Video: Lori McKenna Debuts Music Video for New Single 'Killing Me'

The official music video for GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Lori McKenna’s new song, “Killing Me” feat. Hillary Lindsey, is debuting today. Directed by Derrick Javon, the video finds McKenna in a tender moment, as she addresses her younger self (played by actress Lauren Starr), supporting her as she searches for inner peace and happiness.

Reflecting on the video, Mckenna shares, “I wrote this song with Luke Laird and Hillary Lindsey, two of the greatest songwriters of all time. The idea started with a relationship and then reached into the thoughts we tell ourselves.

That self-talk—that rattle in our heads usually with something negative to say. I loved the idea of the joyful side of my mind telling the constant critic in there to just hush. Just hush. When it was time for Derrick Javon to bring it all to life he imagined me confronting my younger self with all this. Another layer.

Beautifully shot and directed by Derrick and his team and so honestly, joyfully and emotionally executed by Lauren Starr. It was a thrill to watch this group of creators breathe so many new layers into this lyric. I’m so excited to share this video with you.”

“Killing Me” is the first song unveiled from McKenna’s anticipated new album, 1988, which will be released on July 21via CN Records/Thirty Tigers (pre-order/pre-save here).

Produced by GRAMMY Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell) and recorded at Cobb’s studio in Savannah, GA, 1988 is named for the year McKenna married her husband, Gene, and serves as a love letter to her family and lifelong friendships. Across these ten compelling tracks, including a songwriting collaboration with her son, Chris (“Happy Children”), McKenna reflects on the experiences, lessons and relationships from her past 35 years. 

Of the album, McKenna shares, “I was trying to let my age and experience guide me through making a record I wished I’d made when I was younger. I really wanted it to sound like if I made a rock record in the ‘90s, and then I remembered that I made my first album in 1998. There’s something so 30 years ago in my head about this record. In a way I wish I could start again and know what I know now.”

In celebration of the new music, McKenna will embark on her “The Town in Your Heart Tour” this summer including headline shows at Philadelphia’s World Café Live, New York’s City Winery, Nashville’s CMA Theater, Atlanta’s City Winery, Ann Arbor’s The Ark and Evanston’s Space among many others. See below for complete tour itinerary.

The release of 1988 adds to a series of landmark years for McKenna and follows three widely acclaimed albums: 2016’s The Bird & The Rifle, 2018’s The Tree and 2020’s The Balladeer, of which the Associated Press praised, “McKenna has by now long established herself as one of the best songwriters working in any genre. And she does it again and again,” while The Tennessean asserted, “one of the sharpest pens in modern country and folk songwriting.” 

In addition to her career as a solo artist, McKenna continues to enjoy tremendous success as one of the music industry’s most in-demand songwriters, having written songs for artist such as Taylor Swift and Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, George Strait, Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill and Reba McEntire.

McKenna also co-wrote “Always Remember Us This Way,” which was featured in the Academy Award-winning 2018 film, A Star Is Born. In the past few years, McKenna has also won Best Country Song at GRAMMY Awards three times (The Highwomen’s “Crowded Table,” Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind” and Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush”), Song of the Year at the CMA Awards twice (“Girl Crush” and “Humble and Kind”) and was the first female to ever win the ACM Awards’ Songwriter of the Year award.

LORI MCKENNA CONFIRMED TOUR DATES

July 20—Philadelphia, PA—World Café Live
July 21—New York, NY—City Winery
July 23—Rockport, MA—Shalin Liu Performance Center
July 28—Brownfield, ME—Stone Mountain Arts Center
July 29—Groton, MA—Groton Hill Music Center
July 30—Woodstock, NY—Levon Helm Studio
August 5—Nashville, TN—The CMA Theater
August 6—Atlanta, GA—City Winery
August 23—Homer, NY—Center for the Arts of Homer
August 24—Cleveland, OH—Music Box Supper Club
August 25—Ann Arbor, MI—The Ark
August 26—Evanston, IL—Space

photo credit: Becky Fluke