Ashley Monroe – Magnolia
3x GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Ashley Monroe released “Magnolia,” the latest single from her forthcoming album Tennessee Lightning due out August 8 via her label Mountainrose Sparrow.
Co-written with Waylon Payne and Brendan Benson, the new single arrives with an official video shot in Muscle Shoals, AL directed by Erika Rock.
“Waylon Payne, Brendan Benson and I wrote this song back in 2015. It’s haunted me ever since. We were on a Bobbie Gentry train-of-thought that day… musing as to what she might be up to these days and talking about how much her music affected us. We let ourselves get deep into the Mississippi Delta. I definitely honed in on that part of my own soul. I like sleeping on sheets of satin too… but you sure can’t hide my gingham soul,” Monroe explains about the new single.
About the video, she adds: “From the day we wrote this song, I saw the scenes I was singing about in my mind. And when it finally came time to shoot the video, I knew we had to go to the Delta. We didn’t have time to go all the way to Mississippi, but we went to Muscle Shoals and with a little help from our friends, we were able to create exactly what I had envisioned.”
“Magnolia” follows the release of “Bitter Swisher Sweet” (feat. Brittney Spencer). In April, Monroe announced her new album with the smoldering love song “The Touch” (feat. Marty Stuart). Last year, Monroe released official videos for “There You Are,” “Hot Rod Pipe Dream” and “Risen Road,” which all appear on the forthcoming album.
Tennessee Lightning was co-produced by Monroe with GRAMMY-winning producer/engineer Gena Johnson (John Prine, Jason Isbell) and features special guests T Bone Burnett, Brittney Spencer, Waylon Payne, Brendan Benson, Butch Walker, Karen Fairchild and Armand Hutton. The result is a rich, multifaceted meditation on identity, purpose, and meaning from an artist who’s learned to see herself — and the world around her — in a whole new light following a life-altering diagnosis.
“When I got diagnosed with lymphoma and started my treatment, I stopped writing, I stopped hearing melodies, I stopped thinking about songs at all,” Monroe recalls. For six months, she focused almost exclusively on her recovery and her family as she underwent a grueling regimen of injections and transfusions.
“When I finally went into remission, I could feel the life and the music start flowing in my veins again,” she explains. “It was like a flood, just this rush of inspiration.” Along with that inspiration came a newfound clarity and gratitude, as well as a vision for this new album.
“I feel like I’ve emerged from these last few years with a pretty profound perspective shift. I’ve learned to be more in the moment, to appreciate what’s right in front of me and enjoy every second I get to spend doing what I love with the people I care about.”
Next month, Monroe will celebrate the 10th anniversary of her GRAMMY-nominated 2015 album The Blade with a one-night-only show at Nashville’s The Basement East on July 25, where she will perform the record in its entirety. In August, she’ll celebrate the release of Tennessee Lightning with a performance at The Grand Ole Opry on August 8 before heading to the UK and Europe for a run of co-headlining shows with Fancy Hagood.
Ashley Monroe 2025 Tour Dates:
July 25 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East (The Blade 10-Year Anniversary Show)
August 8 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry
August 21 – Manchester, UK – Band On the Wall *
August 22 – Leicestershire, UK – The Long Road Festival
August 25 – Glasgow, UK – Saint Luke’s *
August 27 – London, UK – Islington Assembly Hall *
August 28 – Amsterdam, NL – Melkweg *
September 19-21 – Bristol, TN – Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
* with Fancy Hagood
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