Made with all-star producers like the legendary Dann Huff (Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift), ashley cooke features standouts like her current Country radio hit “baby blues” — a longtime fan favorite that officially hit the airwaves on June 22 and ranked among the format’s most-added singles on Mediabase, with 70 first-week stations nationwide. Earlier this year, “baby blues” climbed to the No. 1 spot on SiriusXM The Highway’s Hot 30 Countdown.

In the July 6 edition of Billboard’s “Country Update,” Cooke pulled back the curtain on the making of “baby blues,” beginning with penning the song in the midst of a brutal hangover on the last day of a writers’ retreat in Alabama. The feature also delves into recording the track with Huff, who praised Cooke as “a really intuitive songwriter…She just finds a slight difference in what could normally be a somewhat cliché, or overused, type of situation. She always finds a different angle.”

Along with upcoming song drops “famous to frances” and “johnny ’n june” on July 24, ashley cooke includes previously released tracks like "baby blues," “the hell you are” (a fiercely cathartic anthem), “xs” (a March release that inspired Country Swag to hail Cooke as “one of the most exciting rising artists in the genre today”), and “high school sweetheart” (a self-possessed critique of someone stuck in teenage gossip mode). With its songs spanning from stripped-back piano ballads to full-blown bangers, the album came to life with a powerhouse lineup of co-writers, including luminaries like Liz Rose, Lori McKenna, Ashley Gorley, and Hillary Lindsey and GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter JP Saxe.

ashley cooke marks the eagerly awaited follow-up to ace — a 2025 project that “epitomises why Cooke has cemented herself as a key figure in the contemporary country music landscape,” according to a glowing review in Holler. In 2023, Cooke made her full-length debut with the widely acclaimed shot in the dark: a 24-song stunner featuring the GOLD-certified “never til now” and “your place” (a No. 1 hit on Country radio).

Arriving as a “coming-of-age record disguised as a relationship album” (in Cooke’s own words), ashley cooke will drop a month before she embarks on the baby blues world tour — a 28-date global headline run including stops in major cities throughout the US and UK. Launching on September 17 at Globe Iron in Cleveland, with dates currently scheduled through February 25 at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, the tour will follow her appearances at must-see summer festivals like Hoofbeat (June 27 in Cadott, WI). For more info on Cooke’s upcoming tour dates, visit ashleycooke.com.

Tracklist for ashley cooke:

1 “if i’m being honest” (Ashley Cooke, Johnny Clawson, Kyle Sturrock) ^

2 “high school sweetheart” (Ashley Cooke, Boy Matthews, Cleo Tighe, Lauren Hungate, AFTERHRS) *

3 “baby blues” (Ashley Cooke, Johnny Clawson, Joe Fox, Kyle Sturrock, Seth Ennis) *

4 “famous to frances” (Ashley Cooke, Johnny Clawson, Kyle Sturrock) *

5 “johnny 'n june” (Ashley Cooke, Lauren Hungate, Emily Weisband, Will Weatherly) *

6 “excuses” (Ashley Cooke, Johnny Clawson, Kyle Sturrock) *

7 “dance around it” (Ashley Cooke, Jacob Durrett, Trevor Rosen, Emily Weisband) #

8 “sleepless in seattle” (Ashley Cooke, Lauren Hungate, Matt Roy, Johnny Clawson) *

9 “man behind the glass (feat. JP Saxe)” (Ashley Cooke, JP Saxe, Emily Weisband, Scott Krueger) + ♡

10 “i'm up and i'm down” (Ashley Cooke, Jordan Minton, Jordan Reynolds, Mark Trussell) *

11 “the hell you are” (Ashley Cooke, Chase McGill, Emily Weisband, Seth Ennis, Joe Fox) *

12 “between the lines” (Ashley Cooke, Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose) *

13 “xs” (Ashley Cooke, Ashley Gorley, Emily Weisband, Will Weatherly) *

14 “when we’re 30” (Ashley Cooke, Will Weatherly, Kyle Sturrock) *

15 “the girl who cried wolf” (Ashley Cooke, Emily Weisband, Lauren Hungate, Joe Fox) ~ ♡

Produced by Dann Huff *
Produced by Will Weatherly ^
Produced by Jacob Durrett #
Produced by Joe Fox ~
Produced by Spacecamp +
Produced by Ashley Cooke ♡

ABOUT ASHLEY COOKE:
One of Country’s most magnetic young storytellers, Ashley Cooke made her unforgettable debut with 2023’s shot in the dark and soon scored her first Country radio No. 1 with “your place” — a GOLD-certified, Billboard Hot 100-charting hit that later won a 2024 CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Female Video of the Year. With a voice that carries both tenderness and quiet confidence, she’s since garnered nominations for New Female Artist of the Year at the ACM Awards and Best New Country Artist at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. While building up an acclaimed body of work including 2025’s ace — a nine-song project featuring her Country radio smash “the hell you are” and longtime fan favorite “baby blues” (a No. 1 hit on SiriusXM The Highway’s Hot 30 Countdown) — Cooke has collaborated with major artists ranging from Pop superstar Joe Jonas (“All I Forgot”) to Country hitmaker Brantley Gilbert (“Over When We’re Sober”). Known for her emotionally charged and high-energy live show, she’s also toured with heavy-hitters like Luke Bryan, Parker McCollum, Kane Brown, and recently hit the road as support for Jon Pardi’s HONKYTONK HOLLYWOOD TOUR. As her profile continues to rise, Cooke made a cameo appearance in March on CBS’ Marshals (the newly launched spinoff of the blockbuster Western saga Yellowstone), just before heading overseas for C2C: Country to Country 2026 (including a performance at the iconic O2 Arena in London). With her self-titled sophomore album due out August 14, she’s now gearing up to take the stage at leading festivals like Hoofbeat (6/27 in Cadott, WI).

KEEP UP WITH ASHLEY COOKE