WATKINS MARKS A MILESTONE ALBUM RELEASE DAY WITH NATIONAL TV DEBUT ON TODAY AND MADISON SQUARE GARDEN DEBUT ON LAINEY WILSON’S THE WHIRLWIND WORLD TOUR
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters songstress Lauren Watkins steps into her most confident chapter yet with the release of her highly anticipated sophomore album, In A Perfect World, available everywhere now. The milestone moment unfolds in full color: a national television debut on NBC’s TODAY with Jenna & Friends this morning as she performed “Lose My Cool” live from Times Square and a subsequent debut performance tonight at Madison Square Garden, opening for reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson on The Whirlwind World Tour.
WATCH: LAUREN WATKINS PERFORMS “LOSE MY COOL” ON TODAY WITH JENNA & FRIENDS
Following her 2024 debut The Heartbroken Record – named one of Stereogum’s Top Country Albums of 2024 – Watkins unveils a cinematic new chapter, capturing the balance between the fast lane and the front porch. Across ten tracks, she finds peace in imperfection, blending chaos and calm, spotlight and stillness, to prove that ‘perfect’ doesn’t have to mean polished.
Produced by CMA/ACM Award winner and husband Will Bundy, with additional co-production from Joey Moi, In A Perfect World pairs steel guitars, heartland grit and golden-hour glow with the intimate storytelling that’s quickly become Watkins’ calling card. The record threads together her newfound peace that first lit her career – blending the rush of life on the road with the quiet rhythm of home.
Fans have already gotten a glimpse into this world through “Lose My Cool,” “Average Joe & Plain Jane,” “I’ll Get Through It,” “Marlboro Man” and “Slippery Slope (feat. John Morgan)” – songs that early praise from Holler that predicted the “bite-sized full-length will be soundtracking the remainder of 2025.” Today, five new tracks bring the full story into view.
The album’s opening title track, “In A Perfect World,” sets the tone with a shimmering blend of ’60s storybook pop and Tennessee twang – a love song to life as it is, not as it’s imagined. “Love Is Tough” hits with baritone guitar and steel-soaked soul, a rough around the edges anthem about the kind of love that withstands anything. “Britches” brings Watkins’ signature wit to a honky-tonk swing, taking playful aim at the grown-up “mean girls” of the world. Closing track “Pretty Please,” arriving alongside a new music video, strips everything back to just Watkins’ voice and steel guitar – a vulnerable, “Jolene” inspired prayer for peace of mind.
Throughout, Watkins’ smoky vocal and sharp lyrical detail paint vivid pictures of real life in motion – from falling in love and growing roots to letting go of the need for perfection. “I’m in this funny stage of life where half the week I’m on the road living the rockstar life, and the other half I’m home with my husband – building a life, cooking dinner, talking about having kids one day,” Watkins says. “There was a time I thought I had to pick one or the other, but I’ve realized the beauty is in living both.”
A Nashville native and self-proclaimed country music maverick, Watkins draws inspiration from icons like Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Eric Church and Miranda Lambert, balancing grit and grace with effortless ease. With In A Perfect World, she brings those influences into sharp focus – creating something nostalgic yet forward-looking and tender yet tenacious.
After a breakout year sharing the stage with Zach Top, Lainey Wilson and Riley Green, Watkins will join Kameron Marlowe’s Seventeen Tour this fall. Fans can also catch her at the Grand Ole Opry on Oct. 17 as she returns to the circle for a second time, followed by a special post-show event. For tour dates and more information, keep up with Watkins at laurenwatkins.com and on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
In A Perfect World Tracklist:
ABOUT LAUREN WATKINS
After an acclaimed album debut and a year-plus on the road with stars like Morgan Wallen, Riley Green, and Lainey Wilson – plus Billboard accolades and a monumental first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry – Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters artist Lauren Watkins has emerged as a proudly defiant projection of pure country-music moxy. But with her second full album, In A Perfect World, Watkins learns that the highway life is only part of her path. A Nashville native inspired by crowd-pleasing outlaws like Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Lee Ann Womack and Miranda Lambert, Watkins’ 17-track 2024 debut, The Heartbroken Record, introduced a mainstream maverick with a thirst for lyrical truth – and an old-school country rebel whose modern instincts never succumb to trends. Coming to know the fast lane by heart, the modern-classic singer-songwriter has racked up millions of streams and rocked full-on stadiums, while learning from the legendary songwriters like Nicolle Galyon, Luke Laird and The Warren Brothers. Yet In A Perfect World finds Watkins in a fresh phase, with her dreamy vocal awake to new charms and challenges. Featuring an earthy mix of sunset country and hazy heartland grit, she’s no longer expecting to get her heart broken, and not pushing the idea of home away. Produced by husband and CMA/ACM Award winner Will Bundy (Ella Langley and Riley Green’s “you look like you love me”), with additional co-production from hit maker Joey Moi on select tracks, Watkins builds on her of-the-moment and always-organic sound; 10 co-written songs capturing the passion and promise of a new outlook. Steel guitars and ethereal atmosphere create a sense of wide-open space, while bold twang and rootsy rhythms keep the Tennessee songbird’s vocal grounded. Steeped in a coming-of-age shift many experience, her modern country packs a timeless punch.
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
