Country
LAUREN WATKINS ANNOUNCES SOPHOMORE ALBUM, IN A PERFECT WORLD, OUT OCT. 10
Watkins finds balance between the fast lane and the front porch on her 10-Track record
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters songstress Lauren Watkins announces her second full-length album In A Perfect World, due Oct. 10. The 10-track collection captures the songwriter stepping into balance, where the fast lane of arena tours collides with quiet nights building a home with her husband. Watkins will treat fans to the final track before the record’s release, teaming up with John Morgan for “Slippery Slope” on Sept. 19.
“I am so beyond proud of this music,” shares Watkins. “I’ve lived so much life in the past couple years, from playing shows all over the world and spending half of my time on the road, to building a sweet little life in a farmhouse with my husband. It’s made me appreciate so many parts of all of it. I’ve started embracing the simple things just as much as the chaos. And that’s what inspired these 10 songs. It paints a good picture of what my world looks like these days, but I really hope people can see their own world within it too.”
– Lauren Watkins
Pre-Save/Pre-Add: In A Perfect World
After an acclaimed debut and spending the last year on the road with stars like Morgan Wallen, Riley Green, Zach Top and soon Lainey Wilson – plus Billboard accolades and a monumental first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry – Watkins has come to know the fast lane well. In A Perfect World finds her embracing a fresh phase with its earthy mix of sunset country and hazy heartland grit reflecting both the rush of life on tour and the grounding perspective of love and home.
Produced by CMA/ACM Award winner and husband Will Bundy, with additional co-production from Joey Moi, the album features 10 songs co-written by Watkins with writing contributions from Trannie Anderson, Rodney Clawson, Natalie Hemby, Mark Trussell and more. Fans have already gotten a glimpse into Watkins’ new chapter with several early standouts including the pulse-racing “Lose My Cool,” the heartfelt “Average Joe & Plain Jane,” which flips everyday simplicity into something extraordinary, the gritty anthem “I’ll Get Through It” and the wistful “Marlboro Man.”
Watkins 2024 debut The Heartbroken Record, dubbed as one of Stereogum’s Top Country Albums of 2024, introduced her as a mainstream maverick with a thirst for lyrical truth and a proudly defiant projection of country music moxy. With In A Perfect World, Watkins is poised to lean further into her natural storytelling capabilities.
She will celebrate release week on the road opening up for Lainey Wilson’s The Whirlwind Tour, which will make a stop at Madison Square Garden on album release day (10/10), before joining Kameron Marlowe’s Seventeen Tour this fall. For tour dates and more information, keep up with Watkins at laurenwatkins.com and on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
In A Perfect World Tracklist
- “In A Perfect World” (Lauren Watkins, Mia Mantia, Caroline Watkins)
- “Love Is Tough” (Lauren Watkins, Will Bundy, Mark Trussell, Lydia Vaughan)
- “I’ll Get Through It” (Lauren Watkins, Trannie Anderson, Will Bundy)
- “Marlboro Man” (Lauren Watkins, Natalie Hemby, Jeremy Spillman)
- “Slippery Slope (feat. John Morgan)” (Lauren Watkins, Will Bundy, Mark Trussell, Lydia Vaughan)
- “Average Joe and Plain Jane” (Lauren Watkins, Lauren Hungate, Luke Laird, Caroline Watkins)
- “Britches” (Lauren Watkins, Trannie Anderson, Will Bundy, Mia Mantia)
- “Lose My Cool” (Lauren Watkins, Will Bundy, Rodney Clawson, Nicolle Galyon)
- “I Was Fine Before I Met You” (Lauren Watkins, Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird)
- “Pretty Please” (Lauren Watkins, Lauren Hungate, Luke Laird)
Upcoming Dates on Lainey Wilson’s The Whirlwind Tour
| DATE | CITY/STATE | VENUE |
|---|---|---|
| 9/25/2025 | Toronto, Ont. | Budweiser Stage |
| 9/26/2025 | Clarkston, Mich. | Pine Knob Music Theatre |
| 9/27/2025 | Grand Rapids, Mich. | Van Andel Arena |
| 10/3/2025 | Noblesville, Ind. | Ruoff Music Center |
| 10/4/2025 | Cleveland, Ohio | Blossom Music Center |
| 10/9/2025 | Columbia, Md | Merriweather Post Pavilion |
| 10/10/2025 | New York, NY | Madison Square Garden |
| 10/11/2025 | Mansfield, Mass | Xfinity Center |
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
