Ruthie Foster has announced the release of her new studio album, Just Say Yes.
The Austin-based GRAMMY Award-winning artist also released the album’s lead single, “Thank You,” a blues, rock and gospel-infused track that explores feelings of imposter syndrome.
The song reflects on Foster’s experiences being questioned about her authenticity as a blues artist despite earning widespread acclaim, including a GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
“There’s a front door, but there’s also a window and back door. There’s ways to get in,” Foster says. “I never put any kind of constraints on myself. I’m showing up with all of this.”
Produced in Nashville by Tyler Bryant and co-written with Bryant and Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe, Just Say Yes features 10 tracks that blend soul, roots and blues influences.
The album follows Foster’s GRAMMY-winning album Mileage and arrives during a significant period of personal reflection and transition for the veteran singer-songwriter.
“I’m amazed at how I got to this place,” Foster says.
Foster’s path to success has spanned more than three decades. After serving in the U.S. Navy, she signed with a major label before stepping away from music in 1993 to care for her ill mother.
Following her mother’s death, she returned to music as an independent artist and steadily built a career that ultimately led to GRAMMY recognition.
The title of the new album came from a simple reminder Foster wrote to herself.
“I wrote this thing on a sticky note and it just said ‘Just say yes,’” she recalls.
The album also arrives after Foster suffered a torn meniscus while running to catch a flight last year. She underwent knee surgery in December and says the experience forced her to reevaluate both her personal life and her approach to performing.
“It’s not just about age. It’s really about the miles I’ve put on,” she says. “Every step matters.”
Before undergoing surgery, Foster used a break from touring to spend a week recording in Nashville. She reunited with Bryant and Lovell, who also worked on Mileage, and expanded the sessions into a family affair with Megan Lovell and Mike Seal joining the project.
“Every last one of these songs are about some aspect of my life,” Foster explains.
As she worked on the album, Foster was navigating both physical recovery and uncertainty within her personal relationship. Those experiences became central themes throughout the project.
“This was my way of being true to who I am and knowing that I’m in yet another transition in my life, which is how these albums tend to happen,” she continues.
