Wynonna Judd At 60, he’s still going strong — and has no plans to retire in the near future.
During her nearly 50-year career, the country singer has won five Grammy Awards, released 14 No. 1 singles and sold more than 30 million records. She has performed at the prestigious Grand Ole Opry and, in 2022, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame alongside her late mother, Naomi JuddAs mother-daughter musical duo The Judds.
But despite all the accolades and hordes of admirers, the great artist It remains as practical as possible.
“On a normal day, I put on my oversized pajama pants, an oversized T-shirt and Uggs, put my hair in a ponytail and no makeup, and walk around my kitchen thinking about what I’m going to make for dinner,” says the 60-year-old star. “My lifestyle is not extravagant.”
root He is happiest at home on his 1,000-acre Tennessee farm With her husband of 12 years, a drummer Cactus Moserand her granddaughter, Kaliyah. (She is babysitting a 2-year-old for her daughter, Grace Kelly27-year-old Jude has been plagued by legal troubles. Jude and her ex-husband Arch Kelly III (They also share son Elijah, 29.) “We sit on the porch and I eat ice cream with my granddaughter. It’s not a perfect world,” Judd says, “but this land is healing.”
Here, the country music legend — who begins her sophomore Back to Y Tour in September — talks about grieving the loss of her mother (Naomi died in April 2022 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 76 after a long battle with depression), is enjoying being a grandmother and the one thing she wishes she could have told her younger self.
You turned 60 in May. How does it feel entering this new decade?
For me, 60 means trying to stay mentally fit and going out and giving it my all and having fun. I’m so tired of being hard on myself. I’m learning how to be content.
you look amazing.
Survival of the fittest. I’m trying to change myself a little bit; I’ve hired a trainer and bought a new wardrobe. But I see lines. I have a big mirror and I look and think, “Who is that person staring back at me? How did he get here?” But the other part of it is the wisdom that has come from my experiences.
How are you taking care of yourself these days?
I am I’m working really hard on my mental health and physical health. I talk a lot with my grief counselors and my team who will say, “No, that’s not a good idea.” I have a life coach and she [asks]”Are you saving your money? Are you drinking enough water?”
Your mother has been dead for two years. How are you?
I’m in a really good place. I’ve worked through my anger and frustration towards forgiveness and suicide. [At a fan club party] Last night, everyone was wearing Judds t-shirts from the 80s and 90s. I thought, “I have a choice. I can either get better or bitter.” My grief comes and goes. I see it as a gift, as a healing gift.
How do you deal with difficult moments?
Something will happen and you will start crying and think, “What is wrong with me?” Then you will realize that there is nothing wrong with you. It is absolutely okay to cry. It is important to adopt And let it sink in. I cry as much as I want to, and when the time comes to do so, I cry.
Do you still talk to him?
I do. On stage, I often look up because I see angels. I do that with Mom now. I think, “What are you doing? Where are you and why aren’t you here? And why aren’t we singing together again?”
When do you feel His presence the most?
When I’m on stage. And when I’m with Kaliyah. She carries a picture of Mom and a picture of herself and her mom. I talk to her about them and say, “They love you so much.”
Has your relationship with music changed since your mother’s death?
Music has always been a means of protection. I’ve been through a lot in my teens. I’ve gone from not wanting to live to trying to live [suicide] And to be on stage 25 years later, and now almost 50 years later…
Have you ever thought about doing something other than country music?
I’m making a record with my husband. [going] From the blues to bluegrass. But country music is like going back home. I was always a hillbilly and always will be.
Do you credit your family with helping you heal?
No. I’m not saying this to be negative. But family is chaotic and messy sometimes. Someone just got married, someone just lost their dog, someone’s mom has cancer – all of this is happening right now, there’s a lot going on in our family. I read the Word a lot. Jesus is real to me. It’s a relationship, not a religion.
How is your relationship with sister Ashley?
Now that mother is gone, it feels like there is more solidification — and that grout between the stones is God. We’re both believers so we have such a strong connection now. There’s no drama, and even if there is, it doesn’t last as long as it used to. We’re grown-ups now and we realize we only have so much time left.”
Does Kaliyah love to sing like her grandmother?
