

Amy Carlson Gustafson can be reached at 651-228-5561.

'NASHVILLE STAR' 101

Airs: Live from the Acuff Theatre in Nashville, 8 p.m. Mondays on NBC

Host: Billy Ray Cyrus

Judges: Country star John Rich, Grammy nominee Jewel and acclaimed songwriter Jeffery Steele

Notable former contestants: Miranda Lambert, Buddy Jewel, Erika Jo, Chris Young

Voting: After each week's episode, you can vote for your favorite contestant via phone, text message or the Web. You also can go to www.nbc.com/Nashville_Star . Each contestant is assigned a phone and text-message number. Online voting is limited to 10 votes per e-mail address. The person with the fewest votes is eliminated on the following week's episode.

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