Hannah Ellis paid a heartfelt tribute to empowering women in her life while joining forces with one of the most well-respected women in country music.
Ellis marked a full circle moment when she recruited iconic country star — and her own musical idol — Martina McBride to duet with her on “The Women I Am.” The song made its debut on Friday (April 25), after weeks of Ellis posting sneak peeks on social media and teasing her duet partner. She kept McBride’s identity a secret until Wednesday (April 23).
“The Women I Am” pays tribute to the most significant female influences in Ellis’ life, including her mother, her sister, her grandmother and her best friend, plus nods to powerhouse women in country like McBride, Reba McEntire and Faith Hill, to name a few. Ellis wrote the upbeat anthem with songwriters Eric Arjes, Ava Suppelsa and her husband, Nick Wayne.
Ellis said earlier this month that she scored a dream duet by sliding into the four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year winner’s DMs on Instagram. A screenshot — omitting the Grand Ole Opry member’s name and photo as Ellis kept her identity under wraps — showed that Ellis explained she’s working on a deluxe album, and it would “be a DREAM come true” and “a full circle moment” to make the song a duet.
“I never imagined when I was singing ‘A Broken Wing’ [McBride’s iconic late 90s ballad] for my first ever singing contest at 11 years old, that one day I would be releasing a song with Martina McBride,” Ellis shared on Friday. “We knew this song was special when we wrote it, and the story just keeps on going. Sing this one loud with all the women you are! …Since 1990 I have been surrounded by, invested in, and loved by some pretty incredible women. This song was such a dream to write because every word is true, and this video captures the essence of womanhood… I couldn’t be more proud to represent these women!”