Singer/songwriter Brittany Howard and guitarist Heath Fogg of the GRAMMY-nominated band Alabama Shakes recently participated in an exclusive discussion with GRAMMY U students during a SoundChecks installment in Los Angeles. Howard discussed striving to loosen up her live performances, advice for aspiring musicians and her goal to continue learning, among other topics.

"My ambitions now are focused more on becoming a better musician," said Howard. "I want to get better at communicating with my band and become better at dynamics and things I'm interested in. And [I want to] keep being a student."

Athens, Ala.-based Alabama Shakes comprise Howard, bassist Zac Cockrell, guitarist Fogg, and drummer Steve Johnson. Combining elements of retro soul, blues and hard rock, the quartet released Boys & Girls in 2012. The album peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and garnered Alabama Shakes two GRAMMY nominations, including Best New Artist and Best Rock Performance for "Hold On." They earned their most recent GRAMMY nomination for 2013 for "Always Alright," which is featured on the Silver Linings Playbook soundtrack.

Released on April 21, Alabama Shakes' sophomore album, Sound & Color, peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The album features 12 tracks, including "Don't Wanna Fight," "Future People" and "Gimme All Your Love," each breaking the Top 40 on Billboard's Rock Songs chart. 

Alabama Shakes are currently on an international tour with dates scheduled through November.