Ruthie Collins has officially released her debut album, Get Drunk and Cry, launching her first-ever LP with a short film chronicling the cycle of a relationship, from breaking up to reminiscing to getting out there again.
The film spans five songs from the album — “Getting Out There,” “Get Drunk and Cry,” “Boys and Beaches,” “You Don’t” and “Pink Bic” — and sees the country singer run into her ex at a bar and spot him with another girl before leaving town to take some time alone, reflecting on some painful memories before finding herself again and moving on.
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In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Collins dished on how it feels to finally release her album, the inspiration behind the short film and what she’s most excited for fans to hear.
“It’s crazy,” she said of the release. “I think I’ve been working on this record literally five years —it almost feels unbelievable.”
The story chronicled on Get Drunk and Cry is one that many people can relate to, and the singer shared that she hopes her songs can help others rebuild after heartbreak.
“I wrote every song, they’re all true things that I’ve experienced in the last few years, and I just hope people can relate to it and it helps them in some way,” she said. “If these songs are helping people heal, that is just the ultimate thing that we all aspire to be doing through music.”
Collins shared that she and her team decided on a more stripped-down, bluegrass-style production to let her voice shine through and allow the songs to stand on their own. Two of her favorites are “Mockingbird,” which tells the story of a journey between a mother and a daughter, and “Me and Emmylou,” which sees Collins and her dog take a cross-country road trip.
“It’s really about how a girl can do anything if she has her tribe with her, and in my case, that’s a 10-pound chihuahua,” Collins cracked of the track.
While fans were able to listen to a few songs from the album before its release, Collins is excited for listeners to be able to get the full experience, sharing that she loves hearing their opinions on what songs they like, as well as their personal stories.
As for the short film that accompanies the LP, Collins shared that she was inspired by another visual album — Beyoncé’s Lemonade.
“I’ve always been really inspired by design and visual elements, so that was just such a cool way for me to see her tell her story,” she explained. “I was so inspired by her telling her story through music and I thought, I can totally do that because I wrote all these songs and they’re all real.”
Get Drunk and Cry is out now.
Photo Credit: Twitter / @ruthie_collins
