Ahead of Nashville show, Katie Pruitt's sophomore album has taught her the art of letting go

Nashville singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt's star continues to rise with the release of her sophomore album, "Mantras."

On Thursday, she'll be back in town to perform at the Brooklyn Bowl for her first time headlining the venue.

The soulful Americana musician—known for songs "Out of the Blue," "Expectations" and "Self Sabotage"—has been hitting the road on tour, promoting her new record. She recently performed at Stagecoach Festival and has toured through Canada, the West, Texas and more.

Pruitt has opened for Brandi Carlile, My Morning Jacket, Shakey Graves, The Milk Carton Kids and The Wood Brothers on tour. She'll head out on tour again this summer, this time in support of Lake Street Dive.

On May 23, she will perform one of the final shows of her current tour in Nashville, her home city for the past decade.

Katie Pruitt says therapy influenced her newest album

Pruitt's new album finds her reflecting on her religious upbringing in Atlanta, GA, her queerness and the importance of letting go of the past for growth.

Her soaring voice becomes the perfect vehicle to tell her story, sometimes backed by mandolins and plucky acoustic guitar.

Pruitt started writing songs for her new album two years ago. After the release of her debut album "Expectations" in 2020, she wasn't having the smoothest time crafting her next project.

It turned out the challenges were a blessing in disguise.

"Along the way, I just had some personal struggles and some hardships and kind of hit some roadblocks in my personal life and sought therapy," Pruitt said.

She was grappling with her past, making peace with some religious trauma, and working through a breakup after a longterm relationship. She said therapy was an eye-opening experience for her.

"I think I was being particularly hard on myself, especially since it was like my sophomore record. I was kind of putting worlds of pressure on myself and forgot like, 'Oh yeah, music is supposed to be fun.'"

So Pruitt placed the songs she wrote earlier towards the top of the record, bringing her listeners along with her as she grappled with the same themes she worked through outside of the studio in therapy. Throughout the album, more of that work finds its way into the lyrics.

Halfway through the record, Pruitt's "Blood Related" finds her reflecting on spending time with her family amid fighting for their acceptance after she came out.

"On my first record, there's a particularly intense song called "Georgia" about my parents...not accepting me when I first came out," Pruitt said. "As I've gotten older—and I'm lucky that they do now accept me for who I am—but we still don't agree on lot of issues."

Pruitt finds that sweet spot on "Blood Related," capturing tensions but also the love she holds for her family.

"Getting older, I had to realize they're not going to be around forever," she said. "Time is not slowing down. And like I want to try and relate to them and just spend time with them while I can."

"Naive Again" brings her audience back to a place of longing—life isn't an easy fantasy, she tells her listeners.

Pruitt wistfully sings, "I don't believe in fairytales / Now that I've seen behind the veil / No pot of gold, no man upstairs / Just piles of bills and unanswered prayers."

But Pruitt doesn't end her album on a note of yearning.

Listeners hear the peace in her growing. In her final track "Standstill," Pruitt's gliding voice sings of the importance of standing still.

"Even though you can't control an outcome—that can be anxiety inducing, but it can also be just as freeing, just as liberating to be like, 'Okay, I can't control it. So I may as well just be present,'" she said.

Katie Pruitt champions Nashville's creative scene

When she isn't in the studio, Pruitt spends much of her time in Music City longboarding and getting out into nature. One of Pruitt's favorite parts of living in Nashville, though, is her "rich community of musician friends."

"(I've got) people that I can lean on if I need strings cut on something, background vocals or guitar. Just so many talented, amazing people at my disposal," she said, emphasizing the city's never-ending spirit of collaboration.

She sang the praises of her musician friends Courtney Marie Andrews and Jess Nolan. She added that her musical influences include locals Jason Isbell and Ruston Kelly, who took Pruitt on one of her first big tours as the opener.

"Rustin Kelly's been kind of a big brother figure for me for a long time," she said.

And now, Pruitt's planning big things for her Thursday Brooklyn Bowl show with her Nashville music community in mind.

"I've been looking forward to that show for a while now. So I'm gonna think I'm gonna bring out a string section and make it really special," she said.

"I think it'll be special to look out in the crowd and see people that have supported me through times of my life that were particularly hard. Standing on the stage and singing some of the songs...I think it's going to be really healing."

To learn more about Katie Pruitt and her upcoming show, head to katiepruitt.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Katie Pruitt gears up for Nashville show, talks sophomore album "Mantras"