Photo: Jody Domingue

Mellifluous GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster is administering an abundance of gratitude on her new single, “Thank You.” Not in the affectionate sense of crooned appreciation, but a full-bodied burst of genre-bending recognition that conveys a keen awareness of self and the motivating factors that make her unapologetically authentic. Today’s Relix exclusive represents the inaugural arrival of new music off the artist’s impending LP, Just Say Yes, due out on August 28 via Sun Records. 

“Thank You” presents Foster’s spirited side, an embrace of rock, blues, and gospel tendencies, with high-octane riffs elevated by the songstress’ rich layers of harmonies. The new single presents a spectrum that mingles joy, personal striving, human bonds, and independence, spitting in the face of imposter syndrome and the subconscious whisper of inadequacy that haunts and tries to bind our hopes in a blanket of fear. Like the ambiance of her new single, Foster is unwavering, showing fiery dedication to her craft and added reverence for her live-wire status while embracing the word yes. 

On the track, she sings: “You can’t rain me out/ I’m sunshine all day/ All your hating has got me motivated to say/ Thank you/ For lighting my fuse/ Thank you/ For tightening my groove/ Thank you for giving me something to prove/ For all that you did/ For all that you do, thank you.” Foster’s dispatch of gratitude comes after the release of 2024’s Milage, which earned her a GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album atop multiple nominations. The prize stimulated her own perception of authenticity and what it meant to arrive at this moment. 

Just Say Yes comes amid a season of change for Foster, who blew out her meniscus while running to catch a flight back in December, which resulted in a necessary recovery, stimulating a shift in perspective. “It’s not just about age. It’s really about the miles I’ve put on,” she says. “Every step matters.” With time on her hands, Foster fled to Nashville to spend a week recording with her Mileage collaborators, Tyler Bryant and his wife, Rebecca Lovell, ahead of surgery. 

The project turned into a family affair, with Lovell’s sister, Megan Lovell, and her husband, Mike Seal, tapping in as collaborators. “Every last one of these songs are about some aspect of my life,” Foster explains. Just Say Yes meditates on the idea of transformation: physical and mental, interpersonal and forward-facing. “This was my way of being true to who I am and knowing that I’m in yet another transition in my life, which is how these albums tend to happen,” she says. 

Pre-order Just Say Yes here. 

Listen to “Thank You” below or by following this link.

Tracking List:

1. Thank You 
2. Come on Up
3. Hold On
4. Yes 
5. Take Time
6. Doubling Back
7. Tangled 
8. Sitting Still
9. Maybe It Up
10. Reachin’