Brandi Carlile Shares “Church & State (Sad Gay Version)”

Eleven-time Grammy Award winner Brandi Carlile shares a reimagined version of her song “Church & State” today. “Church & State (Sad Gay Version)” is the second track unveiled from her forthcoming expanded album, Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version).

Listen to “Church & State (Sad Gay Version)” and watch the official lyric video.

Carlile shares, “If ‘Church & State’ is a rallying cry for a world where one is free to believe what they choose, then the Sad Gay Version is a deep mourning for those who haven’t had the chance to live in such times yet—and for all those who fight to ensure we can continue to believe, love and share life together on our own terms, without consequence. Without interference.”

The track is the second unveiled from Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version), an expanded edition of Carlile’s critically acclaimed album Returning To Myself, out digitally on September 25 via Interscope Records and Lost Highway.

Pre-save Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version).

An exclusive signed rainbow vinyl edition of the deluxe album is available to those who preorder by October 1, with orders expected to ship on December 11. The special one-time pressing will only be available through Carlile’s official store.

Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version) features reworked versions of all 10 songs from the original album, with Carlile returning to Long Pond Studio to co-produce four tracks with Aaron Dessner.

The collection includes a collaboration with Grammy-nominated composer and electronic musician Jon Hopkins, known for his work with Brian Eno and Coldplay, on “Human (Sad Gay Version).” It also features a new version of Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes,” available exclusively on digital streaming platforms.

Watch the “Human (feat. Jon Hopkins) (Sad Gay Version)” lyric video.

The project follows the recent release of Carlile’s Be Human: A Concert for Minneapolis in full on YouTube. Filmed during Carlile’s sold-out show at Minneapolis’ Target Center, Be Human has raised more than $750,000 for The Advocates for Human Rights through Carlile’s Looking Out Foundation.

Described by Rolling Stone as “a monumental gig,” the show includes a special performance of “It’s Okay to Change Your Mind” with Minneapolis’ Singing Resistance, as well as Carlile and The Head and the Heart joining forces for Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.”

Carlile kicked off the second leg of her extensive The Human Tour last month. Upcoming stops include three sold-out nights at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena, Austin’s Moody Center and the Santa Barbara Bowl. She will also headline All Things Go NYC and All Things Go DC this month before returning to the U.K. and Europe for an extensive run next spring.

Carlile was recently honored as one of TIME’s 2026 Women of the Year and performed “America the Beautiful” at Super Bowl LX and as part of ABC News’ America 250 celebration. She also returned to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series and appeared on NBC’s Saturday Night Live as musical guest for the fourth time.

Additional recent appearances include The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Las Culturistas, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, The Howard Stern Show, NPR’s Wild Card with Rachel Martin and The Drew Barrymore Show. She also spoke with The New York Times for an in-depth profile.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR RETURNING TO MYSELF

“Carlile is a bona fide superstar whose compositions feel like instant classics.”
—NPR Music

“It has the luster and confidence of an artist realizing her prime, finding memory and maturity in the lyrics.”
—The New York Times

“One of her finest efforts and one of the best albums of the year.”
—Variety

“It’s a record about navigating the second half of life with fortitude and not fear; and how the best way to do that is to remember where we came from, and who we got there with.”
—Rolling Stone

“Remarkable…a mid-life crisis has never sounded quite this poetic.”
—Billboard

“For an artist already established as one of her generation’s brightest songwriters, this represents another significant evolution.”
—Rolling Stone U.K.

“Carlile’s eighth album does the difficult work of cracking open the soul to let flow her vulnerability. The songs succeed in their tasks: bringing her into a fresh creative moment where she flourishes.”
—Paste

“Stunning, introspective…feels like reuniting with an old friend.”
—A.V. Club

“A pearl from the new queen of Laurel Canyon…it never sounds less than gorgeous.”
—MOJO

“An album full of warmth and humanity.”
—The London Standard

ABOUT BRANDI CARLILE

One of music’s most respected voices, Brandi Carlile is an Oscar nominee, 11-time Grammy winner, two-time Emmy winner and No. 1 New York Times bestselling author.

Throughout her acclaimed career, Carlile has released eight studio albums, including Who Believes in Angels?, her Grammy-nominated collaborative album with childhood hero Elton John, which debuted at No. 1 in the U.K. and in the Top 10 in the United States.

