ACM, CMA and GRAMMY-winning band Little Big Town will release their highly anticipated 10th studio album Mr. Sun on September 16, 2022.
On Friday, July 22, the band will release a brand-new track and lyric video from the album, “Rich Man,” written by LBT’s Jimi Westbrook. Pre-save “Rich Man” here. An official music video for the song will arrive soon.
The genesis of Mr. Sun was unlike any of their previous albums. Due to the pandemic, the band found themselves off the road and apart for the first time ever throughout their 20-year journey. The resilience and creativity born from those months unearthed a deep appreciation for both one another, and the privilege of making music – ultimately inspiring the self-produced Mr. Sun, which packs both the sparkle of storytelling and the heat of truth-telling in a way only Little Big Town can.
“Mr. Sun is intentionally an emotional record that holds hands well with our last album Nightfall,” LBT’s Karen Fairchild shares. “Mr. Sun is focused on better days ahead, the value of friendships and family; it touches on heartbreak and letting go, but it’s full of sunshine and joy.”
“This album has a special feeling to it. We have collectively been through an unprecedented period making this album,” adds LBT’s Phillip Sweet. “Life is short; we are here to live it with the ones around us, loving them and ourselves the best we can. All the while, thankful for another turn around the sun.”
New and old relationships are woven through the Mr. Sun, with a member of the band writing or co-writing 13 of the 16 tracks, and a grand total of 33 songwriters hailing from 3 counties and 20 different states. These songwriting relationships span from 20-year friendships to first time connections, resulting in an album beaming with color across the entire spectrum.
Little Big Town first entered the music scene over 20 years ago with hit songs “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” “Good As Gone” and the GRAMMY-nominated “Little White Church.” The band’s breakthrough albums Tornado and Pain Killer produced multiple #1 singles, including “Pontoon,” “Tornado,” and “Day Drinking,” as well as the history-making, best-selling country single of the year (2015) “Girl Crush.” 2017’s The Breakerdebuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Charts and Top 10 (No. 4) on the Billboard 200 to critical acclaim. The album features their GRAMMY-winning, multi-week #1 single, “Better Man,” as well as the 2019 GRAMMY-nominated, “When Someone Stops Loving You.” The band’s self-produced ninth studio album Nightfall was released January 2020 and hit the top of the Billboard Country Charts. The record included critically-acclaimed and GRAMMY-nominated “The Daughters,” “Over Drinking” and “Wine, Beer, Whiskey”- the latter of which has reached more than 362 million global streams. In April 2022, they released their new single “Hell Yeah,” which has amassed more than 21 million global streams to date. Little Big Town has earned more than 45 award show nominations and has taken home nearly 20 awards, including multiple GRAMMY, AMA, People’s Choice, CMA and ACM Awards, in addition to an Emmy award.
Mr. Sun Track List:
All Summer (Karen Fairchild, Sara Buxton, Madi Diaz, Ashley Ray, Savana Santos, Alysa Vanderheym)
Better Love (Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Tofer Brown, Audra Mae)
Hell Yeah (Phillip Sweet, Jimi Westbrook, Corey Crowder, Tyler Hubbard)
Mr. Sun (Sarah Buxton, Daniel Tashian)
Three Whiskeys and the Truth (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose)
One More Song (Tofer Brown, Sean McConnell)
Heaven Had a Dance Floor (Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Jimi Westbrook, Cary Barlowe, Jesse Frasure)
Gold (Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Trent Dabbs, Luke Dick)
Rich Man (Jimi Westbrook)
God Fearing Gypsies (Karen Fairchild, Nicolette Hayford, Ashley Ray)
Different Without You (Corey Crowder, Jared Mullins, Steven Lee Olsen, Jordan Schmidt)
Whiskey Colored Eyes (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, Jimi Westbrook, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
Song Back (Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Todd Clark, Sara Haze, Jason Saenz)
Something Strong (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose)
Last Day On Earth (Karen Fairchild, Trent Dabbs, Tommy English)
Friends of Mine (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, Jimi Westbrook, Foy Vance)
Previously released tracks from Mr. Sun include “All Summer” on July 1 and lead single “Hell Yeah” in April, which has amassed more than 21 million global streams since its release. Watch the music video for “Hell Yeah” here and the lyric video for “All Summer” here.
Little Big Town will kick off the brand-new series “CMT Summer Camp” with the premiere episode airing Thursday, August 12 at 9p/8c on CMT. The exclusive one-hour special will include performances of new music and some of LBT’s greatest hits for a night of summertime fun.
To celebrate the album’s release, the band will perform on the 2022 Citi Concert Series on TODAY on September 16 from the TODAY Plaza at 30 Rock.
Mr. Sun follows the band’s self-produced, 9th studio album Nightfall, which debuted atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart upon its January 2020 release and was nominated for Best Country Album at the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. The record included critically-acclaimed and GRAMMY-nominated “The Daughters,” “Over Drinking” and “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” – the latter of which has garnered more than 362 million global streams to date.
Little Big Town continues to bring their exceptional live shows to fans worldwide this summer – they recently wrapped up The Bandwagon Tour with Miranda Lambert and joined The Eagles on all dates of their European stadium tour this summer. This fall, Little Big Town will join Wynonna Judd on select dates of The Judds: The Final Tour.