From ‘Hurtin’ (on the Bottle)’ to ‘Hard Headed Woman’: Margo Price’s booze-free reinvention

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Margo Price is known for being direct and bold – some might even call her a troublemaker or outspoken. Few would ever describe her as someone who easily gives in or lets others walk all over her.

To create her fifth album, “Hard Headed Woman,” released in August, the 42-year-old country singer first had to learn to be more assertive and advocate for herself.

Price explains that making this album helped her become more confident in speaking up for herself. She was speaking via Zoom shortly after arriving in Los Angeles and heading to a wardrobe fitting for an appearance on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’. Interestingly, her performance aired during the episode that led to the show being briefly taken off the air due to comments made by the host regarding the person accused of shooting right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Setting boundaries can be difficult. It can be surprising for others when you start saying ‘no’ after not having done so before, and it often leads to conflict. People don’t always react well to it.

Margo Price isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers, and ‘Hard Headed Woman’ pretty much sums up her attitude. Musically, this album is classic Margo – full of traditional country sounds, clever lyrics, and sharp storytelling. It includes covers of songs by George Jones and Waylon Jennings, plus collaborations with artists like Jesse Welles and Tyler Childers, and songwriting contributions from Rodney Crowell.

Her singing may be the best she’s ever put to tape. In fact, she sounds reinvigorated.

“All these songs feel very much like a taking back of who I am,” Price says.

The album’s attitude is best captured in the lead single, “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down,” a lively, energetic song filled with Price’s signature witty lines. One standout lyric is, “All the cocaine in the world couldn’t keep your nose out of my business.” Price performed the song, including a newly added verse about opposing fascism, on “Kimmel” on September 16th, shortly after this interview.

Her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live happened right as a national debate about the First Amendment was heating up. For a few days, it looked like her performance might be the last one aired before Disney allowed Kimmel to come back on the show.

Price intended her album ‘Hard Headed Woman’ to be a direct response to attempts at political censorship.

She explains she wanted to share her personal connection to Nashville and country music. She also aimed to express strong support for feminist ideals, progressive viewpoints, and transgender rights – beliefs she feels are unfairly criticized and aren’t actually the issue at hand.

Things really changed for me professionally during this period. I had to build a whole new team around me, which was tough. The hardest part, though, was letting go of my band, The Pricetags. We’d been together for over ten years – they were like family, honestly, and my husband, Jeremy Ivey, was one of them. It felt like losing brothers, and it wasn’t an easy decision at all.

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Price explains that she now feels confident and in control. She says she’s reached a point where she can confidently make tough decisions, like letting people go if they aren’t a good fit for her team or if their energy is negative. This ability to take charge is a significant part of her current mindset.

This is all part of a personal journey that began almost five years ago. Country singer Price, known for her energetic performances and songs about drinking like “Hurtin’ (On the Bottle),” stopped drinking alcohol in January 2021, shortly after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Price describes alcohol as a way to shut down difficult feelings, something she thinks many people are drawn to right now because of how challenging things are. While she doesn’t identify as completely sober – she still uses cannabis and mushrooms – giving up alcohol forced her to confront her fears and anxieties directly, without the usual escape. She calls this process of facing her inner struggles dealing with her ‘shadow self’.

It can be difficult to simply acknowledge and experience your emotions, but learning to do so has helped me accept my imperfections and work on improving them, rather than ignoring them, says Price.

She used to think she had some major flaws – a tendency towards addiction, a quick temper, and a habit of avoiding conflict. Facing these patterns pushed her to try new things. “I used to believe therapy was only for privileged people, and meditation seemed silly,” Price explains. Now, she regularly practices both. “It’s amazing how much you can change and grow just by making one small adjustment.”

She says leaving the Pricetags was inevitable. For a long time, Price avoided upsetting anyone or making changes, even though she felt stuck. The ongoing substance use of people around her didn’t make things easier. A tour with Tedeschi Trucks Band in the fall of 2024 finally led to her decision to leave.

The final push that led to a change came when Price wasn’t thrilled with how people reacted to her song, “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down.” The song was inspired by advice Kris Kristofferson gave to Sinéad O’Connor at a Bob Dylan concert in 1992. Price realized she needed to refocus on her country roots. She felt they’d drifted too far from that original sound.

I was really surprised by Margo Price’s last album, ‘Strays’ – it was a bold move into psychedelic rock, and I think it’s gotten unfairly overlooked. But her new one, ‘Hard Headed Woman,’ feels like a beautiful return to her roots. It’s steeped in classic country songwriting and sounds amazing. She even recorded it at the iconic RCA Studio A in Nashville – the same place Dolly Parton made ‘9 to 5’! It was her first time making a record there as a solo artist, which is pretty special, and you can really feel that history in the music.

Sturgill Simpson’s latest album has plenty of her signature wit and attitude, like in the song “Don’t Wake Me Up,” a duet with Jesse Welles about protecting your happiness. It also features tender, vulnerable love songs, notably “Love Me Like You Used to Do,” which includes a collaboration with longtime friend and fellow musician Tyler Childers. However, the album really shines when Simpson reflects on her own experiences-her early hardships in Nashville (“Losing Streak”), meeting her husband (“Close to You”), and her roots in “Nowhere Is Where,” a deeply personal song about her upbringing. It’s her most revealing and intimate work since her debut album, “Midwest Farmer’s Daughter.”

It’s funny, considering I’ve always loved how honestly Fiona Price pours her heart into her music, she actually finds it really tough to talk about herself personally. She says writing her memoir, ‘Maybe We’ll Make It’ – which just came out in paperback – was a big step in helping her open up and feel a little more vulnerable.

Reading that book felt like stepping into someone’s incredibly open heart, and honestly, at times it felt *too* honest. It was amazing, though, to hear her say she *did* hold back – she really wanted to keep some parts of her life private, and that made so much sense. As a mom and an artist, she felt a responsibility to protect her family, and she admitted to being worried about people misusing personal details. Ultimately, she just wants to safeguard her own well-being, and I completely understand that. Protecting your peace is so important, and she’s right to prioritize that.

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Making this change wasn’t just about her own career; it also meant ending her professional relationship with her husband and musical partner, Jeremy Ivey. Price believes it was a necessary step for their marriage and family. Now, while she’s touring, Ivey can stay home and care for their three children – something her mother usually had to do.

Having some free time, Ivey has started making his own music again, even completing two new albums. He also occasionally performs live, like when he joined Price at Farm Aid in Minneapolis last Saturday, where she’s a board member. He’ll be performing with her again this weekend when she plays shows in Los Angeles at the Grammy Museum and the Ohana Festival in Dana Point.

It’s wonderful to see him rediscovering his passions,” Price shared about her partner. “He’s always supported me and put his own goals aside, so I really wanted to encourage him to pursue what *he* wants again.

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2025-09-25 21:02