Tift Merritt on Her New Album Sugar & Making a Life in Music

Rhett welcomes Tift Merritt — Grammy-nominated songwriter and one of Americana's most influential voices — to talk about Sugar, her first album in nearly a decade, recorded live in Nashville and shaped by everything that happened in the years between.

Now based in her hometown of Raleigh, Merritt reflects on leaving New York, finding meaning offstage, and returning to music with renewed purpose. She traces the origin of "Everyday Singing" — built from feminist letters and recorded with a choir of women affected by lost research funding — talks through her strategies for quieting the inner critic, and offers hard-won advice to young artists: trust your instincts, and "put love in the world."

Tift’s new album is out now

Follow Tift @tiftmerritt

Follow Rhett @rhettmiller

Wheels Off is hosted and produced by Rhett Miller. Executive producer is Kirsten Cluthe, Studio Kairos. Music by Old 97's. Episode artwork by Mark Dowd. Show logo by Tim Skirven. Watch the podcast on YouTube and Spotify, and listen wherever you get your podcasts. You can also ask Alexa to play it.

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