RaeLynn Honors Husband Josh Davis With Song on ‘Wildhorse’
There's a song on RaeLynn's new Wildhorse album that she struggles to sing live. During "Diamonds," she takes a moment to honor her husband Josh Davis, who is currently in boot camp.
The singer asks fans to light up the stadium or club with their cell phones, and the effect is nearly too much for her emotionally. The ballad recalls her marriage, wedding and engagement.
"Because it's so true," she tells Taste of Country. "Anybody can buy you a ring or a nice necklace or something that has value, but ... the love and meaning behind an engagement ring is what makes an engagement ring an engagement ring."
The "Love Triangle" singer's engagement ring holds a diamond from her mother as the center stone. She and Davis hope to pass on an equally important gift to their kids one day, and hope they'll value words on paper like she values that stone. Right now, handwritten letters are almost all they have to communicate, as he just enlisted in the military a month ago.
"It's crazy, because we're still not on the same page of letters. We're always like a couple letters behind," RaeLynn explains. "He's answering questions from letters I wrote two weeks ago, but I already talked to him on the phone about it."
Fans who are also military wives have formed her immediate support group. She finds herself sharing her stories and emotions in meet-and-greet lines instead of the other way around. One fan in particular left a mark.
"She goes 'I'm not gonna tell you it's easy, and I'm not going to tell you it gets easier. The only thing I can tell you is nobody is going to understand how you feel except another military wife,'" the 22-year-old recalls. "And then I just started crying in a meet-and-greet."
Country Stars Who Have Served in the Military
On social media RaeLynn shares her side of the journey while protecting details like which branch of the military Davis signed up for. It's not even clear to her what happens after boot camp. So she takes comfort in conversation and finds renewed joy in checking her mailbox daily.
"I'm excited down the road, when we have kids, to be able to give (the letters) to them when we're long gone. To give them those letters that we shared and witnessing the love we have for each other is gonna be something that will live on for ever."
Wildhorse, featuring her powerful single "Love Triangle," hits stores and digital retailers on March 24.
Watch: RaeLynn Talks About How Her Parents Took "Love Triangle"