Martina McBride will join Hannah Ellis on a duet that pays tribute to the empowered women who shaped them.
Ellis revealed her mystery duet partner on Wednesday (April 23), following a few weeks of teasing the unreleased anthem and seemingly dropping hints as to which artist is featured on the song with her. On one teaser at the end of Women’s History Month, for example, Ellis wrote “this one’s for the girls” as she shared a sneak peek of the “new summer bop.” McBride, who released “This One’s for the Girls” in the early 2000s), liked the clip on Instagram.
“So, I slid into the DMs of one of my favorite country artists ever about featuring on the new song I’ve been posting, and this was their response,” Ellis said in an April 15 post with the screenshot of her message, omitting McBride’s name and photo. She told McBride she’s working on a deluxe record, and it would “be a DREAM come true for you to feature on” this song. Ellis said “it would be such a full circle moment for me” as she sent an audio clip of the song, and McBride responded, “I love it!!!!”
Now, the duo will debut “The Women I Am” on Friday (April 25).
Ellis — who even nods to “90s Martina” in the lyrics of her upcoming duet with McBride, plus Reba McEntire, Faith Hill and other legendary women in country — most recently released a collaboration with her husband, fellow singer-songwriter Nick Wayne. The married duo debuted “Waiting to Die,” a sentimental, emotional tribute to love that lasts a lifetime. They spoke about the song (and reactions from listeners) in an interview with iHeartCountry earlier this year. Ellis is also known for heartfelt ballads and infectious anthems like “Wine Country,” “‘90s Country,” “Country Can,” “Us” and more. Listen to the sneak peek of her duet with McBride here: