Trisha Yearwood Reveals ‘Biggest Cheerleader’ Inspired New Album

“The Mirror” isn’t just a new record for Trisha Yearwood; it marks the first time the country music star has co-written a whole album of her own songs. Although fans have been waiting decades for some Yearwood originals, one fellow singer has been rooting for her to get into songwriting all along: husband Garth Brooks.

“He is my biggest cheerleader,” Yearwood told Talk Shop Live. “And I will say, you know, he’s the guy who’s been telling me for 35 years, ‘You’re a songwriter.'” According to Yearwood, Brooks wasn’t only supportive of her songwriting talents all these years, but he also encouraged her to turn her songs into what would become “The Mirror.” The couple will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in December 2025, and “The Mirror” officially hit shelves on July 18.

Yearwood Was Nervous About Showing Brooks Her Songs at First

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Garth Brooks is a highly decorated songwriter in his own right, which made showing him her new songs a little daunting for Yearwood. “When you live with a guy who is in a lot of hall of fames for songwriting… I was really intimidated to play him things,” she said of her husband. Nevertheless, she didn’t want Brooks to simply sugarcoat his thoughts or give her generic feedback. “I wanted him to be honest,” she said.

Although she actively sought Brooks’ feedback, Yearwood said she was also confident enough in her newly written songs to take his feedback with a grain of salt. “Sometimes I’m like, ‘Yeah, I hear you, but I like it the way it is,'” she explained. Following her instincts about self-authored songs is a huge change for Yearwood.

The Singer Didn’t Originally Envision an Album

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Surprisingly, Yearwood didn’t make the songwriting leap with an album in mind. “I wasn’t intentionally in the beginning planning to do anything but write,” she said. “I thought this will be a lot of stuff that’s for me. However, several people in her life thought Yearwood should share the songs with the world, including Brooks.

Not only did Brooks believe her fans would love Yearwood’s songs in album form, but he encouraged her to make sure one particular song made the track list. As the singer shared, she was initially on the fence about the moving track “So Many Summers.” “I was worried that I had actually recorded it maybe down a half step, and it should be a little higher,” she said.

Despite her misgivings, Brooks highly encouraged her to include it on the album. “I took his advice and I’m really glad that it I did,” Yearwood said.