Brandi Carlile will release an expanded reworking of Returning To Myself on September 25, featuring new versions of the album’s 10 songs and a collaboration with Jon Hopkins on “Human”.
by Paul Cashmere
Brandi Carlile has announced Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version), a 21-track expanded edition of her latest studio album, due digitally on September 25 through Interscope Records and Lost Highway. The announcement comes as Carlile begins the second North American leg of The Human Tour, with the new version of “Human” featuring Grammy-nominated composer and electronic musician Jon Hopkins released today.
The new edition revisits all 10 songs from Returning To Myself, presenting them in reworked form alongside the original album sequence. Carlile has also recorded a new interpretation of Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes”, which will be available exclusively on digital streaming platforms.
Four of the reimagined tracks were co-produced by Carlile and Aaron Dessner at Long Pond Studio, continuing a creative relationship that has been central to several of Carlile’s recent projects. The new “Human” brings Hopkins into the album’s expanded sound world, with the electronic musician and composer contributing to the new version of the song.
Carlile described the project as a deliberate return to the kind of emotionally immersive listening experience she sought as a teenager.
“When I was a teenager, I loved to toy with my own emotions by actively seeking out songs in a genre that very few are willing to call by its rightful name. The ‘Sad Gay’ genre,” Carlile said.
She cited songs by R.E.M., Indigo Girls, Sinéad O’Connor, Kate Bush and Tracy Chapman, as well as the soundtracks to Philadelphia and City Of Angels, as examples of the music she used to intensify her emotions.
Carlile said Returning To Myself had also prompted a period of personal reflection, particularly around her relationship with solitude and what she described as a pattern of self-avoidance. The new recordings, she explained, were intended to recreate the intimate experience of listening to emotionally charged music alone.
“I reimagined this album in this way because I want to be brought back to the edge of my bed again and I want to bring you with me,” she said.
The expanded release follows a significant period for Carlile. Returning To Myself is her eighth studio album and has been followed by an extensive touring schedule, while 2026 has also included a sold-out Minneapolis concert that raised more than $750,000 for The Advocates for Human Rights.
Carlile’s recent public profile has extended beyond the traditional album and touring cycle. She was named one of TIME’s 2026 Women of the Year and performed “America The Beautiful” at Super Bowl LX. She has also returned to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series and appeared as musical guest on Saturday Night Live for the fourth time.
Her career has increasingly crossed between recording, songwriting, production and advocacy. Carlile has produced Grammy-winning projects for Joni Mitchell and Brandy Clark and has worked with artists including Soundgarden, Sam Smith, Alicia Keys, Hozier, Noah Kahan, P!nk and Dolly Parton. Her songwriting has also taken her into film and television, including the Oscar-nominated “Never Too Late”, written with Elton John, Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt for the Disney+ documentary of the same name.
Returning To Myself followed Who Believes In Angels?, Carlile’s collaborative album with Elton John. That project reached No. 1 in the U.K. and the top 10 in the United States, while “Never Too Late” earned Carlile her first Oscar nomination in the Original Song category in January 2025.
The new deluxe edition also marks a physical release opportunity for collectors. A signed rainbow vinyl pressing will be available as a one-time edition to customers who pre-order by October 1, with shipping scheduled for December 11. The vinyl contains 10 of the reimagined recordings, while the digital edition expands the project to 21 tracks.
Carlile begins the second leg of The Human Tour in Portland, Maine, tonight, with further North American performances scheduled through September. The itinerary includes three sold-out nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and appearances at All Things Go in New York and Washington, D.C. A European and U.K. run is scheduled for March and April 2027.
For Carlile, the new recordings extend the life of Returning To Myself while reframing its material through a more deliberately intimate and emotionally focused lens. The first indication of that approach is “Human (feat. Jon Hopkins) (Sad Gay Version)”, released ahead of the September 25 digital album.
Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version) Digital Track List
Returning To Myself
Human
A Woman Oversees
A War With Time
Anniversary
Church & State
Joni
You Without Me
No One Knows Us
A Long Goodbye
Human (feat. Jon Hopkins) (Sad Gay Version)
Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version)
You Without Me (Sad Gay Version)
No One Knows Us (Sad Gay Version)
Anniversary (Sad Gay Version)
And So It Goes (Sad Gay Version)
A Woman Oversees (Sad Gay Version)
Church & State (Sad Gay Version)
A War With Time (Sad Gay Version)
Joni (Sad Gay Version)
A Long Goodbye (Sad Gay Version)
Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version) Vinyl Track List
SIDE A
Human (feat. Jon Hopkins) (Sad Gay Version)
Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version)
You Without Me (Sad Gay Version)
No One Knows Us (Sad Gay Version)
Anniversary (Sad Gay Version)
SIDE B
A Woman Oversees (Sad Gay Version)
Church & State (Sad Gay Version)
A War With Time (Sad Gay Version)
Joni (Sad Gay Version)
A Long Goodbye (Sad Gay Version)
Brandi Carlile Upcoming Tour Dates
August 13, Portland, ME, Cross Insurance Arena (SOLD OUT)
August 14, Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun Arena
August 16, Bethel, NY, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
August 18, Lenox, MA, Tanglewood – Koussevitzky Music Shed
August 20, Canandaigua, NY, CMAC
August 21, Rochester Hills, MI, Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
August 23, Grand Rapids, MI, Acrisure Amphitheater
August 24, Madison, WI, Breese Stevens Field
August 26, Highland Park, IL, The Pavilion at Ravinia
August 29, Nashville, TN, Bridgestone Arena
September 1, Charlotte, NC, Spectrum Center
September 3, Duluth, GA, Gas South Arena
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
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
August 13-18 with special guest Jensen McRae.
August 20-26 with special guest I’m With Her.
August 29 with special guest Gregory Alan Isakov.
September 1-6 with special guest The Head and The Heart.
September 11-13 with special guest Stephen Wilson Jr.
September 17-22 with special guest CMAT.
March-April 2027 with special guest KT Tunstall.
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