Wynonna Judd Releases GIRL WHO COULD SING Ahead of Fall Tour, THE HARD TRUTH Album Oct. 2
The song was co-written with Cactus Moser, Clara Calaway, Melissa Forrette, and Brant Colella.
GRAMMY Award-winning artist Wynonna Judd has released her latest single 'Girl Who Could Sing' from her highly anticipated solo album, The Hard Truth, out October 2 via ANTI- Records. Written by Judd, Cactus Moser, Clara Calaway, Melissa Forrette, and Brant Colella, the deeply personal track serves as a letter to Wynonna's late father and finds her at her most raw and vulnerable.
Wynonna, who never knew her father, was inspired to write 'Girl Who Could Sing,' after his family discovered a drawer filled with newspaper articles and clippings of her, after his passing. Throughout the song, Wynonna reckons with the complicated emotions of having a father she never knew and ultimately will never know, asking, 'Did you hear the same lies, that kept us away?' and 'Did my voice and my backbone both come from you?' She wonders, 'Did you ever buy a ticket, did you come to a show,' questions that will forever remain unanswered. At its core, the song sits with loss, acceptance, and the ache of knowing that some answers are not to be found, only felt.
The track's accompanying video features Wynonna holding the exact press clippings her father had kept.
'I was 30 years old when I learned the truth, that the man I called 'Dad' my entire life, was not my biological father,' Wynonna explains. 'It changed everything I thought I knew about who I was. By the time I was ready to meet him, he was gone. I never got to hear his voice, look him in the eyes, or ask him why. I'll carry those unanswered questions with me for the rest of my life. 'Was I ever really your daughter, or just a girl who could sing?' is the question that hurts the most—because I'll never get to hear his answer. What do you do with the questions you'll never have answers to? My answer is simple… I sing about it.'
'Girl Who Could Sing' is featured on The Hard Truth, Wynonna's new album coming out on October 2 on ANTI- Records. These ten songs feature her first-ever album co-writes and speak directly to the highs and lows of her life journey. The first half of The Hard Truth centers on Wynonna's bittersweet relationship with her mother and the struggle to find herself, remaining locked outside a life of her own even in the spotlight. The second half looks at the life and the self that Wynonna has worked to build on her own. This album has a major contributor in the form of producer Cactus Moser, Wynonna's partner in music and life. What they've created together is an unvarnished elegy to the dead and the missing, an album that pays tribute to choosing love in the face of suffering.
'Being a part of this record and helping bring these songs to life as its producer, has been the most important work I've known,' said Moser. 'We started with nothing but a feeling and emotion and ended up with an entire album that captures Wynonna's story with a level of honesty she's never experienced in her career. It's the kind of record that makes a difference and reminds you why music exists in the first place.'
The Hard Truth is a tribute to deep sorrow and dogged persistence that strips away layer after layer of the lush production that defined Wynonna's previous recordings, delivering her most personal and powerful work yet.
In late September, Wynonna and her band will be performing special sets at AmericanaFest in Nashville and four shows in her home state of Kentucky, including two at the Paramount Theater in her hometown of Ashland. Following those dates and the release of The Hard Truth, a nationwide tour begins in New York City on October 8.
Tracklist
1. Prelude (All Downhill From Ashland)
2. All Downhill From Ashland
3. Everything (feat. Patterson Hood)
4. Am I Missing Out
5. Broken And Blessed
6. Hear Me Now (feat. Iron & Wine)
7. The Hopeful Lie (feat. The War And Treaty)
8. Kentucky Queen
9. Girl Who Could Sing
10. Drive
11. Love Ain't Got The Best Of Me
Tour Dates
Sept 10 – Fort Madison, IA @ Tri-State Rodeo
Sept 11 – Allegan, MI @ Allegan County Fair+
Sept 15-19, 2026 – Nashville, TN @ AmericanaFest
Sept 30 – Lexington, KY @ The Lexington Opera House^
Oct 1 – Somerset, KY @ The Virginia^
Oct 2 – Ashland, KY @ Paramount Theater^
Oct 3 – Ashland, KY @ Paramount Theater^
Oct 8 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom*
Oct 16 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall*
Oct 17 – Durant, OK @ Choctaw Grand Theater*
Oct 20 – Omaha, NE @ Orpheum Theater*
Oct 22 – Tulsa, OK @ The Cove at River Spirit Casino Resort*
Oct 23 – St. Louis, MO @ Stifel Theatre*
Nov 6 – Oxford, AL @ Oxford Performing Arts Center*
Nov 7 – North Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Performing Arts Center*
Nov 9 – West Palm Beach, FL @ The Kravis Center – Dreyfoos Hall*
Nov 11 – Tampa, FL @ Straz Center – Morsani Hall*
Nov 13 – Roanoke Rapids, NC @ Weldon Mills Theatre*
Nov 14 – Bristol, VA @ Hard Rock Live Bristol*
Nov 19 – Bethlehem, PA @ The Wind Creek Event Center*
Nov 20 – Northfield, OH @ Center Stage at Northfield Park Racino*
Nov 21 – Gary, IN @ Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana*
Feb 10, 2027 – San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Country Music Cruise + with Melissa Etheridge
^ Kentucky Queen Tour
* The Hard Truth Tour with special guest Troubadour Blue
Photo Credit: Thomas Crabtree
Photo Credit: Thomas Crabtree
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