WATKINS TO MAKE HER GRAND OLE OPRY DEBUT ON JUNE 20, PERFORMS AT CMA FEST NEXT WEEK
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Just weeks after receiving a surprise invitation to make her Grand Ole Opry debut, Lauren Watkins returns with her new track, “I’ll Get Through It,” out now. The song marks the next bold step in a season of milestones for the Big Loud songstress, who recently wrapped a run on the road with Zach Top and will perform at CMA Fest next week. With her trademark honesty and grit, Watkins is stepping into the spotlight with something to say and the songs to back it up.
Written by Watkins with Brett Warren and Brad Warren and produced and written by ACM and CMA winning producer Will Bundy (“you look like you love me”), “I’ll Get Through It” leans into resilience in the no-nonsense anthem, combining razor-sharp lyrics and raw, effortless vocals to confront heartbreak head on. She shrugs it off like she’s been here before – because she has – as she takes another unapologetic step forward.
Listen to “I’ll Get Through It” here.
“I’ve definitely been the girl who moves on the ‘right’ way, but I’ve also been the girl who just does whatever it takes to get through a tough time. When we wrote ‘I’ll Get Through It’ on a beach trip — Will Bundy, The Warren Brothers and I — we kept coming back to this idea and that sticky chorus melody,” shares Watkins. “It’s not a sob story. It’s gritty, it’s loud, and it’s about facing the hurt head-on, and we had fun coming up with all the different ways someone could get through it, like tossing the flowers in the trash and knowing dang well you’ll bounce back. I’ve had a blast playing this one live, and I can’t wait to bring it to the Riley Green tour next month.”
Earlier this month, Watkins received a career-defining surprise while on tour with Top. At the last stop on her run on the Cold Beer and Country Music Tour, Watkins was invited back to stage by Top to perform a cover of Barbara Mandrell’s “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool.” Following the performance, Top revealed she’d be making her Grand Ole Opry debut on Friday, June 20, 2025 – a dream come true for the Nashville native. “It’s one of those things I don’t know if I’ll ever feel ‘worthy’ of doing, but I am so proud to have the invite and I can’t wait to step into that circle,” Watkins shared. Watch her reaction here.
“I’ll Get Through It” follows the April release of “Lose My Cool,” the first song to arrive since her debut album The Heartbroken Record. The 17-track album earned critical acclaim, with Stereogum naming it one of the Top 10 Country Albums of 2024. Now happily married, Watkins is moving on from heartbreak and on to greener pastures, with Country Now tapping “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.”
The Nashville-bred artist continues to earn her stripes on the road as she joins Riley Green this summer, making a special hometown stop at Franklin’s FirstBank Amphitheater, before joining Lainey Wilson for select dates 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 gearing up for a 2025 full of new music, starting with “Lose My Cool” and “I’ll Get Through It” out now.
CONNECT WITH LAUREN WATKINS
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | X | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE
Media Contacts
Olivia Hanceri + Lexi Leatherwood | OH Creative
olivia@theohcreative.com, lexi
Corey Brewer + Rachel Heatherly | Big Loud
corey@bigloud.com, rachel@bigloud.com