She received her first Oscar nomination in the Original Song category in January 2025 for “Never Too Late,” a Grammy-nominated track written with Elton John, Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt for the Disney+ documentary of the same name.

Carlile is also a renowned producer whose recent projects include Grammy-winning albums from Joni Mitchell and Brandy Clark. She recorded a rendition of the Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine” with her wife, Catherine, for Barbie The Album, along with a version of “Home” featured in the final season of Ted Lasso. Her song “You Without Me” was featured twice in the season three finale of Apple TV’s Shrinking.

Carlile has worked with artists including Soundgarden, Sam Smith, Alicia Keys, Hozier, Noah Kahan, P!nk and Dolly Parton. She was named OUT Magazine’s Icon of the Year and has received Billboard’s Women in Music Trailblazer Award, NMPA’s Songwriter Icon Award and multiple honors from the Americana Music Association.

She also launched a partnership with the National Park Foundation to raise funds to preserve and protect national parks across the country. As a founder of the Looking Out Foundation, Carlile has helped raise more than $10 million for grassroots causes. She lives in rural Washington state with her wife and two daughters.

RETURNING TO MYSELF (SAD GAY VERSION) DIGITAL TRACKLIST

1. “Returning To Myself”
2. “Human”
3. “A Woman Oversees”
4. “A War With Time”
5. “Anniversary”
6. “Church & State”
7. “Joni”
8. “You Without Me”
9. “No One Knows Us”
10. “A Long Goodbye”
11. “Human (feat. Jon Hopkins) (Sad Gay Version)”
12. “Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version)”
13. “You Without Me (Sad Gay Version)”
14. “No One Knows Us (Sad Gay Version)”
15. “Anniversary (Sad Gay Version)”
16. “And So It Goes (Sad Gay Version)”
17. “A Woman Oversees (Sad Gay Version)”
18. “Church & State (Sad Gay Version)”
19. “A War With Time (Sad Gay Version)”
20. “Joni (Sad Gay Version)”
21. “A Long Goodbye (Sad Gay Version)”

RETURNING TO MYSELF (SAD GAY VERSION) VINYL TRACKLIST

Side A

1. “Human (feat. Jon Hopkins) (Sad Gay Version)”
2. “Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version)”
3. “You Without Me (Sad Gay Version)”
4. “No One Knows Us (Sad Gay Version)”
5. “Anniversary (Sad Gay Version)”

Side B

1. “A Woman Oversees (Sad Gay Version)”
2. “Church & State (Sad Gay Version)”
3. “A War With Time (Sad Gay Version)”
4. “Joni (Sad Gay Version)”
5. “A Long Goodbye (Sad Gay Version)”

BRANDI CARLILE UPCOMING TOUR DATES

2026

September 5 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena§
September 6 – Austin, TX – Moody Center§
September 11 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre+ – Sold Out
September 12 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre+ – Sold Out
September 13 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre+ – Sold Out
September 17 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena†
September 19 – Stanford, CA – Frost Amphitheater† – Sold Out
September 20 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl† – Sold Out
September 22 – San Diego, CA – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park† – Sold Out
September 26 – Forest Hills, NY – All Things Go NYC
September 27 – Columbia, MD – All Things Go DC

2027

January 14-18 – Riviera Maya, Mexico – Girls Just Wanna Weekend 8
March 23 – Oslo, Norway – Oslo Spektrum‡
March 24 – Stockholm, Sweden – Annexet‡
March 26 – Copenhagen, Denmark – DR Koncerthuset‡
March 27 – Cologne, Germany – Palladium‡
March 30 – Paris, France – La Seine Musicale‡
March 31 – Zurich, Switzerland – The Hall‡
April 2 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live‡
April 4 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena‡
April 6 – Glasgow, U.K. – SEC Armadillo‡
April 7 – Glasgow, U.K. – SEC Armadillo‡
April 9 – Manchester, U.K. – O2 Apollo‡
April 10 – Manchester, U.K. – O2 Apollo‡
April 11 – Wolverhampton, U.K. – The Halls‡
April 13 – London, U.K. – Eventim Apollo‡
April 14 – London, U.K. – Eventim Apollo‡
April 23-25 – Miramar Beach, FL – Moon Crush “Pink Moon” 2027

§ with special guest The Head and the Heart

* with special guest Stephen Wilson Jr.
† with special guest CMAT
‡ with special guest KT Tunstall

For more information, visit www.brandicarlile.com.