Martina McBride Shares ‘Girls Like Me’ From ‘Songland’
Martina McBride recently appeared on NBC’s hit show Songland and after collaborating with producer-panelists Ryan Tedder, Ester Dean and Shane…

Martina McBride; Photo via YouTube
Martina McBride recently appeared on NBC’s hit show Songland and after collaborating with producer-panelists Ryan Tedder, Ester Dean and Shane McAnally, the superstar selected a new song to add to her catalog.
McBride released the new track, “Girls Like Me” to streaming services earlier this week. The song was originally written by Songland songwriter HALIE and her brother, recording artist Michael Tyler, Dan Swank, and Lexi Lauren. HALIE, who moved to Nashville after graduating high school in 2018, was then paired with Dean to adapt the song for McBride. Writing a song for the country icon was a dream come true for the budding songwriter.
“I grew up listening to Martina and ‘This One’s For The Girls’ was one of my favorites,” HALIE shared in a statement. “We wanted to write a song that girls can relate to in an honest way. I wanted them to know that it’s ok to have insecurities. I’m so glad I get to deliver that message through Martina McBride.”

McBride felt an instant connection to the song and its message.
“I love the message of this song,” she said. “We’ve all gone through things in life and have dealt with insecurities and mistakes. HALIE wrote this from a young woman’s perspective and I needed to be able to sing it from the perspective of someone who has already been down this road and is saying basically, ‘I’ve been where you are and it’s all going to be ok.’ There was so much of the lyric and melody that I loved and once I was able to find the way to flip the narrative, so to speak, it all came together beautifully. I think the message is powerful and relatable.”
McBride went on to co-produce the song with Nathan Champman, which was a challenge in itself due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Studios are closed and you are not allowed to gather musicians together to record. I have to say that I don’t know how I could have made this record without Nathan. He is such a gifted musician, singer, and producer and was able to play and record all of the instruments on the track from his home studio,” McBride shared. “Aside from our initial meeting, before isolation began, when I played him the demo and we talked about doing this project, we were never in the same building throughout the entire recording process. But we both had the same vision and we were able to communicate that into a beautiful finished record.”
Click above to listen to “Girls Like Me.”
Songland airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.