Brandi Carlile Reveals Why She’s So Passionate About ‘Elevating’ Women With New Project

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We caught up with Brandi Carlile EXCLUSIVELY on the ACM Awards red carpet, and she told us all about her new super group, the Highwomen, and how they’re hoping to empower women with their new music.

Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires and Maren Morris recently announced their plans to form an all-girl group called the Highwomen, and we talked with Brandi and Amanda at the ACM Awards on April 7 about how it all came together. “Amanda mentioned that she wanted to get women together to elevate women’s voices in country and western music,” Brandi, who wore a custom Libertine jacket to the event, told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “Country music raised us and most of the Highwomen are mothers to daughters. We started thinking about country music right now and the fact that there aren’t a lot of women representing us, and that our little girls might not get a chance to have their heroes.”

The lack of female country singers being played on the radio right now is one that Maren has been vocal about, so she was the perfect addition to the group. In the end, the goal of the Highwomen is to “elevate the voices of women in country music equally with no competition,” Brandi explained. The ladies couldn’t say too much about what we’ll hear when they release new music later this year, but Brandi did tell has that the songs are “all based in love.” “They’re all observational and made with a sense of empathy,” she explained. “We want to be powerful, we want to influence young girls and show them they can do this and any job they want to do.”

Brandi performed during the ACM Awards Dierks Bentley. Their duet on “Travelin’ Light” came toward the end of the show, and definitely left the crowd in awe. The song is featured on Dierks album, The Mountain, which came out in 2018.