Q&A: Ok Cowgirl Tackles Life’s Big Questions on ‘Rhinestone Cowgirl’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY AUTUMN THATCHER ☆
Sydney Tate
IF OK COWGIRL’S LEAH LAVIGNE HAS LEARNED ANYTHING — since the band’s 2024 debut album release, Couldn’t Save Us From My Gut, it’s that a lot can happen in two years. A lyricist at heart, Lavigne is no stranger to using songwriting as a way to think through how she is experiencing life and the ups and downs that come with it. After the release of OK Cowgirl’s debut album, a series of events led Lavigne down the path of examining loss in new and deeply personal ways.
Rhinestone Cowgirl is the 10-track sophomore album that immediately pulls listeners in with Lavigne’s atmospheric vocals, letting us know right off that rock ’n’ roll just might have ruined her life. From there, the listener accompanies her on a journey of exploration, both in the choices she has made (spoiler alert, she proudly stands by each and every one of them) and the feelings she must navigate as illness, loss and grief take its toll.
“A lot of things were really hitting heavy for me. I was thinking about these big questions of life and death, and at the same time I was in my late 20s — a decade into pursuing music seriously, and doing a lot of reflecting,” Lavigne said. “This record, on one hand, is so cohesive. On the other hand, it is about such big questions and ponderings that it’s a little bit all over the place as well.”
A few weeks into its August 2026 release, Rhinestone Cowgirl is proving listeners are eager to buckle in and tag along with Lavigne for the ride, no matter where it leads. Lavigne talks with Luna Collective about making the album, why humans will always be better than AI and what no one’s asking that she wishes they would.
LUNA: The album feels like you are taking the listener on this journey of introspection and questioning. How did you resolve the questions, and what answers did you get through that experience?
LAVIGNE: I wrote more than 11 songs, but these ones that got picked were ones that I was almost a little hesitant to share with the band and put on this trajectory to eventually go public, because these songs felt super vulnerable to me. I have always used songwriting as a tool for catharsis and working through my own personal thoughts and experiences.
In the song “Rock N Roll Ruined My Life,” I was dealing with these deep feelings of disappointment. What I found when I explored that more was that a lot of that disappointment actually wasn’t my own, because I’ve been there every step along the journey. I know that I have made the smartest, wisest decision I could at every time. I know that I’ve worked my butt off. I am actually very proud of where I am at, but I was perceiving that maybe to other people in my life, they didn’t necessarily understand what I’m doing, and why I’m doing it. To them, maybe I look a bit like a failure or like somebody who is lost. But actually, I feel like I know more than most people about what I’m doing. I feel very confident in the path that I’m on and very proud of how far I’ve come.
LUNA: That’s amazing. Some people never get to that point in their entire lifetime — to be able to have the confidence in the decisions they made and the path they chose and being empowered by it in a way that helps you continue to do the things that you’re passionate about. How have things been since the album release on August 21?
LAVIGNE: I am feeling very relieved because the release cycle is definitely a bit grueling; especially in today’s world of social media, where there’s just so many video assets and all these extra creative projects that go along with putting out a record. It’s so much more than just recording the songs and releasing them. I really enjoyed digging in and making a video for every single and being really active online trying to promote these songs because I felt like that’s what they deserved.
At the same time, I am so glad that the marathon is over. Even though the record was just born, it’s at a different pace of continuing to promote it and get the word out. We’ve been so stoked about how the record has been received so far. Almost every release has always been just a little bit disappointing, and so I’ve really learned to manage my expectations. This time, I’m like, whoa, maybe I did too good of a job managing my expectations, because I’ve just been floored by how much positive attention the record has been getting. It means a lot and it’s very validating.
LUNA: You mentioned that writing songs has always been a cathartic process for you. What is navigating the music industry like with the emergence of AI?
LAVIGNE: My opinion on music that’s been written by AI is that it just completely defeats the purpose. People have turned to music since the beginning of time as this tool for human connection. You don’t take advice from a robot, right? Don’t you want real wisdom from a human or just lived experience? That is what should be fueling all of this: lived experience and an ability to relate to this really complicated thing that is the universal human experience.
LUNA: Exactly. And as a writer, I don’t understand it either. Going back to your music, what would you say might surprise people about being an independent musician?
LAVIGNE: We are so proud of being an independent band that has grown organically. Nobody in my band ever started making music to try to be famous or to try to make money. We have always done it because we love the process, and we love community and the experience of being in a room and making something.
LUNA: Well, it’s been about a week since your album came out, and you’ve probably been doing a lot of interviews to talk about it. What do you wish people would ask you that you haven’t been asked yet?
LAVIGNE: Something I haven’t gotten the chance to talk about is related to the name of the album and the song that the album is named after, “Rhinestone Cowgirl.” I've been asked so many times why I named the band Ok Cowgirl. Honestly, I kind of hate the question. I’ve always been fascinated with the place that the cowboy holds in America’s imagination. It’s this figure that’s seen as strong and adventurous—and resourceful. Independent-minded, tough. All these things that, as a petite young woman, it felt so empowering to try to tie myself to that mythology when I first started this band.
Something I love about the rhinestone cowgirl, I think of—rest in peace—Dolly Parton, who is one of the most influential songwriters and artists. I absolutely adore her as an artist and as a person. No one better has ever existed in my eyes. When I think of rhinestones, I think of the glitz and glamour. It’s a bit indulgent, and this idea of self-expression and freedom that Dolly put on full display, that’s something that I’m exploring on this record. There ought to be more to life than just survival. We all deserve to have a little fun, too.
The song “Rhinestone Cowgirl” is related to the grief that is woven throughout the record. Grieving people who we’ve literally lost; grieving versions of ourselves; grieving lost, imagined futures. I wrote this song reflecting on a childhood friend of mine who had passed away and thinking about how, somewhere along the line, we diverged onto different paths and she is no longer here—what would it have been like if we had stayed on the same path?
LUNA: I understand that reflection after experiencing a recent loss of someone close to me as well. Thank you for sharing that. One final question for you: what are you looking forward to now that Rhinestone Cowgirl is out?
LAVIGNE: I am looking forward to more experiences that make me feel connected to people. I love getting to meet new people and connect with them. It’s the best. We don’t get enough of that in our world. I look forward to fun interactions — and hugs.
Justin Buschardt
