Gabby Barrett's 'Chapter and Verse' roots star's creativity deep in country's traditions

Between achieving country stardom and releasing her sophomore album "Chapter and Verse" on Feb. 2, Gabby Barrett got married, turned 23 and became a mother of three.

Similar to Carrie Underwood two decades ago, Barrett has sprung from the stage of "American Idol" into country's pop consciousness. Similarly, her guitar and soaring vocal-driven, pandemic-era streaming smash "I Hope" resembles Underwood's 2005-released "Before He Cheats."

Outside of remaining true to strings, pop-country sensibilities and multi-octave runs, expecting more of the same from Barrett on "Chapter and Verse" is unlikely.

Barrett values country music's traditional core principles

The girl who hoped that an ex-boyfriend's sensually liberated new partner would wreck all of his life plans by cheating on him after he'd wagered his life savings on an engagement ring isn't there anymore. Instead, she's been replaced by a mother married to fellow 2018 "American Idol" contestant Cade Foehner for nearly five years.

"He's a wonderful, hardworking Texan, who has strong values and a rock-solid heart," Barrett tells The Tennessean about her husband.

Barrett's rise to country music stardom is directly linked to the values she places first in her career and life: family and religion.

The aspiring superstar's growth as a person and artist is directly tied to her suburban Pittsburgh childhood where she attended Catholic schools and time spent singing with the soulful Lamb of God Christian Ministries choir in Homestead.

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Her upbringing also allowed country music presentations directly tied to "God, family and simple living" to appeal to her, too.

Barrett's presentation as a gospel-tinged soul vocalist married long before age 30 makes her an outlier in a genre where artists like Kelsea Ballerini and Carly Pearce, 10 years older than Barrett, had arrived at the point she embarked upon before she was able to drink legally.

Living with that uncommon level of awareness has proved challenging for Barrett.

"I'm constantly feeling like I'm not doing enough in the studio or spending enough time at home — and overall worried about what exactly the payoff of balancing my career, life, and marriage will be," she says.

Ultimately, country music's traditional values aid Barrett in prioritizing her life and ensuring that everyone and everything feels appropriately loved and satisfied.

A star among superstars

Arriving at "Chapter and Verse" in a dramatically different season of her life than her debut album "Goldmine" is highlighted via the lyrical and vocal maturation showcased in the songs "Cowboy Back," "Dance Like No One's Watching" and "Glory Days."

The songs feature writers who include two-time BMI Songwriter of the Year winner Jesse Frasure, CMA Entertainer of the Year winner Luke Combs and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Emily Weisband.

This follows Barrett's recent success of achieving the equivalent of over 10 million singles sales from her debut album and being named winner of the 2022 Billboard Women in Music Rising Star award. She has also paired with contemporary Christian star Colton Dixon on the 2023 GMA Dove and K-LOVE Fan Award Song of the Year nominee "Build a Boat."

Insofar as her next steps and "Chapter and Verse," her pairing with Combs was a case of her increasing intersection as a star circling superstardom.

To "Entertainment Tonight," Barrett recalled sitting in the bathtub and receiving a text from the "Beer Never Broke My Heart" vocalist, who was busy at work in the studio.

"(He wrote a song that) wasn't gonna work for him because he didn't know if his child — his wife was still pregnant at the time, with their first baby, and they didn't know if it was a girl or a boy. Come to find out, it was a boy — this song was written more for a girl."

On pairing with Frasure and Weisbard, Barrett says coming to them with "humble visions of family and faith — quiet mornings, front porch swings, and gratitude for the little things" were key to her latest album's creative process.

A new album reflects evolution and maturity

Also, tracks like "Growing Up Raising You" and "Hard to Read" are "heavy and deep songs" that deal with raising both a child and a family while also maturing herself.

"Six years later, my life is much different and I believe my fans' lives have also (evolved)," Barrett jokes.

As a 23-year-old attempting a work-life balance, however, her engagement with Nashville's songwriting community differs from most.

"My friends are songwriters now, but I don't have the time to craft a catalog of songs or do writing camps with them," she says. "Instead, I'm sitting in the house or on a tour bus and strongly envisioning a few ideas to which I'm deeply committed. I'm not picking 12 songs out of 200 — I don't have time for that."

'A great mother and wife'

Barrett successfully balancing family and marriage allows her to "keep her intentions and priorities straight to remain blessed in (self-awareness)."

"I know what I like and don't and do not want to waste anyone's time. I also trust in God's word, faith and what he's calling me to accomplish," she says.

"More than anything — even if I receive every honor in country music for making good, relatable music that blesses people — I want to be remembered as a great mother and wife."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Gabby Barrett's 'Chapter and Verse' rooted in country's traditions