Trisha Yearwood‘s new album, PrizeFighter: Hit After Hit, is out this week, and she recruited her friend, Kelly Clarkson, to sing on the title track. Trisha sang on Kelly’s Christmas album, Wrapped in Red, last year, and they were eager to get back in the studio together.
“We’re both like, ‘Oh, my God! I’m singing with Kelly Clarkson!” She’s like, ‘Oh, my God! I’m singing with Trisha Yearwood!'” Trisha tells ABC News Radio. “You should just slap us because we’re just ridiculous. We really do both genuinely admire each other, and so we have so much fun.”
For the album cover photo, Trisha put on boxing gloves and a form-fitting white dress to strike a victorious pose. It’s a departure from the normal headshots she usually puts on album covers, but Trisha felt the PrizeFighter title called for a bold photograph.
She says, “Usually I do a photo shoot, and I don’t know what the album title’s gonna be. I’m just trying to look pretty. This time knowing it, it’s like, let’s go be fierce and own it. Let’s go do something really strong that matches the strength of the song.”
Another standout song on PrizeFighter is “I Remember You,” which serves as a tribute to her late mother, Gwen. As a surprise for Trisha’s 50th birthday, her husband, Garth Brooks, secretly flew her sister, Beth, up to Nashville to record a harmony part on the song. Since Beth only sings in the church choir back home in Georgia, Trisha was stunned when she heard her sister singing on the track.
“When I go into listen to the mix, I’m like, I immediately know it’s her, but it can’t be her,” Trisha says. “Like, how is that possible? And the song’s emotional for her, too. The most amazing gift my husband could have ever given me, and it takes the song to yet another level ’cause she has a really angelic voice.”
PrizeFighter: Hit After Hit features six brand-new songs plus Trisha’s greatest hits, including “How Do I Live,” “She’s in Love with the Boy” and “Walkaway Joe.” Look for Trisha to perform on ABC’s Good Morning America Tuesday.
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