Jenna Paulette’s 20-track ‘The Girl I Was: Red Dirt Deluxe,’ Celebrates One Year of Her Debut Album

In the year that has passed since releasing her debut album The Girl I Was, Jenna Paulette has made her Grand Ole Opry Debut, performed the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo and, most recently, signed a record deal with Leo33. The singer/songwriter from Lewisville, Texas is celebrating her year of milestones with the release of the 20-track The Girl I Was: Red Dirt Deluxe, available tomorrow. 
 
Paulette notes it’s been a journey of self-discovery and redemption, “Red Dirt Deluxe connects my first record to what is coming—an exploration while returning to my roots. These songs hold a very special place in my heart, and I hope they’re as cathartic for listeners as they were for me.”
 
The Girl I Was: Red Dirt Deluxe was produced by Will Bundy. Alongside the 16 original tracks fans have streamed more than 32 million times, the deluxe will also feature four reimagined renditions of fan-favorites “Anywhere the Wind Blows,” “Slow Drawl,” “Country in the Girl” and “The Girl I Was.”
 
Paulette’s debut album, The Girl I Was, was released in March 2023. She swiftly earned critical acclaim from People Magazine, Grammy.com, was named an Apple Music Country Riser of the Month and a CMT’s Next Women of Country.
 
Paulette is currently on the road with Aaron Watson as part of his The Armadillo Dance Hall Tour. For more information on new music and upcoming shows, visit jennapaulette.com or follow @JennaPaulette on all social platforms.

About Jenna Paulette: 
A CMT Next Women of Country in 2022 and Apple Music’s Country Riser of the Month for March 2023, singer-songwriter Jenna Paulette — a cowgirl who came of age amid the gritty realities of ranch life — is part of Nashville’s growing wave of female artists who are rewriting the rules and charting their own paths. Paulette settled in Nashville in 2015, where she struck up a mentorship with Ashley Gorley – a veteran songwriter with 60+ No. 1 tunes under his belt – which ultimately led to her publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music in June 2021. Since collaborating with songwriters Will Bundy, Rhett Akins and Jessie Jo Dillion, as well as opening for Mason Ramsey, Parmalee, John Michael Montgomery, Clay Walker and most recently Aaron Watson, Paulette has landed brand partnerships with Justin Boots, Boot Barn, Ely Cattleman and Ranch Water.
 
Her debut album The Girl I Was, is available now, showcasing Paulette’s finely calibrated blend of toughness and sensitivity in tracks like “Country In The Girl” and “Pretty Ugly.” Wearing her heart on her sleeve, Grammy.comremarked it as “transformative,” noting “fuses the sounds of Twain and Miranda Lambert, tackling mental health with the somber ‘You Ain't No Cowboy’ and waxing philosophical on ‘Country In The Girl.’ Paulette continued to spotlight her authentic western lifestyle, performing the national anthem at the National Finals Rodeo, making her Grand Ole Opry Debut and performing in multiple festivals including CMA Fest. Paulette recently signed with independent label Leo33. For more information, visit www.jennapaulette.com.

Jenna Paulette Announces Deluxe Album, ‘The Girl I Was: Red Dirt Deluxe,’ Out March 29

Jenna Paulette stepped inside the Grand Ole Opry circle Wednesday (March 20) for the first time since making her debut in August 2023. Donning her signature cowgirl hat and a white flowing dress, the Texas cowgirl was at home on the hallowed stage and beaming from the excitement of the year ahead; having announced the upcoming release of her deluxe album, The Girl I Was: Red Dirt Deluxe, from her dressing room backstage just moments prior.
 
The Girl I Was: Red Dirt Deluxe is due March 29 via Leo33. Pre-save the album HERE.
 
In a video released to Instagram, Paulette addressed her fans, sharing, “I wore this dress tonight because it is from ‘The Girl I Was’ music video, and we are releasing a deluxe version of the record called The Girl I Was: Red Dirt Deluxe. It’s going to be a bridge between what is coming in new music and what you’ve heard on the record; some reimagined versions of some of your favorite songs and a very raw version of ‘The Girl I Was.’ I hope y’all love it.”
 
A celebration of the project that led Paulette to embark on a journey of self-discovery and redemption following a toxic relationship, The Girl I Was: Red Dirt Deluxe is produced by Will Bundy. Alongside the 16 original tracks fans have streamed nearly 32 million times, the deluxe will also feature four reimagined renditions of fan-favorites “Anywhere the Wind Blows,” “Slow Drawl,” “Country in the Girl” and “The Girl I Was.”
 
