- Brandi Carlile’s new album, ‘Returning to Myself,’ marks her first solo project in four years, exploring the tension between solitude and community.
- The album was inspired by an intensely emotional moment following her final Hollywood Bowl performance with Joni Mitchell, which Carlile felt was a necessary end to that chapter.
- Carlile shares a candid story of playing her tribute song “Joni” for the legend herself, who hilariously responded by calling her an “asshole.”
- The new music, co-produced by Andrew Watt and Aaron Dessner, will be supported by Carlile’s first-ever headlining arena tour in 2026.
A Necessary Farewell to a Peak Moment
Brandi Carlile is stepping back into the spotlight on her own terms with her powerful new album, ‘Returning to Myself.’ After years of high-profile collaborations, including a duo album with Elton John and serving as Joni Mitchell’s right-hand woman for her triumphant return to the stage, Carlile is embracing a period of introspection. However, this shift came from a moment of profound emotional clarity that fans might find heartbreaking.
The End of an Era with Joni
The catalyst for the album arrived the day after Carlile’s second historic show with Joni Mitchell at the Hollywood Bowl. While sitting next to Mitchell as she sang “Both Sides Now,” Carlile was overcome with emotion, describing it as fighting back “full-body, ugly-face kind of tears.”
“There was this feeling in me that it was the last time that I would be in that seat doing that for that song, in that moment,” Carlile revealed to Variety. “I knew it was time for me to say goodbye to something so special, so important.”
She clarified this wasn’t the end of their deep friendship but a conscious choice to step away from that specific role. “I didn’t really want to slow-roll down the hill of that. I wanted to just jump off the cliff,” she explained. The very next day, she flew across the country to begin writing with producer Aaron Dessner, channeling that raw emotion into the album’s title track.
A Tribute and a Hilarious Blessing
The album features the candid and loving tribute song, “Joni,” which Carlile nervously played for Mitchell. The song includes intimate, humorous lines, including a chorus that goes: “When I tell you ‘I love you,’ and you tell me, ‘Okay.’”
Carlile recalled Mitchell’s reaction. She listened with a “furrowed brow” and didn’t crack a smile until that specific line. “She just started to laugh — like, just straight out of nowhere, she full-on laughed — and then she goes, ‘You asshole!’” Carlile shared. It was the perfect, hilarious confirmation that Mitchell understood and appreciated the loving tribute.
Crafting a New Sound While Navigating Chaos
Described as a “true singer-songwriter album,” ‘Returning to Myself’ moves away from the “diva” energy of her last record. Working with producers Andrew Watt and The National’s Aaron Dessner, Carlile aimed for an “otherworldly palette,” inspired by albums like Emmylou Harris’s “Wrecking Ball” and U2’s “Joshua Tree.”
The album also confronts the modern political climate. Songs like “Human” and “Church & State” were written around the 2024 election, grappling with the challenge of finding personal peace amidst global chaos while still fighting for what is right. It’s a theme that resonates throughout the record—a search for balance in a turbulent world.
As she prepares for her first headlining arena tour in 2026, Brandi Carlile is proving that returning to oneself doesn’t mean leaving community behind, but rather strengthening the core from which all connections grow.
Image Referance: https://variety.com/2025/music/news/brandi-carlile-interview-returning-to-myself-album-tour-1236562691/