Telepeer

Wynonna Judd talks about legacy and connecting with fans ahead of Stagecoach

April 17, 2026

A decade ago, Wynonna Judd played one of the most surprising and memorable shows ever at the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX.

Judd agreed to play SXSW, for no money, only if she could play in St. David’s Episcopal Church, a venue she knew of from the time she lived in Austin.

And she didn’t even play the large sanctuary, Judd and her band set up in a worship room that held about 150 people, a perfect place for an intentionally intimate show

Hiding nothing, she talked about her family “we put the fun in dysfunctional,” how she felt broken as a mom and eating at Taco Bell earlier in the day, then introducing songs with lines like “I tell people I’m a tragic comedy. One day I’m laughing, the next day I’m on my knees begging to God.”

And she sang, delivering a thrilling vocal performance that was as memorable for her as those who were fortunate to be in the church that night.

“I remember it so well,” Judd said in a recent interview. “It’s one of the unforgettable shows to me. That was one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. It was so intimate. It became very personal for me playing in that church.”

Judd will be playing a much less intimate venue on Friday, April 24, when she performs on day one of the 2026 Stagecoach County Music Festival in Indio. She’ll return to Southern California this summer for tour stops with Melissa Etheridge at The Rady Shell in San Diego on July 11 and at Great Park Live in Irvine on July 12.

Wynonna Judd performs “Why Not Me” during the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

1 of 6

Wynonna Judd performs “Why Not Me” during the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Expand

Q: So, I’ve wanted to know this, I think probably since the first time I heard you sing, but absolutely after that show in Austin, when did you realize that, man, I can do this, I have a voice, you know what I’m getting at?

A: That’s a great question. I think when I got inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame (in 2022), it hit me. Mom had died and I was going on to a next chapter. We were talking about this tour, and we were talking about the record, and we were talking about everything. I thought, ‘You know what? I’ve been doing this 42 years, and I think I’ve arrived at a place in my life where being inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame is a moment that you realize, like the day you get married or the day that you have a baby, “My life is different now.” I think it hit me.

That’s the first time I’ve ever said that. I’ve never been asked that question, really that way. But I would say the Country Music Hall of Fame induction, because it showed you in that where you’re held, the esteem in which you’re held, I guess.”

At that Austin show, it became really clear to me that you’re a country singer, but there’s a lot of soul in you, and there’s some rock and roll, right? And that all can come through almost in the same song.

I think all my musical backgrounds are coming through the songs all the time. When I do this show, I will be focused on all those different musical influences. It’s the greatest hits tour. It’s all about the music.”

As Judd works on a new album, she’s also on tour, playing a career-spanning show that’s split between songs from her solo career like “No One Else on Earth,” “Girls With Guitars” and “To Be Loved By You” and classics by the Judds she recorded with her mother Naomi.

“I was 18 years old when our first song came out, ‘Mama, He’s Crazy,’ it was No. 1 in 1984,” Judd said. “Now I’m singing it as a 61-year-old grandmother.”

Judd’s also working on new music, a process that along with performing the old songs and her faith has sustained her through a turbulent time in her life.

“The last two years have been really crazy, and I’ve been trying to find my way through all of it, and the music just keeps me believing and hoping,” she said. “I’m trying to do something that’s purposeful, turning my pain into purpose, going in the studio and working on my latest record with (her husband) Cactus Moser.

“He and I wrote it focused on the present moment and really trying hard not to stay stuck in the past or looking to the future, but just really trying to enjoy now,” Judd said. “That’s been what’s gotten me through honestly, and I have an incredible team of people that are around me that encourage me and support me, and we have our Bible study every week, and we have our moments of praying.”

But, as she repeatedly emphasized, at its heart, the show isn’t about her or which songs she chooses to perform.

“It’s all about the fans,” Judd said. “Nothing else matters in that moment when I step out on that stage and I step into the light, literally and figuratively, I feel renewed. It’s the darndest thing. It’s the most wonderful feeling in the world.

“I have moments with the fans that are so sacred, and that’s what I think about as I’m laying down that night on the bus cruising down the highway,” she said. “I think about that moment with the fan, that they were there for me and I was there for them, and we have this marvelous relationship, and it’s so sacred.”

Wynonna Judd talks about legacy and connecting with fans ahead of Stagecoach Orange County Register

News Details

Wynonna Judd talks about legacy and connecting with fans ahead of Stagecoach

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS