Photo: Robby Klein
Gabby Barrett debuted the first ballad from the highly-anticipated next chapter of her career on Friday (August 1). âThe Easy Partâ arrives after months of teasers from the singer-songwriter on social media.
Barrett, 25, deems her newest song âa distant cousinâ to the breakout single she released in 2019. âI Hopeâ appeared on Barrettâs debut studio album, Goldmine, the following year, and the scathing cheating anthem with âunapologetic intensityâ remains one of the most iconic hits of Barrettâs career so far. A press release announcing âThe Easy Partâ notes that this time, âBarrett brings her breathtaking vocals to a raw but resilient breakup anthem that ultimately trades tears for triumph.â
âI enjoyed writing on this one. It captures that emotional moment when someone thinks leaving is âThe Easy Part,â but what they donât realize is that the memory of who you were to them will be the hardest to forget. Itâs not about encouraging walking away, but about the weight that love can carry even after itâs gone,â  Barrett said in a statement. âIn some ways, it feels like a distant cousin to âI Hope.â Itâs a different kind of heartbreak, one that settles in slow and quiet.â
âGo on and slam that front door/ Go on and tell me where I can go/ Put that pedal to the floorboard/ Leave me a mess in the middle of the road/ Go all Jack D crazy/ Tell yourself leavinâ me is so hard/ But I got news for you, baby/ Thatâll be the easy partâ
Barrett teamed up with Zach Abend, Jon Nite, and Michael Hardy (HARDY) to write âThe Easy Part.â Zach Kale, Zach Abend, and Ross Copperman produced the newly-released single. The press release describes âThe Easy Partâ as a powerful ballad that âmatches Barrettâs moody storytelling with a gorgeously brooding sound that defies all genre boundaries. Propelled by a potent piano melody, it unfolds in blazing guitar riffs, shadowy beats, and soulful banjo tones, while building a spellbinding backdrop to her powerhouse voice. In a testament to the incredible impact of her vocal work, Barrett channels an undeniable anguish even in the most defiant moments, adding yet another layer of emotional depth to her intimate portrait of self-preservation.â
Barrett said of the song on TikTok on Friday morning that âeven though this song is not direct to my life â Iâm happily married with a billion children, and itâs all good â but I feel it from afar. I feel the message, and I hope you guys can connect to it and feel it, too.â Barrett is married to fellow artist Cade Foehner. The couple met when they competed on the 16th season of American Idol in 2018. They got married the following year in Texas. Now, they share three children together. Daughter Baylah May arrived in January 2021. Son Augustine Boone followed in October 2022, and daughter Ivy Josephine was born in February 2024.
âThe Easy Partâ is the latest song to release from Barrett since the singer-songwriter delivered two albums within one year. Her highly-anticipated sophomore record, Chapter & Verse, released in February 2024 with âCowboy Back,â âDance Like No Oneâs Watching,â âGlory Days,â âGrowinâ Up Raising Youâ and more.. Months later, in November, she debuted her first-ever Christmas album, Carols and Candlelight. Barrett is in the midst of her âLife Iâm Living Tour.â See the list of upcoming tour stops below, and listen to âThe Easy Partâ here:
HEADLINE DATES FOR GABBY BARRETTâS LIFE IâM LIVING TOUR 2025:
AUGUST
14 | Worley, ID â Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel
21 | Abilene, TX â West Texas Rehabilitation Fundraiser
22 | Sioux City, IA â Orpheum Live
23 | Mason, WI â Concert in the Corn
SEPTEMBER
1 | Du Quoin, IL â Du Quoin State Fair
5 | Lancaster, PA â American Music Theatre
6 | Farmington, PA â Timber Rock Amphitheater
7 | Wooster, OH â Wayne County Fair Ohio
11 | Allegan, MI â Allegan County Fair
12 | Valparaiso, IN â Central Park Plaza
13 | Fort Wayne, IN â Sweetwater Performance Pavilion
18 | Bakersfield, CA â *Venue TBA
OCTOBER
5 | Ocean City, MD â Country Calling Festival