We’ve started singing together. My favorite thing in life is to sit on the porch with her and eat ice cream. She’s in the rocking chair and she [says,] “Noni, where are you going? Noni, what are you doing?” Being with her in those moments [is] Where I realized that no amount of money can ever make you this happy. I thought it would, but it didn’t. Lying in bed with her before going to sleep and her nose against mine and I sing to her, and she starts singing back… [it’s] Heaven on earth.
What’s one piece of advice you want them to take with them?
The greatest thing I can tell her is that she is loved unconditionally. I want her to know that her best is enough. I never felt like my best was enough. I’ve had producers who fired me in the studio and said, “Go home, you’ve sung this 20 times. It’s good.” I tell her, “You’re an amazing creature and I love you, even when I’m angry [or] Disappointed. I love you, no matter what.” That’s what my grandmother did for me. And that’s what the cactus does, too.
You were 48 years old when you married the cactus. Had you given up hope on love?
At one point, I thought I would die alone. I tried really hard to be alone, but it didn’t work out as well as I had hoped. I am better at both marriage and partnership Because that’s the way I grew up with my mom.
You’re traveling around the country on your Back to Y tour, performing all the hits from your first two solo albums. How does it feel to be out on the road again?
It’s absolutely gas. I go fast: I work hard and love hard, and I come home totally exhausted and excited because I’ve given it my all.
What do you do once you get off stage? How do you unwind?
Well, I’m raising Kaliyah, so it’s different than before. Sometimes I go out and walk in the woods and just stand there and cry and laugh and curse and pray. That gives me everything I need to go back out there and give back again.
The show must go on. Wynonna Judd is pushing ahead with The Judds’ fall tour scheduled following the death of her mother and bandmate Naomi Judd in April. Wynonna, 57, made the announcement during Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration, a live televised memorial to the late country legend. “I made a decision and I […]
Does it take a lot of effort to prepare yourself for a tour?
I go through a very intense emotional roller coaster. One day I feel like I’m on top of the world and I’m Miss America, some days I get emotional. You’re leaving your home, your people and your animals.
Have you ever thought about packing it?
All the time. But I don’t know any other way. I was raised by some of the greatest artists from Loretta Lynn to Tammy Wynette to Dolly Parton…I took everything they said and applied it. I came out with a sense of purpose.
What do you think is the purpose of your life at this moment?
God gave me this gift. Being in the music business is both agony and joy. I’m an empathetic person and so when I walk into a room, I can tell who’s lonely and who’s feeling really good. They know I’m there for them. I want to heal and help people.
talk to We Tell us about your special bond with your fans.
Since my mom died it’s gotten even deeper because people feel so close to me. They’ve seen me go through everything from birth to death, tragedy and triumph. My fans saved me from myself. I was a teenager and I was so angry. I was raised by a mother who [told me to] My fans have seen me grow, fail, succeed. It’s unconditional love,
How do you stay grounded?
This business constantly pats you on the back and tells you you’re better than anything in the world. All you have to do is say, “Thanks, I appreciate it,” and let it go.
Tell us about life on your farm.
I live very simply. We just ate in the drain; we [had] We eat with our shoes off and talk about old times. We don’t talk about being famous. We put our phones down and try to have a conversation.
Thoughts on social media?
The comments are the biggest hassle. I performed the national anthem at the Kentucky Derby this year, and someone wrote, “You look like a drag queen.” I wrote back, “Thank you,” but in my soul, I was thinking, ‘Really? Is this really what we’re doing here?’ The good news is I have a sense of humor.
Many famous families have multiple actors in them – and some of those relatives have shared the screen together. Siblings Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal were reluctant to co-star in Donnie Darko before it hit theaters in 2001. Thank you! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to Newsletter Subscribe By signing up, I agree […]
you and Law & Order: SVU Star Mariska Hargitay and I have been friends since kindergarten. How do you maintain that friendship?
We were out of touch for many years because we both work all the time. She came on my 60th birthday And I cried and held her the whole time. I love her so much.
What would you like to tell your younger self?
Oh my god. Be true to yourself. I’m a people pleaser. For years I was trying to make everybody in the room mine – what an exhausting, bankrupt place to be. So I used to say, “Don’t let them touch you if you don’t want to, don’t let them force you to do something you don’t want to do. Be more true to yourself.”
Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done differently?
Some of my clothes. We wore spandex and candies!
Is there any plan for retirement?
I can’t imagine not being on stage at 80. I want to go out singing on a high note – I want to go to heaven because I’m standing there singing on the highest note.
With reporting by Cristina Garibaldi
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