At just 21 years old, Avery Anna has quickly emerged as one of the most compelling young voices in modern country music. The Flagstaff, Arizona native first gained attention through viral performances on social media before signing with Warner Music Nashville, building a reputation for deeply confessional songwriting that blends country, pop and rock influences. Since then she has released two acclaimed albums — ‘Breakup Over Breakfast' and ‘Let Go Letters' — the latter earning a place on Billboard’s list of the 50 Best Albums of 2025. Along the way she has amassed more than a billion global streams and scored a major breakthrough collaboration with Sam Barber on the Platinum-certified hit ‘Indigo,' which reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
Anna now enters a new chapter with her forthcoming EP ‘forgive, forget.' The six-song collection finds the rising star leaning further into vulnerability, exploring the intense emotions she has experienced over the past few years. The project includes the rock-tinged track ‘Man Downstairs' and the faith-inspired duet ‘Fear In God' with Barber, reuniting the pair whose chemistry first captivated audiences on ‘Indigo.' After supporting Jordan Davis on his recent UK tour and with a headlining Girl Of Constant Sorrow Tour set to launch alongside the EP, Anna continues to push her sound forward while cementing her reputation as a fearless young songwriter unafraid to share the most personal corners of her story.
Avery Anna wastes little time setting the emotional tone of ‘forgive, forget.' with ‘Fear In God,' her second collaboration with Sam Barber following their chart-smashing duet ‘Indigo.' Where that earlier hit leaned more toward stripped-back Americana, this track arrives as something far darker and more dramatic. A brooding electric guitar opens the song before it swells into a drum-driven arrangement as the pair trade verses about hitting rock bottom and searching for redemption. The chorus — declaring that “fear in God will be your saving grace” — reframes faith not as something terrifying, but as a source of grounding when life spirals out of control. Anna and Barber’s voices blend beautifully, their chemistry once again undeniable as they build a powerful meditation on struggle, belief and the quiet strength found in surrender.
If that song wrestles with spiritual turmoil, ‘Man Downstairs' channels its energy into righteous anger. Here Anna leans fully into a darker, rock-tinged edge as scratchy guitars build tension before erupting into a thunderous chorus of pounding drums and snarling strings. The song moves from restrained verses into a cathartic explosion as Anna takes aim at a deceitful lover, recalling how innocence was lost to lies before delivering the stinging refrain wishing the “pathological liar” a meeting with the “man downstairs.” The contrast between vulnerability and fury gives the track its punch, turning heartbreak into something sharp, loud and unapologetically cathartic.
‘Lonestar Alone' pulls the EP back into a more intimate space. Built around a simple picked guitar and airy production, the song captures the quiet desperation of someone left behind after a relationship fades away. “I’d chase you into the dark, I wanna be where you are,” Anna sings, her voice carrying a fragile ache as she contemplates chasing a Texan lover who has already moved on. The song taps into a classic country trope — the cowboy riding away — but reframes it through a distinctly modern lens, blending country, pop and Americana with echoing background vocals that widen the sonic landscape while still keeping the emotional focus squarely on Anna’s yearning.
That Gen Z perspective becomes even clearer on ‘Life Ain’t Like the Radio,' one of the EP’s most deceptively upbeat moments. “Boys in the bible belt ain’t that holy,” Anna sings in the opening line, immediately cutting through romanticised notions of small-town life. The mid-tempo country-pop arrangement is light and catchy, but its bright tone sits in clever contrast to the cynicism running through the lyrics. As Anna notes that “hometown teams don’t always win,” the song becomes a coming-of-age reflection on shattered expectations — a reminder that life rarely unfolds as neatly as the songs on the radio might suggest.
‘Blood Runs Thicker' shifts gears again, diving headfirst into southern rock swagger. A twangy, gritty guitar riff powers the track forward with the kind of attitude reminiscent of bands like Whiskey Myers, while Anna delivers one of her most defiant vocal performances on the EP. The song explores toxicity and flaws with biting honesty, as she declares, “Blond hair, blue eyes, but we ain’t the same,” distancing herself from the man she’s calling out. A roaring guitar solo and explosive final section turn the song into a full-blown rocker, proving Anna is just as comfortable in a gritty southern rock setting as she is in country-pop balladry.
The EP closes with its most vulnerable moment, the title track ‘forgive, forget.' Opening with nothing more than piano and Anna’s voice, the song unfolds slowly as she admits, “I try to hate you, but it’s not true, I wish I did.” At more than four minutes long, it’s the most expansive and emotionally raw track on the project, allowing Anna space to explore the tangled emotions that come with letting someone go. The production remains delicate throughout, with haunting backing vocals adding a dreamy, almost ethereal quality that lands somewhere between vintage Disney cinematic balladry and the wistful country-pop textures of Kacey Musgraves.
Taken together, ‘forgive, forget.' feels like a snapshot of an artist determined to stretch beyond any single musical lane. Across six songs Anna moves effortlessly between faith-leaning Americana, gritty southern rock, modern country-pop and delicate piano balladry, refusing to confine herself to one genre or expectation. That sense of creative freedom is part of what makes her so compelling — and so emblematic of her generation. Rather than chasing a fixed sound, Anna embraces emotional honesty and stylistic experimentation, positioning herself as one of the most interesting young voices shaping the future of country and roots-leaning music.
Tracklist: 1. Fear in God 2. Man Downstairs 3. lonestar alone 4. Life Ain't Like the Radio 5. Blood Runs Thicker 6. forgive, forget. Record Label: Warner Nashville Release Date: March 13th Buy ‘forgive, forget.' right here
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