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Axios
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Trisha Yearwood finds her voice as a songwriter on new album "The Mirror"
Trisha Yearwood was halfway through a new song at The Bluebird Cafe last February when she realized she was onto something special. 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.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bluebird Cafe employee debunks alleged Olivia Rodrigo dispute over Taylor Swift photo
The fandoms of Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo are going head-to-head on social media after a video clip of an employee from a famous music venue misspeaking was posted online. "It's developed into this whole monster," Erika Nichols, the general manager of the Bluebird Cafe, tells The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. The drama stemmed from a video posted to X on June 17. In the video, an employee is seen talking with some influencers about the history of the iconic destination where Swift was discovered in 2004. A photo of the Eras Tour singer on the back stage was from a limited-time exhibition of images by Deone Jahnke in 2008, according to Nichols. Swift also has a dedicated chair and headshot on another wall. this employee at The Bluebird Cafe said Olivia and her team asked them to remove any signs of Taylor Swift before she performed there. — 4x aoty winner (@gotlovesick13) June 18, 2025 Review: Olivia Rodrigo flaunts her sass, sensitivity on GUTS tour In 2023, Rodrigo played a quick afternoon set with Sheryl Crow. The two did an acoustic performance of "If It Makes You Happy." Internet sleuths tracked down the performance and noticed the poster of Swift was gone. When an influencer asked a Bluebird employee about Swift's missing picture, the employee said, "We vowed to remove any visible signs of Taylor Swift," adding, "We gotta respect the girlies." The remarks, which have accumulated more than 5.7 million views, sparked speculation that the photo removal was due to a request from Rodrigo's team ahead of her performance. "The truth of it is Olivia's people did not ask for the Taylor Swift picture to be taken down," Nichols says. "We did not take her headshot off the wall. We did not remove the chair that has her name. You can see on the video of Olivia and Sheryl that we have our Bluebird posters in the background. "This is something we do every time we have a professional filming in here. We're very careful not to use images that we don't have the rights to use. We remove them and put up our posters." Bluebird Cafe General Manager Erika Wollam Nichols clarifies some questions we've received: — The Bluebird Cafe (@BluebirdCafeTN) June 18, 2025 10 bingeable memoirs to check out: Celebrities tell all about aging, marriage and Beyoncé Fans on X, crying foul, dug up performances with Swift's picture as a backdrop. Nichols responded by posting a two-and-a-half minute explanation to social media. Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat. "That image was removed for legal reasons," she said. "Please understand this was not anything between two artists. We support all songwriters, all artists and give them equal share. Taylor is a super friend of the Bluebird, and we have her in the highest esteem. We were honored to have Olivia here, and please know they both live extremely high in our regard." This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Bluebird Cafe debunks Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift dispute
