Ashley Ray, the Kansas-born country artist who puts her “songcraft front and center” (Stereogum), will release her new single “Married” on April 14th. Co-written with Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild, the cinematic song offers a first look at the upcoming album Ray will release later this year.

“Married” marks the first release for Ashley Ray since Pauline, the 2020 album that received praise from Rolling Stone and The Boston Globe. Named one of the year’s Top 50 records by NPR, Pauline found her teaming up with producer Sean McConnell, with whom she co-wrote Little Big Town’s GRAMMY-nominated hit single “The Daughters.” Ray and McConnell reprise their partnership once again with “Married,” whose story of heartbreak and loneliness is matched by McConnell’s echoing, atmospheric production.

“Marriage is a 50-year conversation,” says Ray, who — despite singing about the broken home of her first marriage — has remarried and recently welcomed a new daughter into her growing family. “I’ve only ever wanted two things in life, to make music and start a family, I’m lucky enough this time around to get to live both those dreams.”

Ray will kickstart a spring tour during the week leading up to the song’s release, alternating between solo shows and an amphitheater performance opening for Texas legend Bob Schneider at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. Starting April 7th, she will also play a handful of shows with Little Big Town, ending with an arena performance in her home state of Kansas. Show details are below.

About Ashley Ray:
Raised on a farm in Lawrence, Kansas, Ashley Ray has established herself as one of Nashville’s most nuanced voices, chasing down critical acclaim not only as a solo artist, but also as an in-demand songwriter for Little Big Town, Lori McKenna, Sean McConnell, Ruston Kelly, Caroline Spence, Wade Bowen, Charles Kelly (Lady A), Brittney Spencer, and Blues prodigy Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Alongside friends and fellow artists Sean McConnell and LBT’s own Karen Fairchild, the trio penned Little Big Town’s GRAMMY-nominated Top 40 hit “The Daughters.” Meanwhile, Ray’s albums have earned her shows with Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, and other country trailblazers who, like Ray, create a modern sound without chasing after modern trends.

Ray’s most recent solo release, Pauline, translates like a memoir: she writes about her home, family, the people she’s lost, decisions, and dreams with the kind of grace that only comes with embracing who you are — then summoning the courage to share it. She is currently in the studio, with a new album slated for release later this year.