Leah Blevins Reflects on Sharing Tender Vulnerability Through New Album “All Dressed Up”: 'That's My Superpower' (Exclusive)

Chris BarillaThu, March 19, 2026 at 10:00 PM UTC

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Leah BlevinsCredit: Jim Herrington -

Leah Blevins says her sophomore album, All Dressed Up, is the manifestation of "a sense of taking ownership of every chapter of my life and embracing it instead of hiding from it"

Blevins refers to All Dressed Up as a "stamp of honesty," chronicling the experiences of her 20s and early 30s

As a whole, Blevins is quick to acknowledge that the album would not have come together the way that it did if not for seven-time Grammy-winner Dan Auerbach's collaborative efforts

Leah Blevins is entering a new creative era, one earmarked by confident, unapologetic pride in herself, her past and her future.

The singer-songwriter from Sandy Hook, Kentucky, a small, Appalachian town with under 700 residents that also just so happened to be the home of Keith Whitley, is carving her own lane in Nashville and beyond. Nowhere is this more evident than her masterclass of a sophomore record, All Dressed Up.

"I know I'm emotional, I know I'm sensitive, and that's my superpower. And as I step into my mid-30s, I'm not going to shy away from those elements that I bring to the table," Blevins tells PEOPLE about her staunch positioning towards the emotional content of the project, which came to life thanks to the combined efforts of herself and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, who executive produced the record.

Emotional complexity is a hallmark of Blevins' work, and All Dressed Up serves as a quiet celebration of the life and times Blevins spent rooted in heartbreak and grief that ultimately manifested into a hard-earned self-acceptance.

“Really, it was a matter of just accepting what my reality was from a very young age to now. I had to grow up really fast, and I was very internal," she says. "And I would like to say that I'm intuitive a lot of the time, but all that in mind, I think it's just trying to accept who you are and age helps with that, but it was more or less just not ... I never tried to fit in a box because there's just no way that that would ever work for me. But I do feel as though it was more or less a sense of taking ownership of every chapter of my life and embracing it instead of hiding from it in ways.”

'All Dressed Up' by Leah BlevinsCredit: Easy Eye Sound

Referring to All Dressed Up as a "stamp of honesty," throughout its 10 tracks, Blevins acknowledges the disillusionment that she navigated in her 20s, the subsequent sting of giving her all and not getting it in return and the lingering ache of loss that created an emotional thread through which she weaved this album. From the glittery highs of "Diggin' In the Coal" to the powerful proclamations of the project's title track, Blevins delivers a true sonic cornucopia that feels like a familiar friend's comforting hug.

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“I mean, a lot of my 20s was certainly the part that I reflect back on," she shares of her inspirations for this particular project. "There were a few moments in terms of just personal relationships and work-related relationships that really took me by surprise. And that was more or less that expression of, ‘Dang, I gave you the best that I had only to receive something in the opposite in return.’ ”

Those hard life experiences Blevins endured informed and came together in the studio as tender recordings, each, in their own way, channeling the energy of a yesteryear romantic. "I think 'Tequila Mockingbird' and 'Lonely,' those two stand out because there is this desperation in the way I sing it, and the lyrics mesh together," Blevins reflects. “I never tried to fit in a box because there's just no way that that would ever work for me.”

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Speaking specifically of 'Lonely,' an aching ballad that puts Blevins' ethereal vocal ability on full display, she highlights, "I always think about my granny who passed away. And a lot of little things that are part of this record are a nod to her and what she taught me, how to be ladylike, how to be a virtuous woman. I used her pearls in the album cover. So when I think of 'Lonely,' it's more or less to me just we've all lost somebody, and if you haven't, you will. It's just a part of this reality and this existence. So when I sing that song, I'm going to that place of just saying, ‘I miss you. I love you. Thank you.’ "

As a whole, Blevins is quick to acknowledge that the album would not have come together the way that it did if not for seven-time Grammy-winner Auerbach's collaborative efforts.

"I feel like working with Dan, it was a different mechanism in terms of writing because normally I'll write with someone, that song will sit for a couple of years," she explains. "You go back to the vault, pull it for a record. But with Dan, it was very much go into the studio, we're writing for a record, and it doesn't have to necessarily be this emotionally driven thing. It was more or less the first time I'd ever just written a song to write a song, if that makes any sense."

Ultimately, to the singer-songwriter, releasing the album into the world provides “a sense of taking ownership of every chapter of my life and embracing it instead of hiding from it."

The accompanying core through-line for Blevins on a personal level, amid the whirlwind of success that comes with a performance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, future opening gig for Garth Brooks in London and other career firsts, is kindness and humility.

"I do want to extend a very loud thank you for all the support of people who are just now learning about me and who have been with me on the ins and outs of the journey so far," she shares.

All Dressed Up will be available on all major streaming services on Friday, March 20.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”