Paulette made her Grand Ole Opry debut on Aug. 18, 2023 performing “Country In The Girl” and “The Girl I Was” off her debut album, The Girl I Was. Upon the project’s March 2023 release, Paulette swiftly earned critical acclaim from People Magazine, Grammy.com and more. Additionally, Paulette has been named an Apple Music Country Riser of the Month as well as one of CMT’s Next Women of Country.
 
Paulette is currently on the road with Aaron Watson as part of his The Armadillo Dance Hall Tour and recently performed the National Anthem at both the National Finals Rodeo and The American Rodeo. For more information on new music and upcoming shows, visit jennapaulette.com or follow @JennaPaulette on all social platforms.

About Jenna Paulette: 
A CMT Next Women of Country in 2022 and Apple Music’s Country Riser of the Month for March 2023, singer-songwriter Jenna Paulette — a cowgirl who came of age amid the gritty realities of ranch life — is part of Nashville’s growing wave of female artists who are rewriting the rules and charting their own paths. Paulette settled in Nashville in 2015, where she struck up a mentorship with Ashley Gorley – a veteran songwriter with 60+ No. 1 tunes under his belt – which ultimately led to her publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music in June 2021. Since collaborating with songwriters Will Bundy, Rhett Akins and Jessie Jo Dillion, as well as opening for Mason Ramsey, Parmalee, John Michael Montgomery, Clay Walker and most recently Aaron Watson, Paulette has landed brand partnerships with Justin Boots, Boot Barn, Ely Cattleman and Ranch Water.
 
Her debut album The Girl I Was, is available now, showcasing Paulette’s finely calibrated blend of toughness and sensitivity in tracks like “Country In The Girl” and “Pretty Ugly.” Wearing her heart on her sleeve, Grammy.comremarked it as “transformative,” noting “fuses the sounds of Twain and Miranda Lambert, tackling mental health with the somber ‘You Ain't No Cowboy’ and waxing philosophical on ‘Country In The Girl.’ Paulette continued to spotlight her authentic western lifestyle, performing the national anthem at the National Finals Rodeo, making her Grand Ole Opry Debut and performing in multiple festivals including CMA Fest. As Paulette readies her sophomore album in 2024, she recently signed with independent label Leo33. For more information, visit www.jennapaulette.com.

Jenna Paulette Arrives with Debut Album, "The Girl I Was," Available Now

Hailing from Lewisville, Texas, Jenna Paulette’s roots as a cowgirl were first established as a young girl helping her family tend to their ranch. It’s where she always felt like her truest self, and where the grit that comes from a hard day’s work was born. Now, emerging on the other side of a ten-year-long toxic relationship, Paulette delivers her debut project with that same grit and vulnerability, facing the heartbreak of her past and diving confidently into her future – ultimately returning to the girl she was prior.
 
On the heels of being named Apple Music’s Country Riser of the Month for March, Paulette arrives with her debut album, The Girl I Was, today. Listen HERE.
 
The concept for the album, produced by Will Bundy with impressive writer credits including Rhett Akins, Jessie Jo Dillon and Ashley McBryde, surfaced while Paulette was attending a writers’ retreat. She was driving alone, content with her blue heeler as her passenger, enjoying the sunset in the distance, when an image of her eight-year-old self came to mind. She reminisced on the simplicities of life then – a freckle-faced child helping her grandfather on the ranch – dirty, full of purpose and well-loved. She was determined to get back to her.

“The picture of me that I believe God dropped into my head on the day we wrote ‘The Girl I Was’ in late April last year was taken when I was about eight, helping Granddaddy sell my uncle Hick's cattle,” reflects Paulette. “It’s the first time I ever felt like ‘myself.’ Every time I looked at this picture growing up it was a reminder to me of all the things I love about myself. My freckles in the summer sun. Drinking a hot orange can of Gatorade on a truck-bed or fence. Being covered in dirt while tending cattle. Dust in the air and the feeling of being capable—surrounded by FAMILY with the world at my fingertips. I am proud to say, the ‘Girl I Was’ is now the woman I am.”
 
With influences from country music’s past interwoven throughout, and a cover of country legend Gene Autry’s “Home on the Range” serving as bookends to the project, Paulette reflects on heartbreak and redemption with a delivery that’s reminiscent of her greatest musical heroes – Autry, The Chicks and Miranda Lambert among them. 
 
