Trisha Yearwood finds her voice as a songwriter on new album "The Mirror"
As she ripped into the chorus of "Little Lady," an anthem of independence pulled from a real-life encounter she had in a grocery store parking lot, the crowd roared in approval.
"We had to pause after the first chorus for the applause," Yearwood told Axios during a recent interview in her Music Row studio. "I'm like, 'OK, this is good. This is good.'"
"That was the night that I knew."
Why it matters: The song is part of Yearwood's career-redefining new album "The Mirror," out Friday, which finds her embracing songwriting for the first time.
The 15-song collection is a revelation that explores Yearwood's insecurities, frustrations and joys in first person.
The big picture: Yearwood has been hailed as one of the best voices in Nashville for decades. But this album, and the creative renaissance that fueled it, present an unexpected turning point for the established star.
The intrigue:"Trisha is a full-on monster writer," says Erin Enderlin, who co-wrote with Yearwood on two tracks on "The Mirror."
"She just reaches in, grabs the heart of the line and yanks it out."
Chad Carlson, who co-produced the album with Yearwood and co-wrote some songs, agrees, calling "The Mirror" a "groundbreaking left turn" for Yearwood.
"She has an amazing talent for writing," he tells Axios.
"The only disappointing thing about any of this is that she waited this long to do it."
State of play: Yearwood spent most of her career pulling material from Music Row's top talent. She wasn't a writer, she repeated often. Instead, she used her voice to elevate the beauty in other peoples' words.
On the few occasions Yearwood did venture into songwriting, she says, it often felt like pulling teeth.
What she's saying:"When you move to this town, there are so many incredible musicians, there are so many incredible songwriters. It's intimidating," Yearwood says.
"The couple of times that I did write in those early days, I didn't have any confidence," she says.
"I couldn't say it out loud. I was just scared."
Yes, but: That all changed after a pivotal writing session in 2022.
A "new portal"
Songwriter Leslie Satcher had pushed Yearwood to collaborate for a while. Yearwood became an expert at canceling writing appointments: She faked an emergency trip to the dentist and an asthma attack, she says.
When Yearwood finally showed up, she and Satcher worked with Steven Dorff to write "When October Settles In," a searing ballad about grief.
By the numbers: That song was a gateway to a new creative outlet. Yearwood says she's written more than 60 songs since then — and she has no intention of stopping.
Driving the news:"This whole new portal opened, and it's so exciting."
"I'm 60 years old, and I felt like I was pretty sure and pretty set in who I am and what my life is," Yearwood says. "And then I started writing."
"A lot of forgiveness and understanding"
The songs on "The Mirror" delve into love, pain and empowerment with sophistication that matches the rest of Yearwood's catalogue.
The difference now is that the details are pulled from her real life, and stray thoughts she's jotted down for years.
"Even though I didn't know it, I was writing for this project all along," she says. "And the writers that wrote with me wanted to help me say what I wanted to say."
"Fearless These Days," one of the standout tracks, embodies the album's central themes: It is a message to Yearwood's younger self.
She remembers walking down the aisle for her first wedding: "I felt it in my bones. Drop the flowers, run back home. I wasn't strong enough to turn away, but I'm fearless these days."
"You don't know until you know that it's OK to rock the boat," she sings. "It's so much easier to just be who you are."
"I used to just pretend I'd never been married before because I was embarrassed," she says.
"There's definitely a lot of forgiveness and understanding of my younger self that I think writing these songs helped me get to."
Zoom in: In "Little Lady," Yearwood remembers a woman asking to see her ring after she got engaged to Garth Brooks. In the song, the woman tells her it's time to "settle down and quit that music thing."
Yearwood lobs back a fireball: "I ain't nobody's little lady but my own."
💭 My thought bubble: I am a Trisha Yearwood superfan. Her decision to pursue songwriting is personally thrilling — and writing about it is a dream assignment. I'm happy to report that her new songs hold their own alongside the classics from the rest of her 34-year career.
The devastating ballad "So Many Summers" is at home on a setlist with "Walkaway Joe."
"Volume 2" could be coming
Yearwood is still making time for her new passion.
She recently collaborated with the writing supergroup the Love Junkies, which includes Liz Rose, Lori McKenna and Hillary Lindsey.
Fans might not have to wait too long to hear what they worked on.
What's next:"There may have to be a volume two," she says.
How to get a signed copy
Trisha Yearwood will sign copies of her new album at two only-in-Nashville events this weekend.
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