Nearly a decade ago, Margo Price turned Nashville on its head with her breakthrough debut solo album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter. Released when bro-country dominated the airwaves, it showcased an artist unafraid to double down on what she loved: classic country songs written from both intellect and gut, hell-bent on truth-telling and timeless urgency. Respected by peers, praised by critics, and beloved by fans, Price carved out a lane where independent-minded, insurgent country music could thrive alongside the mainstream. She became an ardent fighter for her beliefs in a genre where the norm is to shut up and sing—a trailblazer who redefined what it means to be a modern country artist.

Now she’s back with Hard Headed Woman, an exquisite album that reconnects with her roots and pays tribute to the art of the country song. Inspired by legends she now calls colleagues and friends, this record is both a look forward and a look back—a way to march ahead while staying true to yourself when shortcuts are around every corner, and a reminder to stay connected with where you’re from. It’s a promise and a manifesto, a love song to both a city and a genre, and a defiant cry for individuality.

Since Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, Price has barely slowed down. She’s made four records, played Saturday Night Live, earned a Grammy nomination, toured the world with Chris Stapleton and Willie Nelson, released a lauded memoir (Maybe We’ll Make It), became an in-demand producer, and was appointed the first female board member of Willie Nelson’s Farm Aid. Her most recent record, Strays, ventured into psychedelic rock territory. But Price doesn’t follow success or comfort—she follows the art.

Hard Headed Woman is rooted to its core. Rooted in Price’s history and struggle to make it as a musician in a town that prizes uniformity, rooted in the country and folk sounds that have become her signature, and rooted in the simplicity of a few key collaborators. At the heart of her work is her creative partnership with husband Jeremy Ivey. “I’m a songwriter,” Price says. “I’m not somebody who goes out and needs five people to craft a song. I have something to say.”

The album features collaborations with Tyler Childers, co-writes with Rodney Crowell, and a Waylon Jennings song that his widow, Jessi Colter, urged her to sing. Songs like the lead single “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down” speak for the downtrodden and forgotten—an anthem for people being overlooked in society. Inspired by Kris Kristofferson’s support of Sinead O’Connor and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s a reminder to keep fighting for justice even when it would be easier to give up.

Other standouts include “Wild at Heart,” reflecting on how much Nashville has changed over the years and the importance of staying true to who you are, and “Red Eye Flight,” about leaving both a lover and her longtime band the Pricetags after over a decade together. There are carefully chosen covers too, including Steven Knudson’s “Love Me Like You Used To Do” featuring Tyler Childers, and “Kissin You Goodbye,” given to Price by Jessi Colter herself.

Recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A with producer Matt Ross-Spang, the album marks the first time Price has recorded in the city she’s called home for over two decades. “It felt like there were ghosts and spirits just hanging out,” Price says of the legendary studio where Dolly Parton, John Prine, and Loretta Lynn all made albums.

At its core, Hard Headed Woman is about the furious instinct to never waver, especially when our values and future are on the line. As Price sings on the title track, “I ain’t ashamed, I just am what I am.”

“I hope this album inspires people to be fearless and take chances and just be unabashedly themselves,” Price says, “in a culture that tries as hard as it can to beat us into all being the same.”