What’s better than a brand-new, bold bop from singer Tami Neilson?
A bold bop that also features Grammy-winner Ashley McBryde, phenom Grace Bowers, and powerhouse singer-songwriter Shelly Fairchild.
Neilson delivered the latter today with the release of her brand-new single “Borrow My Boots,” which features the aforementioned super-talents and like everything else Neilson has released, this one does not disappoint.
As fun and inspirational as this sassy, empowering tune is in all its “girl power” glory, the story of how it came to be is even more fun and inspirational, and also the perfect illustration of a genuine, rare sisterhood and musical kinship brought to real life through the power of a social media direct message.
Neilson shares the story with followers on a special Instagram post commemorating the song’s release, revealing, ”One year ago, I woke up to a DM from Grammy award winner Ashley McBryde. We had both performed the night before at a dream show with an all-star lineup singing the music of Patsy Cline at the Ryman. She had dug into my catalogue of music and wrote me to lift me up and encourage me, saying she was a fan. A few weeks later, she tagged me in a post of her getting ready for the red carpet of the ACMs, playing ‘Careless Woman’ as her hype song! A couple months after that, she asked for permission to create a t-shirt with my photo on it so she could wear it around town as she hosted CMA Fest and champion my music.
So, when I had a song idea about women supporting and empowering each other, she was the first person who came to mind. I asked if she would do a Zoom writing session and she invited powerhouse songwriter and artist Shelly Fairchild to join us. Writing with those two was like jumping a fast train and holding on! Pure joy. What they didn’t know at the time, was that I was in the midst of one of the hardest moments of my life- my brother Jay was in a coma after suffering a brain injury only weeks before and I was hanging on by a thread. When we’d finished writing, my husband, smiling through tears, said, ‘It was so good to hear you laughing again.’
“All these women are this song put into action.”
Tami Neilson on making her new single with friends Ashley McBryde, Grace Bowers, and Shelly Fairchild
Months earlier, I was in New Orleans, standing next to Jay after performing what neither of us realized would be our last show together for a long time. I got a phone call from my managers, saying I’d been invited to make my Opry debut. We hugged each other and cried and I couldn’t wait to stand on that stage, in the sacred circle, with him. Now I was facing making that debut alone and pondering if I should cancel it.”
We’re so glad she didn’t.
But building and strengthening new friendship among peers was only half of the reward. It also afforded Neilson a beautiful reunion with Bowers, an old friend who holds a very special place in Neilson’s heart.
“These women didn’t know how much they were holding me up when they both made sure they were playing the Opry the night of my debut so they could be there to support me and perform our new song for the first time. Grace Bowers, who played her first paid gigs when she was 15 with Jay and I, who is now rocketing to stardom, changed her flights in the middle of a tour and made sure she was there for me, too,” Neilson writes.
”All these women are this song put into action,” she astutely says in closing.
It’s a great reminder for all of us: the grass is greenest where you water it. Friendships are gardens that need constant tending, but boy when you give them the attention, love, and care they need to thrive—well, their beauty is out of this world.
Such is the case for Neilson, Bowers, McBryde, and Fairchild and this new song. Kind of has you thinking what they could all do together in the near future, right?
We know what Neilson has on her mind: the release of her next album Neon Cowgirl, set to drop on July 11th.
Saddle up, y’all. It’s bound to be a great one!