Natalie Maines Confirms New Dixie Chicks Album, Tour

Anticipation for the Dixie Chicks’ next album has been building since earlier this summer when the award-winning trio announced that they were working on new music with producer Jack Antonoff. Now, lead singer Natalie Maines is sharing even more details about the band’s upcoming project.

Maines recently appeared on the Spiritualgasm podcast where she revealed Gaslighter as the album’s current working title. She also noted that the songs on the project will be “comprised entirely of original material,” and that the collection could be the band’s most personal one yet.

“Our last album was the most personal and autobiographical we’d ever been, and then this one is, like, ten times that,” Maines told podcast hosts, Sterling Jones and Arielle Kebbel.

It’s been thirteen years since the Dixie Chicks released an album of all original material. Their last record, 2006’s Taking the Long Way, swept the Grammys following an eruption of backlash over controversial remarks Maines made against then-U.S. President George W. Bush. The Dixie Chicks originally intended to record only cover songs for their forthcoming project, but plans changed due to Maines’ ongoing divorce from actor Adrian Pasdar, which inspired her to put pen to paper.

“When I started getting a divorce, I had a lot to say, so that kind of sparked me being ready [to make new music],” Maines shared. “Songwriting is hard for me, and I think for many years, I didn’t want to analyze my life or my relationship. I was just in it and dedicated and devoted. If I had started writing songs about it – I don’t want to say I was in ‘survival mode’, but I was just not ready to open up like that.”

Although it’s been over a decade since the Dixie Chicks released a full-length album, they have continued to stay in the spotlight. In 2016, they reunited with their American fans on their DCX MMXVI World Tour. That same year, they performed a rendition of “Daddy Lessons” at the 50th annual CMA Awards, alongside pop star Beyoncé. This year, they teamed up with superstar Taylor Swift for a collaboration on her Lover album.

Maines says their forthcoming release and final record under a contract with Sony, will be accompanied by an arena tour, although no exact dates have yet been announced.

The Dixie Chicks’ much-anticipated new album is expected to be released in 2020.