A LifeMinute with Jamie O’Neal

The country artist gives us an intimate glance into the making of her new album Sometimes featuring duets with John Paul White, Lauren Alaina, Martina McBride and Sara Evans

From the LifeMinute.TV Team

September 18, 2020

ACM-winning country superstar, Jamie O’Neal is back with her first album since 2014. Sometimes, which features duets with John Paul White, Lauren Alaina, Martina McBride and Sara Evans, is a combination of reimagined versions of the GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter's mega hits such as "There Is No Arizona" and "When I Think About Angels" and brand new songs including her latest singles "The World Goes On" and "Wreck Me." The Australian born artist sat down with us (virtually) from her home studio in Nashville to give us an intimate look into the making this personal record.

The platinum-selling entertainer said “I started out with five original songs and four hits and then I just kept writing and coming up with more songs, especially during the pandemic and so it turned into like eight original songs.”

She put herself, as she explained on the “back burner” after being on the road a lot and being a wife and mother...she had a revelation at last year’s ACM Awards pre-show where she performed her 2000 hit with Lauren Alaina, “There is No Arizona.”

“I was like oh my gosh I've got to record this. It's the 20 year anniversary next year so I really want to record this with Lauren and thankfully she said yes and then once that got started it was like what if I sang, Trying to Find Atlantis with Sara Evans, you know and I got some of my friends like Sarah Evans, Martina McBride to sing on Angels, so it really brought new life for me and made me like the songs again,” she said.

Other duets on the album include one with John Paul White and her 17-year old daughter, Aliyah who gets her pipes from her mama.

O’Neal also put out “The World Goes On” during quarantine which originally was written from her own dark place. “Well I rewrote the lyrics more to fit. I mean basically you know my co-writer Shea Smith and I have both dealt with some depression and definitely in my case anxiety, which really kicked in during the pandemic,” she said of the track, “it originally was about a relationship like trying to get over a guy you know and like not being able to deal with that heartbreak, but then when I wanted to put out something positive to the world and just have a song that was about hope and faith and moving on and staying strong.” 

“There Is No Arizona 2.0” with Lauren Alaina is out today and Sometimes comes out on October 16 or you can pre-order it right now on Amazon.