Named by the Recording Academy as a “2025 Artist to Watch,” Lanie Gardner has officially announced her highly anticipated sophomore album Faded Polaroids, set for release on September 5 via BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville. Alongside the announcement, the North Carolina native has released the album’s powerful lead song, “High Divin,’” featuring legendary Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood on the drums. Listen below.
A full-circle moment for the 25-year-old artist — whose breakout came from a viral cover of “Dreams” (now at over 100M views) — “High Divin’” is an atmospheric anthem with a heart of self-reflection. Wrapped in shimmering guitars and soaring vocals, it captures the emotional leap of the journey of self-sabotage, while honoring the path that led her there.
“It’s one of the most important songs on the album for me,” Gardner shares. “I was going through a pretty rough patch and needed to give myself a little tough love.”
Produced by Oscar Charles, Jonathan Singleton, Chris Ganoudis and Don Miggs, Faded Polaroids expands on the raw honesty of Gardner’s 2024 debut A Songwriter’s Diary, offering a sonic scrapbook of self-discovery, family roots, romantic twists, and personal healing. Across 18 tracks, Gardner blends country storytelling with indie-rock grit, small-town pop, and boundary-free emotion — a genre-bending vision uniquely.
“I created the idea of Faded Polaroids using actual polaroids. Some brand new, others nicotine-stained, withered, torn and worn from being passed down through the years,” says Gardner. “It felt like zooming out on my whole life and finally seeing the bigger picture. These snapshots — these songs — are the most beautiful parts of me. They tell the story of where I come from, who I come from, what I’ve learned and who I’m becoming. I hope these songs encourage people to take the time to make their own version of that too. I think it’s important that we all do.”
Born and raised in the tiny Appalachian mountain town of Burnsville, NC, Gardner grew up in a family of natural musicians, learning to sing from her mother and guitar from her father. A loner-turned-artist with a gift for turning diary entries into cathartic anthems, she eventually left home for Nashville, chasing the Grand Ole Opry dream of her late grandfather — a dream that comes full circle with her Opry debut on August 6. Get tickets here.
Following her recent Polaroids EP and breakout debut album — which earned her a “2025 Artist to Watch” nod from both the Recording Academy/GRAMMY and Amazon Music — Faded Polaroids finds Gardner stepping fully into her sound. From the soul-cleansing “Takin’ The Slow Ride” and smoldering “Concrete Cowboy,” to the rootsy, nostalgic title track and breezy “Love You Like Appalachia,” the album captures a rising star in her magic hour — honest, unfiltered, and unforgettable.
Gardner will bring Faded Polaroids to life on the road this summer and fall, with a run of headlining dates and festival appearances, including support on select shows for Gavin Adcock. Visit laniegardner.com for ticket information.
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Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen