Carrie Underwood has finally returned! The country star has released her first new single, “Cry Pretty,” since her one-off collaboration with Ludacris “The Champion” and her 2015 album Storyteller. “Cry Pretty” is also fans’ first taste of Carrie’s upcoming sixth full-length studio album and she will be performing the song live from Las Vegas at the ACM Awards on Sunday, April 15th.
“Cry Pretty” was co-written with Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, and Lori McKenna, and is all about being vulnerable and human. She sings in the chorus, “You can’t pretty lie/And say it’s ok you can’t pretty smile and just walk away/Pretty mask, fake your way/Do anything but you can’t cry pretty.”
Earlier this week, Carrie wrote an intimate letter to fans, posted to her official website, to share updates on the recovery from her painful accident last November, the response and success of “The Champion,” and about her new single “Cry Pretty” and upcoming new album. Carrie shared of the meaning behind her new single “Cry Pretty” and the writing process:
“I wrote it with three incredible women: Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, and Lori McKenna, who also write under the name Love Junkies. I joined one of their writing sessions last year to see if we could come up with some magic…and we did! The title refers to when emotions take over and you just can’t hold them back. It really speaks to a lot of things that have happened in the past year and I hope when you hear it, you can relate those feelings to those times in your life. It’s emotional. It’s real. And it ROCKS!”
Carrie has spent the last few months working on her forthcoming new album, and has been in the studio “writing and singing a TON” and working with Grammy-winning writer/producer David Garcia. David co-wrote and co-produced “More Girls Like You” with Kip Moore, as well as Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line‘s hit collaboration “Meant To Be.” She wrote to fans:
“I’ve been in the studio writing and singing a TON, but I’ve also been able to be creative in a way that I’ve never been before, which has been very fulfilling and empowering. While I was writing last year, I met a writer/producer named David Garcia. We hit it off in a big way and I’m excited to say that we are co-producing my album together. I’ve always been lucky to have a voice in the writing and recording process, but this is the first time I am this involved in the production of my music. It’s been challenging and incredibly rewarding to be involved in every aspect from start to finish. David has been an amazing teacher and partner, and I’m so proud of what we have created.”
She added, “Needless to say, I am beyond excited for this new album and everything that comes with it…more on that soon.”
As for Carrie’s health update, she says she’s doing “pretty darn good.” Back in November, Underwood experienced a painful accident after she slipped and fell on the steps outside of her home. As a result she suffered multiple injuries, including a broken wrist, cuts and abrasions, and received over 40 stitches in her face, as well as underwent surgery for the broken wrist. In her letter to fans, she said:
“Physically, I’m doing pretty darn good these days! My wrist is almost back to normal, about 90% there…and the docs say that last 10% will come in time. And my face has been healing pretty nicely as well. I definitely feel more like myself than I have in a while. One of the silver linings for me in this healing process is the time I’ve gotten to spend with Mike and Isaiah. I’ve been calling it “forced relaxation.” Sometimes I think things happen in order to make us slow down.”
Welcome back, Carrie! Listen to her new single “Cry Pretty” above.
