Today, artist-songwriter Alana Springsteen announces the upcoming release of her sophomore album I HOPE THIS HELPS, due out May 29 via Santa Anna Nashville. In tandem with the album announcement, the Virginia Beach-bred musician is sharing a fiercely empowered new track called “black sheep.” Accompanied by an official music video, “black sheep” is the second song released from her most unguarded work to date. Listen to “black sheep” here, check out the video here, and go here to pre-order/pre-save I HOPE THIS HELPS now.
The follow-up to her landmark debut album TWENTY SOMETHING — a three-part exploration of life lessons learned in her early 20s — I HOPE THIS HELPS delves even deeper into Springsteen’s inner world. With an unsparing honesty, the 25-year-old artist documents her journey in undoing a lifetime of self-abandoning patterns and the lingering impact of the fear-based faith that raised her. As she infused the album with both unfiltered introspection and deeply personal storytelling, Springsteen co-wrote and co-produced all 16 of its songs, in addition to playing guitar and piano throughout the LP.
Last month, Springsteen offered an early glimpse at I HOPE THIS HELPS with “note to self” — a soul-searching track that reckons with the pain of her early years, released alongside an official music video. While “note to self” bears a heavy-hearted intensity, “black sheep” arrives as a windows-down anthem of triumphant self-acceptance. Written by Springsteen, Lydia Vaughan, Lauren LaRue, and Jared Keim, the sunlit and soaring track perfectly mirrors her transformation from shame and frustration to fully embodied authenticity.
“If I had written 'black sheep' two years ago it would have been an insecure, timid plea to be understood, to fit in for once. Instead, the version you hear embodies the confidence that healing has brought me,” shares Springsteen. “I wear the title of 'black sheep' proudly, as proof that I was created intentionally to walk this path. That we all were. I love the bridge in this song for that reason: 'can't believe I thought it was a weakness, when God's the one who made me this black sheep.’ If you've ever felt misunderstood, out of place, like you were meant for something different... I hope you turn this song up. and I hope you let go of who you thought you had to be to make space for who you were always meant to be.”
Produced by Sam Martinez, Springsteen, and Keim “black sheep” centers on a tender but assured vocal performance from Springsteen, who opens the song with a lived-in snapshot of feeling fundamentally out of place (“Raised in a small town bubble / They said that one is trouble / When I left my eyes were opened / Wide wide wide wide”). As the fast-paced track gathers momentum, she begins to embrace her outsider status as a source of strength (“Tired of making everyone else happy / I used to wanna blend right in so badly / But if being one of them means that I can’t be me / Then I would rather be the / Black sheep”). Shimmering with lush pedal-steel tones, radiant piano melodies, and sweetly propulsive rhythms, “black sheep” ultimately makes a gorgeous case for following your own path without apology.
Directed by Jonah George and Springsteen, the video for “black sheep” finds Springsteen riding in the back of a Bronco along the coastline that stretches from her native Virginia Beach to the Outer Banks — a one-of-a-kind area where ocean meets farmland. Over the course of the playful but poignant visual, the camera also follows a group of young kids as they delight in the carefree magic of childhood: riding bikes, running around the beach, skating on a halfpipe, hosing each other down after playing in the mud. In its constant shift between the two interwoven storylines, the result is a potent reflection on the neverending journey of becoming yourself.
