Wynonna Judd finds new confidence in her own words

Between the lines: Judd's rock star swagger and rafter-shaking voice are well-known. But away from the spotlight, she said, she has long struggled with self-doubt.

• Even after she got acclaim, she assumed other songwriters were better at their craft. But once the songs started coming, a new confidence emerged.
• "I just didn't trust myself like I do now," she said. "I'm not as dumb as I thought I was."

What changed: Her husband and producer, Cactus Moser, urged her to stop relying on other writers to express what she wanted to say.

• "He literally had to get me in a room and say, 'Listen, this has to come from you,'" Judd said.

• With pen and paper, she methodically turned conversations and memories into lyrics, learning how to build verses and work through rhymes.

Why it matters: Judd co-wrote nine of the 10 songs on "The Hard Truth," released Oct. 2. It is her first major embrace of songwriting, and it is fiercely personal.

• The album opens up about Judd's frayed relationship with her daughter and grief over her mother and singing partner Naomi, who died by suicide in 2022, one day before the duo was to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame for their work as The Judds.

What she's saying: Judd family dynamics have been the subject of decades of scrutiny. Fans might have heard elements of these stories elsewhere, but Judd said she wanted to present her life on her own terms.

• "This is stuff that I've been carrying around for years," she said.
• "I'm giving my deepest thoughts and feelings in a very raw, authentic way where you can feel like I'm on a phone call with you."

Zoom in: Judd addresses her mother's loss head-on in multiple songs, including the searing album opener "All Downhill from Ashland," which retraces their rise to fame.

• "The whole world heard but they couldn't see the price it cost it you and me for those Kentucky blood harmonies," she sings.
• "I feel those words so intimately," she said in the interview. "Every line is something that matters to me."

The intrigue: Exploring her memories and feelings through songwriting has brought her a new kind of peace at 62.

• "I feel invincible," she said. "I do still struggle. But not as much."

Judd's fans respond to the new era

Judd's new songs helped her make sense of some of her toughest experiences, and she said fans have responded with "100% affirmation."

The big picture: Judd said she once approached concerts consumed with delivering a standout performance and winning a standing ovation. These days, she's more interested in the joy of singing and inviting listeners into a conversation.

Case in point: Judd never got to meet her biological father. But after he died in 2000, Judd learned he had kept a drawer full of newspaper clippings about her. The discovery left her wondering how he felt about his daughter.

• When she shared the story with her husband, he recognized the makings of a song: "Girl Who Could Sing."

At a recent show, Judd reached the part of the song in which she wonders out loud whether her father was proud of her.

• About 150 audience members raised signs reading "He IS proud," she told Axios. A fan had organized the surprise and distributed the signs.
• "I had to start the song over," Judd said. "I couldn't even talk. I was so emotional."

The bottom line: Judd said sharing these stories through songwriting allowed her to link with her fans — and her work — in a new way.

• "Now I feel like an artist, if that makes sense," she said. "I just feel a deeper connection to my craft."

What's next: Judd is taking "The Hard Truth" on tour. She will play the Ryman Auditorium March 26-27.