Ashley Monroe Gets Deeply Personal on Upcoming Album, ‘Sparrow’

"Country music is a wide genre, and that's OK," Monroe said. “I don't even know what genre this record is, but I know it's me."

Written by Kelly Brickey
Ashley Monroe Gets Deeply Personal on Upcoming Album, ‘Sparrow’
Ashley Monroe; Photo Credit: Hannah Burton

When Ashley Monroe set out to record her next album, she wanted to cut out any fakeness in exchange for authenticity within her lyrical content.

With that in mind, the journey of creating Sparrow didn’t come easy. She wrestled with past struggles and revived former fights she felt within herself to achieve the voice she strived toward.

“I was unpacking a lot of stuff,” Monroe explained recently. “I was singing, and identifying what it’s like to be left. No one told me what I should do, back then, when the world started to crumble.”

Monroe sent out the lead track from the project called “Hands on You,” which proved her comfort level within the vulnerability she experienced while making the record overall. What fans can expect from the next 11 songs embody just that, as well as develop Monroe even further into her true self.

One thing Monroe kept in mind throughout the process was not confining herself to a one-genre box. Putting whatever influence inspired her in the moment into her work, she doesn’t care what category Sparrow falls into as long as the listeners appreciate the artistic quality.

“Country music is a wide genre, and that’s OK,” Monroe said. “I don’t even know what genre this record is, but I know it’s me.”

Sparrow will come out on Friday, April 20.