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NASHVILLE – Austin-based GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster is preparing to open an exciting new chapter with the release of her upcoming studio album, Just Say Yes, arriving August 28 via Sun Records. The 10-song collection showcases Foster’s signature blend of soul, blues, roots, and heartfelt storytelling, while embracing themes of resilience, personal growth, connection, and optimism.
Alongside the album announcement, Foster has unveiled the powerful new single, “Thank You,” a spirited track that combines blues, rock, and gospel influences with soaring harmonies and driving guitar work. The song confronts feelings of self-doubt and imposter syndrome, inspired in part by Foster’s experiences facing questions about her place within the blues community despite earning some of the genre’s highest honors, including a GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
“There’s a front door, but there’s also a window and back door. There’s ways to get in,” Foster says. “I never put any kind of constraints on myself. I’m showing up with all of this.”
The new single has already drawn praise from critics. In an exclusive premiere, Relix described the track as a vibrant showcase of Foster’s artistic range, highlighting its uplifting energy, emotional depth, and refusal to surrender to fear or self-doubt.
Just Say Yes arrives at a particularly meaningful moment in Foster’s career. After more than three decades of dedication to music, she earned her first GRAMMY Award last year for Mileage, a milestone that reflected years of perseverance and determination. Her path has been anything but conventional. Following service in the U.S. Navy and an early major-label deal, Foster stepped away from music in the early 1990s to care for her ailing mother. After her mother’s passing, she eventually returned to performing and recording as an independent artist, building one of the most respected careers in contemporary roots music.
Produced in Nashville by Tyler Bryant and co-written with Bryant and Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe, the new album reflects Foster’s decision to embrace life’s uncertainties rather than resist them. Throughout the project, she explores change, healing, self-discovery, and the opportunities that often emerge from difficult circumstances.
“I wrote this thing on a sticky-note and it just said, ‘Just say yes,'” she recalls.
The album was created during another significant period of transition in Foster’s life. Following a knee injury that resulted in surgery after she tore her meniscus while rushing through an airport, Foster found herself reflecting on both her physical health and her future. The experience prompted changes to her touring routine and reinforced the importance of slowing down and appreciating each step along the journey.
“It’s not just about age. It’s really about the miles I’ve put on,” she says. “Every step matters.”
Before undergoing surgery, Foster headed to Nashville for a week of recording sessions with Bryant and Lovell, reuniting with the creative team behind Mileage. The recording process quickly evolved into a collaborative family affair, with Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe and her husband Mike Seal also joining the sessions.
The songs that emerged from those recordings are deeply personal reflections on Foster’s life. As she navigated recovery from her injury, she was also facing uncertainty in a longtime relationship. The combination of emotional and physical challenges led her to examine who she was beneath the layers of expectation, routine, and self-protection.
“Every last one of these songs are about some aspect of my life,” Foster explains.
The result is an album that captures an artist embracing vulnerability, change, and renewal with open arms. For Foster, Just Say Yes is more than an album title—it is a philosophy that has guided her through life’s latest chapter and continues to shape her journey forward.
“This was my way of being true to who I am and knowing that I’m in yet another transition in my life, which is how these albums tend to happen,” she continues.
Website: www.RuthieFoster.com
TOUR DATES
Jun 5 – Burlington, VT – Burlington Jazz Festival
Jun 7 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Blues Festival
Jun 12 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theater
Jun 25 – Eugene, OR – The John G. Shedd Institute For The Arts
Jun 26 – Berkeley, CA – The Freight
Jun 27 – 28 – San Jose, CA – Fountain Blues & Brews Festival
Jun 28 – Nicasio, CA – Ruthie Foster BBQ On The Lawn
Jun 29 – Grass Valley, CA – The Center For The Arts
Jul 10 – Columbus, OH – Bicentennial Park
Jul 11 – Deadwood, SD – Deadwood Blues Festival
Jul 16-18 – Taos Pueblo, NM – She Rises International Women’s Music Festival
Jul 24 – South Park Township, PA – South Park Amphitheater
Aug 1 – Woodstock, NY – Sun Records Midnight Ramble
Aug 2 – Woodstock, NY – Sun Records Midnight Ramble
Aug 12-13 – Big Indian, NY – Catskills Crossroads Blues Camp
Aug 14 – Brattleboro, VT – Stone Church
Aug 16 – Thornton, NH – White Mountain Boogie N’ Blues
Aug 20 – Brownfield, ME – Stone Mountain Arts Center
Aug 21 – Plymouth, MA – Spire Center for the Performing Arts
Aug 22 – Falmouth, MA – Falmouth Academy
Aug 23 – Albany, NY – The Egg
Aug 25 – Okoboji, IA – Pearson Lakes Art Center
Sep 10-13 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender
Sep 13 – Cerritos, CA – Cerritos Center For The Performing Arts
Sep 15-19- Nashville, TN – AmericanaFest
Oct 31- Nov 7 – San Diego – The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
Feb 26 – Mar 5 2027 – Miami, FL – Cayamo
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