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WATCH "black sheep" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO HERE
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I HOPE THIS HELPS TRACKLIST:
1. “intro” (Alana Springsteen, Sara Bares, Mark Trussell, Lauren LaRue)*
2. “note to self" (Alana Springsteen, Trannie Anderson, Mark Trussell)*
3. “feels good” (Alana Springsteen, Mags Duval, Ido Zmishlany, Sarah “Solly” Solovay)+
4. “sad hour” (Alana Springsteen, Sasha Alex Sloan, Nicolle Galyon, Mark Trussell)*
5. “love to see it” (Alana Springsteen, Sam Bergeson, Maya K, Lydia Vaughan)^
6. “love me anyway” (Alana Springsteen, Rhett Akins, Trannie Anderson, Chris LaCorte)&
7. “interlude” (Alana Springsteen, Sara Bares, Mark Trussell, Lauren LaRue)*
8. “same God” (Alana Springsteen, Emily Weisband, Will Weatherly, Ben Williams)#
9. “diy” (Alana Springsteen, Annika Bennett, Futuristics, Emily Weisband)*
10. “no man's” (Alana Springsteen, Jordan Dozzi, Trannie Anderson, Zach Crowell)**
11. “selfish” (Alana Springsteen, Will Weatherly, Sasha Alex Sloan, Emily Weisband)-
12. “fight like this” (Alana Springsteen, Liz Rose, AJ Pruis)*
13. “i loved you then” (Alana Springsteen, Lauren LaRue, Sara Bares, Jared Keim)++
14. “black sheep” (Alana Springsteen, Lydia Vaughan, Lauren LaRue, Jared Keim)^^
15. “how to swim” (Alana Springsteen, Will Weatherly, Joybeth Taylor, Emily Weisband)*
16. “outro” (Alana Springsteen, Sara Bares, Mark Trussell, Lauren LaRue)*
* Produced by Mark Trussell and Alana Springsteen
+ Produced by Ido Zmishlany and Alana Springsteen
^ Produced by Sam Martinez, Alana Springsteen, Co-produced by Sam Bergeson
& Produced by Chris LaCorte and Alana Springsteen
# Produced by Steve Rusch and Alana Springsteen, Co-produced by Will Weatherly
** Produced by Zach Crowell and Alana Springsteen
- Produced by Will Weatherly and Alana Springsteen
++ Produced by Jared Keim and Alana Springsteen
^^ Produced by Sam Martinez, Alana Springsteen, Co-produced by Jared Keim
## Produced by Dave Clauss and Alana Springsteen
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Also today, Springsteen announces ALANA SPRINGSTEEN: LIVE IN EUROPE, a headline summer tour of the UK and Europe, including stops in major cities like London, Manchester, Glasgow, and Belfast. Kicking off on July 3 at Huercasa Country Festival in Riaza, Spain, the tour will wrap up with a two-night stand at Norsk Countrytreff (a Country music festival in Breim, Norway) on July 10 and 11. Cementing her standing as an internationally beloved artist, Springsteen’s summer trek will follow her appearance this weekend at C2C: Country to Country 2026, where she’ll take the stage in Glasgow tonight (March 13), London tomorrow (March 14), and Belfast on Sunday (March 15). See below for the full itinerary for Springsteen’s summer UK/Europe tour.
ANNOUNCED DATES FOR ALANA SPRINGSTEEN: LIVE IN EUROPE
JULY
3 | Riaza, Spain - Huercasa Country Festival
5 | Glasgow, UK - Òran Mór
6 | Manchester, UK - Academy 2
7 | London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall
8 | Belfast, UK - Limelight 2
10 | Breim, Norway - Norsk Countrytreff
11 | Breim, Norway - Norsk Countrytreff
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Since the arrival of TWENTY SOMETHING — a 2023 LP that delivered hits like the GOLD-certified “goodbye looks good on you (feat. Mitchell Tenpenny)” and earned praise from major outlets like NPR Music (whose All Songs Considered hailed the title track as one of “The Best Songs of 2023”) — Springsteen has embarked on her first U.S. headline run, performed at leading festivals like Stagecoach, and taken the stage at arenas across the country as support for Keith Urban’s HIGH AND ALIVE WORLD TOUR. Along with releasing Alana Springsteen: Live from the Ryman and Alana Springsteen: Live from NPR’s Tiny Desk, she also scored her first No. 1 hit with “Hot Honey” — a Country-Dance collaboration with multi-platinum superstar DJ/producer Tiësto.
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