Carrie Underwood has released the first single from her forthcoming sixth studio album.
“Cry Pretty” made it’s debut early Wednesday morning (April 11), and it is is her first single from a project since “Dirty Laundry” from the Storyteller album in 2016. She released “The Champion” for the Super Bowl in January.
An emotional ballad with some powerhouse vocals from Underwood, the tune tells the story about those moments in life when one finally hits a wall and falls apart.
“You can pretty lie / And say it’s okay / You can pretty smile / And just walk away / Pretty much fake your way through anything / But, you can’t cry pretty,” she sings.
“Cry Pretty” was co-produced and written by Underwood in collaboration with the Nashville songwriting team, the Love Junkies: Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, and Lori McKenna.
On Monday, Underwood announced the title and cover art for “Cry Pretty” on her website, and also revealed that “Cry Pretty” references some events from the past year.
“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,” Underwood explained. “It’s emotional. It’s real. And it ROCKS!”
Underwood also told her fans that “Cry Pretty” is not the only new music fans can look forward to.
“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,” she wrote.
Underwood will perform the song at the ACM Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday (April 15). It will be her first appearance since her fall outside her home in Nashville last November.
