Trannie Anderson Talks Revealing More of Her Heart on ‘Heart Like a Songwriter’ & Picking ‘Songs That Introduce Who I Am’

Trending on Billboard Songwriter Trannie Anderson was driving to go deer hunting when she found out she’d landed her first Grammy nomination, earning a nod for best country song for Lainey Wilson’s “Somewhere Over Laredo,” which Wilson wrote with Anderson, Andy Albert and Dallas Wilson. “I didn’t really have any [cell] reception,” Anderson recalls to Billboard . “I couldn’t even get the live stream to work. Lainey texted us and I legitimately had to pull over to the side of the road and I was just sobbing. It was very special. It was bigger than I dreamed-and I got a deer that weekend, too, so it was pretty much the best weekend, ever.” Anderson has co-written nearly a dozen songs that have populated Lainey’s two CMA album of the year-winners Bell Bottom Country and Whirlwind , including the Country Airplay No. 1 “Somewhere Over Laredo” and top 5 hits “Heart Like a Truck,” and “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.” Cole Swindell, Gabby Barrett, Madeline Edwards and Nate Smith have also recorded her songs. Anderson highlights a wider scope of her songwriting range on her full-fledged songwriter project, Heart Like a Songwriter , out Friday (Jan. 16). Heart Like a Songwriter blends poems and music, including Anderson’s renditions of “Heart Like a Truck,” and “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” pairing songs with poems that explain the inspirations behind them. She also includes uncut originals such as “Bigger Picture” and “No Good Reason.” “I wanted to pick songs that I felt have really showcased my own personal songwriting voice in a unique way over the past 10 years,” Anderson says. “My goal with the whole project and the songs I picked, I’m not trying to get a record deal. I’m not trying to push an artist project at all, I just want to include songs that introduce who I am as a songwriter. I want it to feel like somebody just had a two-hour cup of coffee with me.” The album arrives at a confluence of professional and personal milestones for Anderson. The day following her album release, Anderson will step into the coveted Grand Ole Opry circle to make her Grand Ole Opry debut. Next month, she’ll celebrate her first Grammy Awards as a nominee. As she gears up for these career highlights, Anderson is also expecting the arrival of her first son, Arch, in mid-February. “I think the whole time that God knew that was the right timing for all of it and just a really cool way to bring my son into the world,” she says. “I’m crossing my fingers and bartering with him in my belly right now, like ‘Alright, Arch, I need to you wait to until at least after Feb. 3.” She previews Heart Like a Songwriter with the original song, “Girl With Her Guard Up,” written with Gordie Sampson and Lori McKenna. The song was inspired by surviving a toxic relationship, and then finding a true-hearted love that crumbles emotional walls. “Lori and Gordie are incredible and...

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