On Friday (Sept. 16), fans were blessed with LeAnn Rimes‘ 15th studio album God’s Work. And now that the record is out, the 40-year-old country star is opening up about the complex topics she explores on her new project, what God means to her, what she thinks about country music’s modern day diversity and more.
In an exclusive interview with Billboard News, Rimes shared what she thinks ties all 12 of the tracks on God’s Work together — revealing that the album’s title track was one of the first she wrote for the project. “It was the first thing that jumped out at me,” she said. “[‘God’s Work’] was one of the first songs we wrote for the record, and I just knew that I wanted that to be the title.”
“I think it explores the light and the dark, the duality of life,” Rimes continued. “It’s a complex record, it’s deep.”
As O.G. fans can attest, Rimes first broke into the country music scene at just 13-years-old with her debut album Blue. In the three decades since, she’s released more than a dozen more projects that saw her dipping her toes into pop and Christian genres.
As its title suggests, God’s Work is a continuation of Rimes’ more spiritual music. “I think God can mean multiple things to different people,” she told Billboard. “For me it’s like, insert the word love, insert the word creation. I felt like everything that was flowing through me for this album was a part of that.”
One of the songs on God’s Work, “How Much A Heart Can Hold,” was written as a wedding gift for her husband Eddie Cibrian when they got married in 2011. “I never thought that would see the light of day,” Rimes shared, explaining that she revisited the song after hearing so many positive responses from her followers after she posted a snippet on Instagram. “I thought it fit the sentiment of the album and it kind of found its home.”
God’s Work features a number of guest artists, including Mickey Guyton, Ziggy Marley, Ledisi, Sheila E. and more. Gushing about her collaborators, Rimes spoke about how special it is that country music is “finally” becoming more diverse as Black artists like Guyton, Jimmy Allen and Kane Brown become more and more popular in what has historically been a white-dominated genre.
“I’m glad that country music has some diversity, finally,” she said. “I’m hoping that that isn’t just a performative act, and that we continue to move that needle forward.”
The “How Do I Live” singer closed out her interview by sharing what fans can expect from her next: the unexpected. “I like to continue to evolve,” she said. “I like to push boundaries.”
“As soon as someone thinks they have me figured out, I’m like whoop, let’s go this way. I’m constantly just growing, and I’m hoping that never stops.”
Listen to LeAnn Rimes’ brand new album God’s Work below:
