Lauren Watkins Reveals Third Album 'If I’m Being Honest' – Out in September 2026

Nashville-born singer and songwriter Lauren Watkins, known for her poetic honesty and vintage-infused sound, has now officially announced her third studio album If I’m Being Honest, which will be released on September 25, 2026. In conjunction with the album release, Watkins will also embark on her very first major headlining tour, with a highlight performance at Nashville’s iconic Exit/In on October 8, 2026.

If I’m Being Honest marks a new chapter for Watkins, both musically and personally. The forthcoming album consists of twelve songs that explore evolving dreams and developed self-awareness, conveyed through her distinctive blend of unfiltered lyrics and country feel. The album is produced by Will Bundy, with co-production on selected tracks by Joey Moi, and showcases Watkins’s ability to create stripped-down arrangements without losing the sharpness of expression. All tracks on the album are co-written by Watkins, ensuring that her own stories are at the center.

The single “Daydreams” offers an emotional insight into the album’s reflective tone. The song, written solely by Watkins herself, contrasts the excitement of a life on tour with the quiet daydreams rooted in home and simplicity. This track, together with previous singles like “Heartbreakaholic”, “Convenient”, and “Better Love Next Time”, gives a preview of an album meant to engage anyone experiencing a time of change. Watkins reflects on how the core of her dreams has remained, but the details have changed—a recurring theme throughout If I’m Being Honest.

The album follows Watkins’s earlier releases: her debut The Heartbroken Record from 2024, which introduced her confessional songwriting style and warm singing voice, and 2025’s In A Perfect World, an album that documented a period of self-discovery as her sense of home developed. Together, these projects have amassed nearly 100 million global streams, building Watkins’s reputation for her “direct yet poetic songwriting” and leading to performances on stages like the Grand Ole Opry, NBC’s TODAY, and Madison Square Garden. Her standing has been further strengthened by tours with artists including Morgan Wallen, Riley Green, Zach Top, and Lainey Wilson.

If I’m Being Honest Tour will bring Watkins’s storytelling and clear-eyed perspective to audiences across the United States. Tickets are on sale now, and the performance at Nashville’s Exit/In on October 8, 2026, marks a personal milestone as her first headline concert on her home turf. Other tour stops include Orlando, Chicago, and Knoxville, offering fans the opportunity to experience Watkins’s organic country style in an intimate live setting.

As Lauren Watkins now steps into a new phase with If I’m Being Honest, her development as a songwriter and artist is clear. With vulnerable honesty, sharp observation, and a timeless country sensibility, she cements her place as one of the genre’s most insightful and compelling contemporary voices.