Belle Frantz to Release Debut Album HYMNS FROM A BARSTOOL

Rising Country artist Belle Frantz today announces her debut album Hymns From A Barstool arrives November 6. The announcement arrives days after earning a standing ovation while making her Grand Ole Opry debut Saturday (August 29), where she performed the unreleased title track and honored Dolly Parton by singing 'Where No One Stands Alone.' Frantz shares her version of the hymn today along with details on the deeply personal 17-song set which includes help from Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire, Ashley Monroe, Jimi Westbrook (of Little Big Town), Meg McRee and Larry Strickland (from the Stamps).

After releasing several traditional Country songs, Frantz, during a time of uncertainty found comfort in revisiting the Gospel sounds of her youth. Inspired by many of her Country idols, she decided to release a few of her own but the little passion project became a full album endeavor after Wynonna Judd signed on for a feature. It quickly evolved into a profoundly soulful album where every detail carries a deep personal meaning and underscores Frantz's beliefs. The album emerges as a natural expression of the musical lineage that shaped Frantz, which includes nods to her faith, hometown, idols and family.

The album's title, Hymns From A Barstool, comes from its sole original track, that reflects on the reassurance of God's presence, even when you fall on your face. That same message runs throughout the project, including Belle's rendition of 'Where No One Stands Alone,' which speaks to the album's central idea that God meets you where you are. The accompanying video, recorded as part of Belle's Hymns & Beers Sessions, was filmed at Fox & Locke in Tennessee, a venue with its own history of Gospel Sundays, where locals would go to church and then gather at the bar for a beer and a few hymns.

'I've always believed God meets you in your struggle and these songs comforted me when I needed them most so I just started recording what was on my heart. If they can make somebody else feel a little better or less alone, then that's enough for me. I'm not trying to tell anybody how to live or pass any judgements — to me, God has always been way more of a feeling than a building anyway,' shared Frantz. ''Where No One Stands Alone' really encapsulates the heart of the album for me. Doing this record completely independently, I often felt like I was at this alone, but I kept being reminded throughout the process that He was there, walking with me and holding my hand. There were so many moments that felt like divine providence, like Reba joining on.'

Frantz spent her childhood listening to Country greats with her grandfather, upon his passing when she was 12, she inherited those CDs. She discovered the lone record in the mix that she had never heard before: Reba McEntire's The Last One to Know. She cried – moved because, for the first time since losing her grandfather, she felt less alone. The music had found her when she needed it most and in that moment, she decided she wanted to do the same thing for others. Reba now reads a passage from the Bible on her project about God's constant presence. The voice that once found the young girl when she felt alone has returned to help tell the story of why she never really was.

The meticulously-crafted album's connection to Frantz's history runs even deeper. Her mother starts and ends the record playing the piano. She chose 'Taps' as the interlude to honor her grandfather and brother who are Navy veterans and had it recorded in Nashville's military cemetery. She recorded 'Amazing Grace at Paine Memorial' and 'Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus at Paine Memorial' with just a piano in her hometown church. She then recorded 'How Great Thou Art at First Assembly of God' and 'Softly & Tenderly at First Assembly of God' inside the historic and highly coveted East Tupelo First Assembly of God Church — her great-grandfather Otis' church in Mississippi and the same place where one of her lifelong idols, Elvis Presley, worshipped, learned guitar, and developed the love of Gospel music that would become central to his career. The recording vividly captures the character of the spaces: the muted clack of the wooden piano keys, the warmth of the room and the feeling that you are sitting in one of those pews listening to the music unfold around you. She distills the ethos of the project and brings the church directly to listeners' ears.

Produced by Gena Johnson, Hymns From a Barstool brings Frantz's heart and commanding vocals to life with every note. Each song carefully chosen and layered in meaning have already won audiences over. After performing 'Where No One Stands Alone' during her Grand Ole Opry debut, she received a rare standing ovation. The evening's Opry show was dedicated to Parton, making Frantz's performance of the hymn (which the late icon had performed on The Porter Wagoner Show) a poignant moment, especially given Frantz was previously hand-selected by Dolly to open on the icon's 'Dolly: Live in Las Vegas' residency.

'Performing on the Grand Ole Opry stage, where so many of my musical icons have called home is something I've dreamed about since I was 12. There is so much history in that circle and to get to stand there and sing the songs that have shaped me was something I'll never be able to put into words. My grandad would have been so proud,' says Frantz. 'Getting to honor our Queen Dolly that night made the moment even more special. To say 'she has been someone I've admired my entire life' doesn't do it justice. It meant the world to me that she picked a newcomer like me to open for her so the fact that my debut landed on a night dedicated to celebrating her spirit, it feels like another one of those moments written in the stars.'

Hymns From A Barstool Track List

'Prelude & Prayer'

'He Walks With Me'

'Amazing Grace at Paine Memorial'

'Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus at Paine Memorial'

'How Great Thou Art at First Assembly of God'

'Softly & Tenderly at First Assembly of God'

'The Old Rugged Cross'

'How Great Thou Art (feat. Wynonna Judd)'

'Interlude: Taps'

'I'll Fly Away'

'Just a Closer Walk with Thee'

'I Saw The Light'

'Only Trust Him'

'Where No One Stands Alone'

'Reading of Scripture' (Reba McEntire)

'Hymns From A Barstool' - (Written by: Belle Frantz, Roger Springer, Wyatt Mccubbin)

'Reprise'

About Belle Frantz

At just 23 years old, Belle Frantz sounds like she wandered out of another era. With a voice and attitude that recall the fearless women of classic Country — Patsy Cline's ache, Loretta Lynn's steel and a healthy dose of old-school sass — Frantz has built her career around music that feels timeless rather than trendy. But the Mississippi native's debut album, Hymns From A Barstool (out November 6), isn't the traditional Country record listeners might expect. It is a deeply personal Gospel project born from a season of uncertainty, a road trip west and a young woman learning to trust her own instincts. Every note of the project is layered with personal meaning and intention as the music found Frantz when she needed it most, as it has always done.

Her love for Country music began in her grandfather's workshop and was forever cemented when, after his passing, 12-year-old Belle discovered Reba McEntire's The Last One to Know among his CD collection—a moment that inspired her to pursue a life in music. At 20, she signed a major record deal and released her debut EP, Why I Sing This Way, paying homage to the artists who had inspired her most, featuring songs by Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn and George Jones. She was introduced to the world and amassed more than 700,000 listeners from that EP alone, rapidly growing her fan base. After a series of shake-ups that included parting ways with both her manager and label, Frantz found herself at a crossroads and reaching backward — toward the Gospel music that had always been another thread running through her life. What started as a passion project quickly evolved to a full-fledged independent debut album centered around the idea that God meets you where you are…and landed Wynonna Judd, McEntire and Larry Strickland to be a part of it.

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