Lauren Watkins on Making Heartbreak Sound Good, Even If She Isn’t Heartbroken Herself
Photo by Luke Rogers.
Country music is having a heartbreak renaissance. Everywhere you turn, it seems as though the airwaves are flooded with melancholy and songs that mourn love lost. Rising country music artist Lauren Watkins, however, has taken a refreshingly different approach to heartbreak with her debut album, “The Heartbroken Record.” The seventeen-track project, which features Sheryl Crow and Carter Faith, among others, tells of the multifaceted nature of heartbreak.
Watkins, a Nashville native who grew up singing with her sister, laughs and tells me, “Heartbreak is always like a rollercoaster for me. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s literally hour-by-hour a different feeling, like I might be super sad and distraught one moment, and then the next moment, I might be going to the gym, listening to good music, and feeling great.”
The record embodies this unpredictable ride of emotions, delving into all of the highs and lows that come along with letting someone go. From swinging an ex’s baseball bat through drywall in a fit of cathartic rage (“Mama I Made It”) to stealing a former lover’s truck and escaping to the mountains for a much-needed girls’ weekend (“Gatlinburg”), Watkins explores every shade of breakup blues on the album.
Watkins admits that when she’s given the choice between mending the fence and burning the bridge, she will unabashedly choose the latter. “In my experience, I’m always better off when I just leave a relationship and don’t look back,” she shares. “If you really are trying to move on, going back and revisiting things is just going to completely counteract any steps you’re taking to move on.”
While “The Heartbroken Record” dives into the complexities of heartbreak, however, it’s anything but a somber experience. Rather, Watkins brings an unexpected lightness to the album, balancing heartbreak with wit and energy. She explores breakups through a lens that feels casual and down-to-earth, and presents the ups and downs as part of an experience we all understand. The songs aren’t just about heartache – they’re about finding humor and fun in even the messiest parts of love, which makes the album feel refreshingly real.
"The Heartbroken Record" album cover. Photo by Brayln Kelly Smith.
Yet, despite the album’s focus, Watkins herself is far from heartbroken. In fact, she’s a newlywed who has never been more in love.
This past May, Watkins married fellow songwriter Will Bundy in an intimate Tennessee ceremony. The pair initially met a few years ago after they got set up to write together. “He had known my sister for a little while, so of course when I met him, I was like, ‘Caroline, why didn’t you tell me about this guy?’” Watkins recalls, laughing. “But we were both seeing other people at the time, so we stayed friends for a couple of years, and then started dating and then got married, and it’s been so great. We’ve been writing together for several years now, and he has always been one of my favorite people to write with. He’s so talented,” she gushes.
Watkins describes her relationship with Bundy as refreshingly uncomplicated – a departure from her experiences in previous relationships. “It’s just so simple,” she explains. “He’s my biggest supporter, and I’m his. We just understand niche things about each other’s lives that a lot of other people wouldn’t understand. He’s the best.”
Watkins and Bundy on their wedding day. Photo by Lily Nelson.
Watkins attributes the success of her and Bundy’s relationship to the cornerstone of their marriage: Jesus. She also credits the Lord for her varied musical accomplishments, including, most recently, her opening slot on Morgan Wallen’s “One Night At A Time” World Tour.
“Sometimes, when I’m on stage, I have this sort-of out-of-body moment of like, ‘What am I doing here? How did I get here?’ and then I realize I would be so silly to think that it’s not God that’s put me here on this stage,” Watkins reflects. “This job does get really hard, and the only reason I go forward is because I know that Jesus has called me to do this, and, for some reason, he wants my voice to be heard,” she says, laughing.
“I always try my best to make sure that I’m glorifying Him through all of it, and I say this prayer a lot, I’m like, ‘God, if this ever becomes more about me than it does about you or the songs, then make it stop,’” Watkins laughs. “‘Like turn this thing around and get me back on the right track.’ I don’t always nail it, but I try to do my best.”
Watkins has also been fortunate enough to learn from some of the best in the music industry, including Wallen himself, who she has been friends with for several years. The two even performed together in 2022. Her opening slot on Wallen’s tour has not only taken her across the country, but also across the world, as part of the European leg of the tour. “It’s been so fun, and I never saw myself getting to do something like this so soon, and I’m just so glad that it’s happening,” Watkins says of her tour experience. “I feel like I’ve become a better performer through it, and just more confident. I learn so much from Morgan. We stay and watch his set every night because he’s such a great entertainer, and we just like to watch him and his band and how they run their show and interact with the crowd.”
When it comes to the biggest thing she’s learned from Wallen over the years, Watkins says, “He’s taught me that you really can only worry about yourself, like you can’t worry about what anyone else wants you to do. You’re in charge and you have to worry about what’s best for you and what feels right to you. If you’re constantly worried about pleasing other people, then it’s not going to work. I remember him saying that to me like maybe the first time we met, when we barely knew each other at all, and I just thought like, ‘Wow, that’s really interesting that he said that,’ and it stuck with me. I think he was right.”
As Watkins continues to evolve as an artist, she’s learning that staying true to herself is what makes her music resonate. Whether she’s finding the silver lining in a heartbreak anthem or reflecting on her faith and family, Watkins serves as a reminder that even the toughest moments can be celebrated, and that a little bit of heartache can go a long way.
