photos + story / Erin Lunsford
After five years of waiting—and living through a global pandemic—I’m finally ready to share Rhinestones. Released on June 26, 2026, this album doesn’t feel like a sophomore record to me. It feels like a reintroduction.
Many people know me as the frontwoman of Erin and The Wildfire, where I learned to take up space, command a stage, and pour every ounce of myself into a performance. But with Rhinestones, I wanted to step into something quieter. Something more vulnerable. I wanted these songs to tell the truth.
The title Rhinestones represents more than something that sparkles. For me, it symbolizes the pressure of the music industry—the expectation to polish yourself, decorate yourself, and constantly perform a version of who people want you to be. At some point, I realized I was exhausted by that. This record became my way of setting all of that down and embracing the beautiful, complicated mess of life in my 30s: navigating an unpredictable career, searching for love and family, grieving past versions of myself, and learning who I am when I stop trying to be everything for everyone else.
Musically, Rhinestones is deeply rooted in the Appalachian sounds that shaped me, but I never wanted it to feel trapped by nostalgia. I love honoring where I come from while still allowing the music to grow with me. The folk, Americana, and blues influences are still there, along with the guitar work that has always been such a huge part of my identity, but everything serves the songs first. Every note exists to support the story.
This album is intentionally quieter than anything I’ve made before. In the past, so much of my music was built around the energy of a live performance—the power of the band, the excitement of the stage, the vocal moments designed to fill a room. Rhinestones asked something completely different of me. It asked me to sit still. To listen. To write songs that weren’t trying to impress anyone, but instead reflected where I actually was emotionally. That shift was both terrifying and incredibly freeing.
One of the threads that runs through the entire record is the idea of home. Growing up in Appalachia will always be part of me, even as life has taken me far beyond those mountains. I know what it feels like to leave home while still carrying it everywhere you go. I know what it feels like to miss a place while also becoming someone new. Those contradictions found their way into these songs.
Community has always mattered to me, both on and off the stage. Whether I’m writing music or raising money for local food pantries while touring, I want my work to create connection. I believe songs have the ability to remind us that we’re not alone, and that’s something I never want to lose sight of.
At its heart, Rhinestones is me reclaiming my own story. It bridges where I started with where I am today, not by pretending I have all the answers, but by allowing myself to be honest. More than anything, I hope these songs feel less like a performance and more like a conversation—one about identity, resilience, and finding your way back to yourself.
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