WATKINS SHARES A HEARTFELT LOOK AT EVERYDAY LOVE IN HER BRAND-NEW BALLAD
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Country songstress Lauren Watkins shines a light on the beauty of everyday love with today’s release of “Average Joe & Plain Jane.”Delivering serene vocals and pure vulnerability, the Nashville native offers a twist on the terms ‘average Joe’ and ‘plain Jane,’ turning what seems to be a negative connotation into something beautiful.
Written by Watkins alongside Lauren Hungate, Luke Laird and Caroline Watkins, the sweetheart ballad presents a twilight shine, showcasing gentle acoustic guitars and the soft sway of a front-porch swing that helps frame a typical day in extraordinary beauty. The release is paired with an all-new lyric video featuring personal footage from Watkins’ 2024 wedding, highlighting the real-life love story behind the song.
“I don’t like to pick favorites, but this song might be the most special to me,” shares Watkins. “One day I wrote down the words ‘Average Joe & Plain Jane.’ I knew there was a song in there, I just didn’t know what it was yet. About a year later, I was telling my co-writers about how my husband and I had spent the day at Home Depot picking out our first mailbox together and it was somehow such a special moment for us. It hit me while I was describing that to them – that was the song. I love the fact that ‘average Joe’ and ‘plain Jane’ are typically used to describe someone in a negative way, but this song squashes that. I think the most beautiful things in life are actually simple and ordinary.”
Early previews of the song sparked heavy social media chatter, with fans flooding comments in anticipation and calling it one of her most relatable releases yet. The new music comes amidst a big summer for Watkins, with “Average Joe & Plain Jane” accompanying a string of 2025 standouts. From the hot-blooded “Lose My Cool” to gravel-road anthem “I’ll Get Through It” and desolate “Marlboro Man,” she’s just getting started.
After releasing her 17-track critically acclaimed debut album The Heartbroken Record last year, Watkins is now happily married, moving on from heartbreak and on to greener pastures in her new chapter. Country Now tapped “Lose My Cool” as “the perfect introduction to Watkins’ next project as it perfectly encapsulates what she is feeling right now,” while Holler praised it “as bright and breezy as a fresh spring morning.”
In June, Watkins fulfilled a lifelong dream by stepping into the coveted Grand Ole Opry circle for the first time. She’ll continue to build momentum on the road, recently wrapping her support slot on the road with Riley Green and set to join Lainey Wilson and Kameron Marlowe in the fall. For tour dates and more information, keep up with Watkins at laurenwatkins.com and on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
ABOUT LAUREN WATKINS:
Drenched in authenticity and rife with barstool charm with an addictive, Tennessee limestone gravel in her voice, Nashville-born and bred songbird Lauren Watkins writes, breathes and lives country music. The 25-year-old originally grew up on the outskirts of Guitar Town, mesmerized by a jukebox rotation of country music, from outlaws like Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow to chart-toppers Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton. Moving back after four years at Ole Miss, Watkins’ unyielding, turn-on-a-dime lyricism quickly caught the attention of GRAMMY-nominated multi-hyphenate Nicolle Galyon, who signed her to publishing and recording contracts with Songs & Daughters / Big Loud Records almost instantly. Honing in on a sound that’s both reverent of the genre’s roots and in lockstep with where it’s headed next, she introduced her take on country music with 17-track, full-length debut The Heartbroken Record, in 2024, the full-circle companion to previous EP releases Introducing: Lauren Watkins and Introducing: The Heartbreak. The Boston Globe praises the record as “inhabiting the same neighborhood as, say, Kacey Musgraves (a few albums ago) or Ashley Monroe,” while Billboard calls out the “effortlessly smoky quality to Watkins’ voice, with a style of direct-yet-poetic songwriting reminiscent of Kacey Musgraves or Miranda Lambert.” Country Central smirks, “being ‘messy’ has never been so cool.” Watkins hit the road hard in 2024, touring fairs, festivals and even opening stadiums for Morgan Wallen internationally on his One Night At A Time Tour. This year she’s keeping the momentum rolling, sharing stages with Riley Green, Zach Top and Lainey Wilson while treating fans to a 2025 full of new music.
CONNECT WITH LAUREN WATKINS
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | X | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE
Media Contacts
Olivia Hanceri + Lexi Leatherwood | OH Creative
olivia@theohcreative.com, lexi@theohcreative.com
Corey Brewer + Rachel Heatherly | Big Loud
corey@bigloud.com, rachel@bigloud.com
