To Trisha Yearwood, getting older has one definite upside.
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Ahead of her tour, the singer hosted an invite-only event at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame, where she sat down for a panel discussion, played a special set, and chatted with the media about this phase of her life and career.
In her conversation with American Songwriter, Yearwood reflected on the best part of aging in the wake of the release of her latest album, The Mirror. The LP was the first of Yearwood’s career for which she co-wrote all the songs.
“I’m 61 years old and this portal has opened,” Yearwood said of beginning her songwriting journey. “I feel like I have this whole new phase of my life.”
“The great trade-off as you get older is there’s wrinkles and sometimes your back hurts and whatever, but the cool thing is you will become more and more confident in who you are,” she said. “The ways that you make yourself less will go away. It just gets better and better. That’s one of the wonderful things that is the great part of aging.”
Trisha Yearwood on Her Songwriting Journey
As for why it took Yearwood so long to reach this phase of her career, the singer revealed that “someone told me in college that I wasn’t a songwriter.” Yearwood “just kind of let it be the truth,” despite encouragement from both her label and her husband, Garth Brooks.
“I was in my way. When I would co-write, I’m sure it was hard on the other writers, ’cause I had no confidence anymore,” she said. “You have to be really vulnerable to go, ‘Hey, what about this idea? This might be done, but what about this?’”
While Yearwood is unsure of the exact “catalyst” for her jump into songwriting, she gives a lot of credit to Leslie Satcher, a songwriter who “just continued to push” her to try.
“I felt like I just needed to show up. When we wrote that first song, I was like, ‘Oh, wow. I actually can do this,’” Yearwood said of the album’s title track. “The feeling of writing something is so personal. It just took it to another level.”
Now that she’s made the leap, there’s no turning back. The change sparked something in Yearwood, so much so that she feels “better than ever,” personally, professionally, and physically.
“In 1991, after success, you could pretty much release anything and it’s going to hit the chart. That’s just not the case now,” she said. “So the peace you make with that is, it doesn’t mean the music is not as good. It’s just that you’re in a different place in your life. So you can find joy in that.”
“I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by the response to The Mirror,” Yearwood added. “I wanted this community to embrace it… It’s been really just so, so fulfilling.”
Trisha Yearwood Teases Her New Tour
She was so pleased, in fact, that Yearwood decided to embark on a second tour in support of the album. Dubbed The Mirror Tour: An Intimate Acoustic Evening of Stories and Songs, the run of shows is meant to bring listeners into the writing room and behind the scenes of Yearwood’s music.
“It’s almost like you’re at the Bluebird, or, like you were sitting at the kitchen table when we wrote this song,” Yearwood said, referencing the iconic Nashville venue. “[We’re showing you,] here’s how it happened, here’s what started this. You don’t ever get to really know those things.”
Those in attendance at Yearwood’s event got a taste of what fans can expect from the tour, as the singer and her band put on a dress rehearsal of sorts. Alongside Satcher and Bridgette Tatum, both of whom will be joining Yearwood on the road, guests settled in for an unforgettable show.
The performance included Yearwood offering her immense praise to her co-writers, revealing the—sometimes wacky—origins of her songs (one came to life thanks in part to an obituary published in a cookbook), and singing some deep cuts that are sure to delight fans. And, of course, there is her voice—powerful, emotional, and unlike anyone else’s.
All of that, Yearwood hopes, will add up to an unforgettable experience for fans when the tour kicks of March 4 in Santa Rosa, California.
“I’m hoping,” Yearwood said, “that people leave there feeling like they know us a little bit better than they did when they walked in the door.”
Photos courtesy of Trisha Yearwood
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