Gabby Barrett‘s sophomore record will be out next year. The American Idol alum announces the release of Chapter & Verse, a deeply personal album that will be released on February 2. The record follows Barrett’s debut Goldmine record, out in 2020, which included two No. 1 hits, “I Hope” and “The Good Ones,” plus her Top 10 hit, “Pick Me Up.”
Although Goldmine was, by any standard, a massive success, the record happened without much fanfare or publicity, due to being released when the world was shut down because of COVID-19. With Chapter & Verse, Barrett is ready to tell her stories on the record, which she co-produced, ahead of its release.
“I really didn’t get to describe myself and my musical creativity with the first album, because it was done during the pandemic, and it just looked a lot different,” Barrett said at a recent media event. “So this time around, getting to go in and co-produce with Ross Copperman — he’s a really good buddy of mine, and he’s really the first person that prompted me to write … I didn’t know when I first came to town whether I should write or just cut outside songs, or what to do, or even what my skillset was with being able to write a song.
“I didn’t even know if I could. And I think we’re doing okay,” she added with a laugh.
Barrett has been very hands-on with every song on Chapter & Verse, working hard to make sure every song is exactly as she wants it to be.
“It’s been really fun,” Barrett boasts. “It’s been fun to get to go into the studio, see things cut live, be able to make edits live … record on a really nice microphone, and be really involved in the creative [part]. I was really involved with the first album, but this, it’s just different. I’ve tried to be even more intentional with this album. I think the first album I was kind of exploring.”
Barrett is thrilled with the success of Goldmine, and the opportunities it afforded her. Still, the mother of two — with one on the way — is eager to share more of herself with Chapter & Verse.
“This one now, getting to know about myself and what I want to talk about with this next album, was fun to figure out and really dial down,” Barrett says. “I feel like there’s more consistency with this coming album than the first one, and definitely leans more in the country roots. So all that to say, it’s been really fun getting to create this body of work. And I really did have a specific vision for it, and just what life has looked like for me the past couple of years. So it’s fun to explain that to everybody.”
Barrett already released “Glory Days” from Chapter & Verse. She also just dropped “Cowboy Back” and “Growin’ Up Raising You.” Barrett previously revealed that her new record included a song written by Luke Combs, and a song she wrote and sings with Miranda Lambert, hinting that there might be more collaborations on the record.
Find all of Barrett’s music at GabbyBarrett.com.