When Leanna Crawford rolled into CMA Fest for the very first time back in June, she was running on pure adrenaline and a dream nearly a decade in the making. Fresh off a late-night drive, the award-winning singer-songwriter pulled up to Nashville with a heart full of gratitude and a brand-new sound ready to share with the world.
Fast forward to July 24: Crawford officially released her long-awaited sophomore album, Thank God, while simultaneously taking the stage for her grand debut at the iconic Grand Ole Opry.
Having already swept up New Artist of the Year honors at the 56th Annual GMA Dove Awards and earned RIAA Gold status for her hit “Still Waters (Psalm 23),” Crawford’s whirlwind summer is proof that waiting on the right timing is always worth it.
For Crawford, pivoting toward a richer, more country-infused sonic palette felt less like a shift and more like a homecoming. Growing up on ’90s country, the transition came effortlessly when she stepped into the studio to write and record Thank God.
“I’ve wanted to kinda lean into the country feeling sonically for a long time, and even lyrically,” Crawford tells Celeb Secrets back in June. “It just felt really, really special, and very much like home writing these songs. I love telling stories in music, and that’s what country music does so well… Country and Christian music are already buds, so it just felt really natural.”
The 11-track project features production by heavy-hitters Rob Ellmore, Sam Martinez, Jimmy Robbins, Aaron Robertson, Bobby Strand, and Jacob Sooter. Combining rootsy instrumentation with Crawford’s soaring, familiar vocals, the record showcases her at her most authentic.
While the album boasts infectious, feel-good rhythms, its real power lies in its raw honesty. Crawford didn’t hold back when opening up her journal for this record, diving into vulnerable themes of forgiveness, unanswered prayers, and emotional healing.
Two tracks stand out as deeply personal for the artist: “Revenge” and “Ask Him Again.” Despite the fiery title, “Revenge” tackles the hard process of choosing forgiveness. “It’s a song about forgiveness, but it was very healing for me to write,” Crawford shares. “It was something I had gone through a few years ago, and I didn’t realize how badly I just needed that song.”
Written during a season of waiting, “Ask Him Again” addresses the tension of praying for something good that doesn’t unfold as planned. “It was a very personal song about praying for something good, but just not getting the answer that I wanted, and still trusting God in the middle of that.”
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Looking at Crawford’s soaring stats — including over 2 million followers across social platforms and mainstage festival slots in front of 25,000 fans — it’s easy to assume her trajectory was seamless. But the singer candidly admits that a few years ago, she almost walked away from the industry entirely.
“Nashville is called the 10-year town, and I’ve been here almost 10 years,” Crawford reflects. “There were a lot of times where I was like, ‘I think I’m done. We’re gonna throw in the towel.’ Songwriting was hard for me because I had become so hard on myself and felt like I had failed everybody around me. It was a dark time.”
The turning point came through counseling, time, and the support of her sister, who served as her roommate during the darkest stretch. “She continued to just speak life to me and tell me who I was in Jesus,” Crawford recalls warmly. “Little by little, I just started to fall in love with songwriting again. Now I just feel this deep sense of gratitude to still be doing music.”
That season of wrestling ultimately inspired the album’s title track, “Thank God.” As Crawford puts it, the song is about thanking God for the times He said “no,” knowing a better path was ahead.
That trust in the bigger picture has paid off in the biggest way imaginable. Scoring an album release day and a Grand Ole Opry debut on the exact same date is a rare double-header — and one Crawford isn’t taking for granted.
“It was pretty wild… kinda speechless,” she admits. “I feel like it’s definitely a dream of so many to get to do the Grand Ole Opry, and for those two things to happen on the same day — my album release and the Grand Ole Opry debut — it just feels very surreal.”
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As if an album drop, an Opry debut, and a nationwide tour weren’t enough to make 2026 her biggest year yet, Crawford revealed that her most meaningful milestone is still to come. Just three days after her album release, the singer took to Instagram on July 27 to announce that she and her husband, NBA star Cody Zeller, are expecting their first child — a baby boy due in November!
Stepping into motherhood while launching a career-defining project feels like the ultimate embodiment of Thank God. Balancing nursery prep alongside tour stops, Crawford is embracing this sweet, unexpected timing with open arms as her family and music career expand together.
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While the album’s themes hit deep, the creative process behind the scenes had its fair share of laugh-out-loud moments —starting with a vision that looked drastically different from the lush floral aesthetic fans see today.
“I had a whole different vision for this album visually!” Crawford laughs. “My first album, Still Waters, was shot in the Northwest where I’m from. For this next record, I’m a big Lord of the Rings fan — total nerd — and I was like, ‘We’re gonna be on the road to Mordor, and it’s gonna be a journey!’ That could not be further from where we landed. We make plans, then God laughs! It turned out to be lots of florals instead, but I’m obsessed with how it turned out.”
Through every unexpected turn, Leanna Crawford has crafted a masterpiece that meets listeners right where they are. Thank God is now available to stream worldwide, and fans can dive deeper into her journey through her new companion mini-docuseries streaming now on YouTube.
For more on Leanna Crawford’s music, make sure to watch our full interview from CMA Fest below. Don’t forget to let us know if you’re loving Thank God by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecretscountry.
For more Country news, visit CelebSecretsCountry.com. For more coverage from CMA Fest 2026, click here.