Kicking off with “Fiddle and a Violin,” the upbeat tune delivers a tongue-in-cheek introspection at two individuals who appear similar, but upon a closer look the differences that were present all along become apparent. Songs “You Ain’t No Cowboy” and “Bless Her Heart” continue to delve into the heartbreak of a relationship gone awry, with “Pretty Ugly” signaling its end (“Roses on the counter are wilted now / Nail holes where I took the pictures down / Right side nightstand looks a little bit dusty / Heartbreak makes pretty ugly”).
 
In contrast, glimpses of healing and new romance are present with wistful love song “Anywhere the Wind Blows,” and hopeful tune “Sun Keeps Comin’ Back Up,” ultimately leading to the transformative, self-discovery title track, “The Girl I Was” (“I can’t believe I ever thought she wasn’t good enough / I’m getting back to the girl I was”).
 
It’s a level of honesty that left The Tennessean musing “gripping clarity, emotion and feeling are more readily apparent in her work than ever before,” with Billboard noting she arrives “confident” and “carefree.”

For more information, visit www.jennapaulette.com and follow Paulette on social media @JennaPaulette.
 
About Jenna Paulette:
A CMT Next Women of Country in 2022 and Apple Music’s Country Riser of the Month for March, singer-songwriter Jenna Paulette — a cowgirl who came of age amid the gritty realities of ranch life — is part of Nashville’s growing wave of female artists who are rewriting the rules and charting their own paths. Her finely calibrated blend of toughness and sensitivity is on full display in tracks like “Country in the Girl” and “Pretty Ugly.” Her most recent single, "Anywhere the Wind Blows," gives a glimpse into Paulette's songwriting abilities and is a whimsical reflection on her mainstream presentation of western living. Paulette settled in Nashville in 2015, where she struck up a mentorship with Ashley Gorley – a veteran songwriter with 50+ No. 1 tunes under his belt – which ultimately led to her publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music in June 2021. Since collaborating with songwriters Will Bundy, Ashley McBryde, Rhett Akins and Jessie Jo Dillion, as well as opening for Mason Ramsey, Parmalee, John Michael Montgomery, Clay Walker and most recently Aaron Watson, Paulette has landed brand partnerships with Justin Boots, Boot Barn, Oak and Eden Whiskey and Ranch Water. Last year, Paulette continued to spotlight her authentic western lifestyle, performing the national anthem at the Professional Bull Riding World Finals; as well as day working on ranches across Texas, securing opening slots and performing in multiple festivals including CMA Fest. With her debut album, The Girl I Was, available now, Paulette continues building her audience as fans get a deeper look into who she is as an artist.

Jenna Paulette Lives on Love with "Anywhere The Wind Blows," Available Everywhere Now

Rising country songstress and cowgirl Jenna Paulette is shedding past woes and heartbreaks, replacing them instead with an excited sense of anticipation for a future yet to come. The carefree, wistful love detailed in her latest song, “Anywhere the Wind Blows,” serves as a testament to how far she’s come - and how far she plans to go. Listen to “Anywhere the Wind Blows” below.
 
“Anywhere the Wind Blows,” written by Paulette alongside ACM Songwriter of the Decade Rhett Akins and producer/songwriters Will Bundy and Jeb Gipson, is the latest off her upcoming debut album The Girl I Was.
 
The project was inspired by one of Paulette’s favorite childhood memories of selling cattle with her grandfather as a young girl. It’s where she first recognized her love of being a cowgirl and felt most true to herself. Realizing how disconnected she had become from who she once was throughout the course of a ten year relationship, The Girl I Was follows her soul-searching journey - and finds Paulette re-emerging stronger and more confident than ever before as she rediscovers that child-like joy she had long since lost. Pre-save The Girl I Was, available March 31 HERE.
 
"This song is about letting go of the things that weighed me down and into what God has for me,” Paulette shared. “I have so much hope for my future right now-- everything I thought I could never have is working out just fine and I feel so light and ready for the adventure ahead."
 
Recently named Apple Music’s March Country Riser of the Month, Paulette’s first episode on “The Ward Guenther Show” will be available to stream on Apple Music today at 3pm CT HERE.

