Wynonna Judd Opens Up About Her Complicated Relationship With Late Mother Naomi

Wynonna Judd is opening up about the complicated emotions surrounding her late mother, Naomi Judd, as she prepares to release her first album of new material in a decade.

The country singer has been discussing the deeply personal experiences behind The Hard Truth, an album that explores grief, family history and unresolved questions surrounding some of the most difficult chapters of her life.

Naomi Judd, who formed the Grammy-winning country duo The Judds with Wynonna, died by suicide in April 2022 at age 76. Four years later, Wynonna says her relationship with her mother continues to shape how she understands her own life and music.

“I feel like this is the most honest and vulnerable I’ve ever been,” Wynonna told PEOPLE while discussing the album. She described the process of making the record as both painful and healing.

One of the album’s most direct reflections on Naomi comes through “Hear Me Now,” a new song featuring Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam. Released ahead of the album, the song considers the questions Wynonna still carries after her mother’s death, including what Naomi might think of the woman she has become.

Wynonna has also spoken about anger that remains connected to her family history, including learning as an adult that the man she believed was her biological father was not her biological father. Her biological father, Charles Jordan, died in 2000.

That discovery informs “Girl Who Could Sing,” another song on The Hard Truth. Wynonna has described the recording as one of the most emotionally difficult moments of the project.

The album does not attempt to present her relationship with Naomi in simple terms. Instead, Wynonna’s new material moves through love, grief, anger, longing and questions that remain unanswered.

In discussing “Hear Me Now,” Wynonna said that so much of her story remains connected to her mother and that she still wonders what Naomi would think if she could hear her now.

The emotional revelations surrounding the album extend beyond Naomi. Wynonna has also disclosed that she and her sister, actress Ashley Judd, are currently taking a break from their relationship. She said they are not presently connected but expressed hope that they will eventually reconnect.

For Wynonna, The Hard Truth represents more than a return to recording. The 10-song album places her personal experiences at the center of the music while revisiting family relationships, loss and the process of moving forward.

The album is scheduled for release Friday, October 2, through ANTI-. Wynonna is also beginning a tour in support of the project, with a September 30 performance scheduled at the Lexington Opera House in Kentucky.

With The Hard Truth, Wynonna is allowing a complicated family story to become part of her music — including the questions about Naomi that she continues to carry four years after her mother’s death.

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Meta description: Wynonna Judd opens up about her complicated relationship with late mother Naomi Judd as she prepares to release her deeply personal album The Hard Truth.