"'I'm somewhere between hell and hallelujah' is one of the lines in it," the 58-year-old country music star said.
Trigger Warning: The following article mentions death by suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Wynonna Judd is channeling her grief into art. The 58-year-old announced that she has written a song after the death of her mom Naomi Judd, who died by suicide at age 76 in April 2022. The country star is preparing for the second leg of shows for The Judds: The Final Tour which was originally meant for the mother-daughter duo.
"I just wrote a song called Broken and Blessed and that's how I feel on this tour," she told Entertainment Tonight in a recent interview. "'I'm somewhere between hell and hallelujah' is one of the lines in it." As she sang some of the lyrics a cappella, she continued, "I struggle. And I think when I struggle, I say it onstage." The musician hasn't announced when the song would be released but she revealed that she is navigating grief with her sister, Ashley Judd.
"I'm an orphan now, and I know that," said Wynonna. "I also have a sister I'm getting close to more so than ever. That's a remarkable thing to have someone in your life that you're so different from, but that you can meet somewhere in the middle, and it works."
Dealing with the death of a family member can be hard and the family was even more pained to know that Naomi had died by suicide. Wynonna opened up to TODAY’s Hoda Kotb for her Making Space with Hoda Kotb podcast reflecting on the last performance of the mother-daughter duo. She mentioned that there was something different on the night of their final performance at the CMT Awards in April 2022.
"She was very fragile," the 58-year-old confessed of her mother's demeanor. The pair sang their 1990 single Love Can Build a Bridge when she noticed her mother's eyes filled with trepidation. "I think it’s because she hadn’t sung in a long time," she explained. "And I think when our parents get older, their world gets smaller. And she was late (that night), and she is never late. I think she was nervous. And I think it was so much of an expectation to do it for CMT Awards, and I just think it was, like, imagine being that nervous and having to go out."
While Wynonna describes herself as a tough woman however at that moment she wanted to be as gentle with her mother as possible. "All of a sudden, she looked at me and blinked, and I knew then that something wasn’t right in terms of her being off a little bit, like, nervous. I softened, which I think is God’s grace. I just kind of reached out and touched her hand, like, 'I’m here. I got you. It’s OK,'" she shared. "I’m glad I did that, because that was the last time we performed together. I’m glad I didn’t stay stuck in my perfectionism is my point, I guess."
References:
https://www.today.com/popculture/music/wynonna-judd-last-time-sang-mom-naomi-judd-rcna64228
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Ethan Miller