About Jenna Paulette:
Named a CMT Next Women of Country Class Member of 2022, singer-songwriter Jenna Paulette — a cowgirl who came of age amid the gritty realities of ranch life — is part of Nashville’s growing wave of female artists who are rewriting the rules and charting their own paths. Her finely calibrated blend of toughness and sensitivity is on full display in tracks like “Country in the Girl” and “Pretty Ugly”. Her most recent single, "Slow Drawl", gives a glimpse into Paulette's songwriting abilities and finds a way to present the western way of life in a mainstream way. Paulette settled in Nashville, where she struck up a mentorship with Ashley Gorley, a veteran songwriter with 50+ No. 1 tunes under his belt. Since collaborating with songwriters like Will Bundy, Rhett Akins and Jessie Jo Dillion, as well as opening for Mason Ramsey on his 2019 national tour, Parmalee, John Michael Montgomery and Clay Walker, Paulette landed brand partnerships with Boot Barn, George Dickel Whiskey and Ranch Water, and ultimately signed a publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music in June 2021. Last year, Paulette continued to spotlight her authentic western lifestyle, performing the national anthem at the Professional Bull Riding World Finals; as well as, day working on ranches across Texas, securing opening slots and performing in multiple festivals including CMA Fest. With her debut album, The Girl I Was, due March 31, 2023, Paulette hopes to continue building her audience as fans get a deeper look into who she is as an artist.

Country Songstress Jenna Paulette Arrives with Debut Album THE GIRL I WAS Due March 31

JENNA PAULETTE ARRIVES WITH DEBUT ALBUM
THE GIRL I WAS, AVAILABLE MARCH 31, 2023
PRE-ORDER HERE

Rising country songstress and cowgirl Jenna Paulette embarked on a soul-searching journey after losing herself over the course of a 10 year-long relationship. The destination: returning to who she is at her core. Announcing her debut album, The Girl I Was, due March 31, 2023, Paulette documents her journey of self-discovery, re-emerging stronger and more confident than ever before. Pre-save The Girl I Was HERE.
 
The concept for the album, produced by Will Bundy with impressive writer credits including Rhett Akins, Jessie Jo Dillon and Ashley McBryde, surfaced while Paulette was attending a writers’ retreat. She was driving alone, content with her blue heeler as her passenger, enjoying the sunset in the distance, when an image of her 8 year-old self came to mind. She reminisced on the simplicities of life then – a freckle-faced child helping her grandfather on the ranch – dirty, full of purpose and well-loved. She was determined to get back to her, back to the girl she was.
 
When the writing process began, it became clear that the idea was bigger than a single song. Paulette reflects, “I thought, if we don't write another song this weekend everything will be right if we get that song right and we did...and that song made sense of a whole record for me. For the first time I felt like I was writing things that were honest enough to represent where I came from and where I am headed. I cannot wait for y'all to hear this record.”
 
A pivotal part of the transformation process was addressing where she lost herself in the first place. Out today, “You Ain’t No Cowboy” details falling for the trademarks of a cowboy, only to find his character wasn’t deserving of the title. Listen to “You Ain’t No Cowboy” below.

For more information, visit www.jennapaulette.com and follow on social media @JennaPaulette.
 
About Jenna Paulette:
Named a CMT Next Women of Country Class Member of 2022, singer-songwriter Jenna Paulette — a cowgirl who came of age amid the gritty realities of ranch life — is part of Nashville’s growing wave of female artists who are rewriting the rules and charting their own paths. Her finely calibrated blend of toughness and sensitivity is on full display in tracks like “Country in the Girl” and “Pretty Ugly”. Her most recent single, "Slow Drawl", gives a glimpse into Paulette's songwriting abilities and finds a way to present the western way of life in a mainstream way. Paulette settled in Nashville, where she struck up a mentorship with Ashley Gorley, a veteran songwriter with 50+ No. 1 tunes under his belt. Since collaborating with songwriters like Will Bundy, Rhett Akins and Jessie Jo Dillion, as well as opening for Mason Ramsey on his 2019 national tour, Parmalee, John Michael Montgomery and Clay Walker, Paulette landed brand partnerships with Boot Barn, George Dickel Whiskey and Ranch Water, and ultimately signed a publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music in June 2021. Last year, Paulette continued to spotlight her authentic western lifestyle, performing the national anthem at the Professional Bull Riding World Finals; as well as, day working on ranches across Texas, securing opening slots and performing in multiple festivals including CMA Fest. With her debut album, The Girl I Was, due March 31, 2023, Paulette hopes to continue building her audience as fans get a deeper look into who she is as an artist.