Keeping It Country
Austin's own Sunny Sweeney gets real on acclaimed new album, Trophy
Country singer Sunny Sweeney wants people to like her. And if for some reason they don’t, there’s a chance they could end up the subject of the title track of her next record. Case in point? “Trophy.”
The title track of her newest album was inspired by one of her husband’s exes. “I heard that she was talking shit, basically saying I’m his trophy wife,” Sweeney explains. “The songwriter in me kinda laughed and said, ‘well thank you!’” And then the self-admitted "smart ass" put her response in a song:
"I know what you call me/That word fits me to a T/You just think I’m pretty/And you’re just full of jealousy/I don’t make him play the fool/Put him on a pedestal/That’s something you would never do/Yeah he’s got a trophy now/For puttin’ up with you."
Sweeney’s hopes for her new album, Trophy, available Friday, March 10, are pretty simple. Besides wanting it to be well received (which by early reviews including Rolling Stone seems to be the case), the Texas native, who calls Austin home, hopes people find something in the broad subject matter they can relate to. “And I want people to feel something. I’m not setting out to try to make people cry or anything like that, but sometimes we just need to feel something.”
One song that stirs a lot of emotion in both Sweeney and her fans is “Bottle by My Bed,” which was inspired by Sweeney’s challenges to have a child of her own. She wrote it with Grammy Award-winning songwriter Lori McKenna (“Girl Crush,” “Humble and Kind”). “I honestly didn’t know when we wrote it that it would ever be played anywhere, much less recorded.”
She openly admits to having fertility issues and a miscarriage, and through writing and singing about her unrealized desire to be a mother, it’s become clear to her just how many people have been in her shoes. “There are so many people that have gone through this, and just nobody wants to talk about it,” she explains. “I feel like it’s maybe cathartic for people to hear and know that they are not alone.”
“Unsaid” is another tear-jerker, co-written with up-and-coming country singer-songwriter Caitlin Smith (who also co-wrote "Like I’m Going to Lose You," sung by Meghan Trainor and John Legend). “'Unsaid' is just about making sure that you say the things to people in your life that you need to say, 'cause you just never know,” says Sweeney.
True to her country roots and her musical heroes, which include Merle Haggard and Patsy Cline, Sweeney also sings about addiction, drinking, and living life to the fullest in songs like “Pills” (written by good buddy Brennen Leigh and her husband Noel McKay), “Pass the Pain,” and “Better Bad Idea.”
In that spirit, I asked Sweeney to tell me about the worst idea she’s ever had, to which, after laughing a few seconds, she responded, “Ugh, pass ... just pass. I don’t need to put that in writing!”
Sweeney definitely had the right idea when she selected the songs for Trophy. The final track list (she co-wrote eight of the 10 songs), which she says she agonized over, is a great mix of the emotional and the fun, that, while contemporary, pays tribute to the traditional country music she greatly respects.
She says every good country record has a waltz, and her choice for Trophy pays homage to country music while giving a nod to its writer and another of her heroes, Chris Wall. Sweeney says she’s wanted to record Wall’s “I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight” since her first record. “I’ve always thought that was a consummate country song, and Chris is a great songwriter,” says Sweeney. “I wanted the world to know him if they don’t already and know his songs.”
Sweeney knows the value of a good song, and Trophy is full of them. She hopes her fourth studio album gives her more opportunities to do what she loves most: play live. Judging by the record’s reception so far and her busy schedule, it seems she's getting her wish.
Sunny Sweeney has three shows in Austin during SXSW, including an official showcase on Friday, March 17. To find out where you can see the "trophy wife" live, check out her tour schedule.
The weather was brutal, but the lineup was great.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Fresh off a pitstop at Austin’s iconic La Barbecue, Dua Lipa made the first of her only two U.S. appearances this year. She brought her arena-level production to the American Express stage on Saturday night.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Blink-182 closed out the first night of this year’s ACL Fest with a 24-song mix of new songs and old classics as they dirty-joked their way through the set. Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Sunday’s headlining slots offered a different taste for those who stuck around. While Tyler, the Creator was out east on the American Express stage, Sturgill Simpson was closing out the Honda stage, reminding folks why the Kentucky native was worthy of headlining ACL Fest.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
The Texas son and Fort Worth native Leon Bridges played right in the path of a setting sun, opening his Friday set with “Texas Sun," a collboration with Saturday artists Khruangbin.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
ACL has been and always will be a family affair.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Although Kehlani's set started right as Chappell Roan's was ending, the crowd at the Miller Lite stage was solid. it was a tough spot to fill, sandwiched between Roan and Tyler, the Creator, but the pop singer held her own and was able to pack in the fans.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
It’s been quite a year for Stephen Sanchez, who was seen on stage with Lana Del Rey in late June when the star sold out Fenway Park. The 21-year-old Nashville based singer-songwriter brought the nostalgia.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Mannequin Pussy have been hitting the road hard this year, making appearances at larger festivals like Primavera Sound in Barcelona while rocking mid-sized outings like Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. The band showed off their festival chops in the hot sun Friday afternoon on the Miller Lite stage.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
You can hear music pretty much anywhere in the park, which means you can dance...pretty much anywhere in the park.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Legend has it that country crooner Orville Peck once graced the inside stage at The Mohawk to a hundred or so early investors of his music. In just a few years, Peck was making his entrance on the Honda stage to thousands screaming his name.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Girl group The Beaches always put on a fun show, leaning into their all-female niche as part of the stage banter. But anyone can enjoy the tunes; the catchy riffs speak for themselves.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Khruangbin are known for their infectious instrumental jams, but it’s hard not to marvel at bassist Laura Lee’s incredible outfits, which change from show to show — a true fashion icon in the making.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Dancing in the hot sun was the M.O. this weekend.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
If you are a Marjorie Taylor Green fan, Reneé Rapp’s set may not have been for you. The pop star had some choice words for the Georgia politician.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
The Marias released their second album, Submarine, in June of 2024, so it was fitting that the LA band’s opening sound was a sonar pinging in cue with blue spotlights. Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Zella Day and Jesse Woods joined forces as Chaparelle in 2023 as their romantic partnership was taking shape. The duo performed with four other touring musicians on Friday with a vintage country sound and a little pink tambourine.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
Hometown blues machine Zach Person brought his two-piece sonic force to the Tito’s stage Saturday afternoon, playing to a completely packed tent. Whether it was the reprieve from the intense heat or the good music, the Tito’s tent at 2:05 pm was THE place to be.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
A late addition to this year’s ACL 2024 lineup, Hudson Westbrook took time off from his college courses at Texas Tech to play for a few thousand people Saturday afternoon on the Honda stage.Photo by Daniel Cavazos
This is the feeling we're aiming for.Photo by Daniel Cavazos