Dixie D'Amelio Is Going "Folk Americana" For Her Sophomore Album

Dixie D’Amelio has been dropping hints that new music is coming. In December, D’Amelio shared that she was hoping to release her sophomore album at the beginning of the new year. Now that 2024 is in full swing, D’Amelio tells Elite Daily that things are progressing and she’s even found a new sound.

It seems 2024 is the year for pop girlies to go country. Not only have Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey announced they’re releasing country albums, but D’Amelio says the songs she’s working on for the follow-up to 2022’s A Letter To Me are also a rustic diversion from pop. “I think folk Americana is where the majority of the sound is,” D’Amelio says.

The shift away from pure pop is an intentional departure for D’Amelio. She shares that she’s done making music she thinks other people will like, and instead, she’s getting personal. For her, this new process feels like tapping into “full teenage girl” mode, where she gets to tell a story in each song. While these tracks are heavily inspired by her own life, the singer says she’s also experimenting with different perspectives: “I've been able to be so creative and just kind of write things and also hide things in the songs.”

I really love the direction I'm going with my music.

This new project has been in the works for a while now, with D’Amelio taking trips to Nashville and Malibu to write the tracks. Back in January, she went back to the “Music City” to finish recording with live instruments. “It’s really exciting to do that and see it all happen live,” she says, before admitting she wants to release her music “so bad.”

“I want to perform, I want to be on tour, and I really love the direction I'm going with my music,” D’Amelio says. Perhaps that means fans of the “Be Happy” singer will get to see her on the road this year. While she’s still mixing and finalizing everything, D’Amelio admits there are at least five tracks that are her favorites out of the “many, many songs” she’s written. “The songs go well in a project together, so I'm excited to have everyone hear everything,” she says. “It'll make sense when people listen to it.”

As for collabs, D’Amelio hasn’t hinted at any. In the past, she’s had Wiz Khalifa featured on her track “One Whole Day” and released a remix of “Be Happy” with Blackbear and Lil Mosey, but she says these partnerships are a bit trickier for her now. She isn’t a huge fan of collaborating with artists she admires because she loves them too much. “I would never want to touch their music that they create because I think it's so beautiful.”

However, in a dream world, D’Amelio would love to work with SZA. SOS was “one of the best albums” she’s ever listened to, and SZA was among her top artists of last year. “I wouldn't want to collab with her, but I just want to be around her and hear her process,” she says. D’Amelio may be wary of a SZA feature, but it would be iconic to see these two together.