Tigirlily Gold Announce 'Blonde' Album With 'Leroy' Single
(EBM) On the heels of scoring two CMT Award nominations earlier this year for Breakthrough Female Video and Duo/Group Video of the Year as well as a nomination for Best New Duo/Group at the upcoming ACM Awards, Monument Records' powerhouse duo Tigirlily Gold continue their breakout year with the announcement of their debut album Blonde set for release July, 26, 2024. Sisters Kendra and Krista Slaubaugh shared the album news on social media earlier this week along with another taste of new music from the LP with their latest release "Leroy," available everywhere today.
Written by Nora Collins, Jessie Jo Dillon and Forest Glen Whitehead and produced by Pete Good and Shane McAnally, the 2024 CMT Next Women of Country hope fans walk away feeling empowered, confident and heard by this song as they urge the listener to leave a man who isn't treating her right.
The Billboard-dubbed "harmonically savvy sibling duo" teamed with producers Shane McAnally, Pete Good and Alex Kline to create Blonde. In addition to "Leroy" the debut will feature current single "I Tried a Ring On," which was one of the most-added singles, with 47 first-week adds, along with the rowdy viral sensation and Top 40 hit "Shoot Tequila." Filled with deeply personal tracks and poignant tales of love and loss alongside powerful anthems and songs of female empowerment, the pair says their goal was to bring girl group energy back to country music.
"Blonde is all about being undeniably and unapologetically yourself," Krista says. "We want everyone to feel confident and vulnerable enough at the same time to say what they need to say."
The forthcoming album follows the pair's 2021 self-titled debut EP and 2023 EP Blonde and features a cover of the Leona Lewis hit "Bleeding Love," a favorite in the girls live show, as well as original tracks like the seductive "Move On" which encourages women to make the first move. While "Hometown Song" highlights the more serious side of the sisters, describing the push and pull of both loving and hating where you come from.
"Every song about hometowns usually goes one of two ways, you either love it and it's perfect or you hate it, and we could never relate to either of those exact feelings," Kendra explains, "so we wanted to write a song that hints at both. It's the emotion of when you are in a place for so long, wanting to leave and try something new, but when you're gone, there's nothing that can replace that feeling of home."
The women owe a lot to their hometown of Hazen, ND. The sisters grew up in a house where singing was encouraged, and they learned early how to harmonize with each other. Taking a cue from a few of their musical influences - The Chicks, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill, Shania Twain and Dolly Parton - Kendra and Krista effortlessly blend their voices to create rich and robust harmonies.
In 2013, at the ages of 16 (Kendra) and 14 (Krista), the two sisters made the decision to pursue music full-time. With that, Tigirlily Gold was born. Fittingly, the band's name comes from the 'Tiger Lily' flower that grew in the garden of their childhood home.
While Tigirlily Gold toured the Midwest throughout the mid-2010s, they also embraced online platforms like YouTube and TikTok. The young women shared their songs, showcased their talent, and connected with their ever-growing fanbase any way they could. After four years crisscrossing the Dakota's, Montana, and Minnesota, Tigirlily Gold relocated from North Dakota to Tennessee in 2017.
The women quickly landed a weekly residence performing at Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row on Nashville's famed lower Broadway, where they would see their fans, who were not residents of Music City, show up. The women often played four-hour sets, three to four nights a week. Songs like barn burner "Shoot Tequila" were born from the time spent honing their craft on Broadway.
"I've been singing in honky tonks since before I could even legally 'shoot tequila,'" Krista admits. "Playing on Broadway in Nashville for years really affected our sound, and we always lean towards writing songs that have great live energy. 'Shoot Tequila' is our 'Broadway' song, and we want people to get excited, grab a drink, and meet us at the nearest honky tonk to listen to the rest of the album."
To Kendra and Krista, "Blonde" is a state of mind. The day they wrote the title track, everything changed. "The entire vision for the record was set, and we were set on capturing the feeling of confidence and being bold," Krista says.
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy hair like this/ It's a Dolly Parton state of mind," they sing on the song's chorus.
"This song is about not taking anything too seriously and being able to poke fun at yourself, but also be really confident in who you are all at the same time," Kendra says. "We thought a lot about strong women like Dolly Parton when writing this one. We really wanted to bring a unique, new, fun energy to country music and I think this song does a great job of showcasing that."
Blonde embodies this infectious energy while introducing a new chapter for the sisters, showcasing their mesmerizing harmonies and adept songwriting alongside relatable stories. The women knew they wanted to create a bold and fearless album. In doing so, they also leave a part of themselves in every song.
"I hope listeners feel like they could hang out with us on a Friday night or have a heart-to-heart on a Sunday morning, that every emotion you feel is valid, that some nights you want to go shoot tequila and some nights you want to cry over a boy who shattered you," Kendra says. "At the end of the day, no one has it all together, and we're all figuring out how to navigate love, loss, friends, memories, self-love, confidence."
Blonde Track Listing
"Blonde"(Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Alex Kline, Scott Stepakoff)
"Leroy (Nora Collins, Jessie Jo Dillon, Forest Glen Whitehead)
"Hometown Song" (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Alex Kline, Scott Stepakoff)
"Move On" (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Alex Kline, Scott Stepakoff)
"End Up Us" (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Todd Clark, Jason Cole Saenz)
"I Tried A Ring On" (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Pete Good, Josh Jenkins)
"Stupid Prizes" (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Pete Good, Josh Jenkins)
"Shoot Tequila" (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Kevin Griffin, David Mescon)
"Only Once" (Kendra Jo Slaubaugh, Krista Jade Slaubaugh, Alex Kline, Jason Cole Saenz)
"Bleeding Love" (Ryan Tedder, Jesse McCartney)
[an error occurred while processing this directive]