Amanda Shires is opening up about her divorce from Jason Isbell.
In an interview with Rolling Stone published Tuesday, the singer-songwriter and fiddle player reflected on her split from the country star after nearly 11 years of marriage. The process required a lot of “processing,” she said.
“The past two years of my life have made it to where I feel like I can talk about anything, at this point. I have always used music as a way to explain what’s going on in my life to myself. And it was a big transition to go from, you know, having been in a marriage for a long time and to suddenly find that I’m not.”
Shires, 43, finalized her divorce in March 2025.
The “Hawk for the Dove” singer revealed how she worked through that difficult time. It also fueled her forthcoming album, Nobody’s Girl.
“It takes a lot of learning and self-reflection and, for me, a lot of time to process. In the processing, the music came about, and most all of that was a really hard, bad time.”
Still, she noted that “there were some moments of joy.”
“But we never focus on those.”
When making her latest record Nobody’s Girl, the Highwomen artist “didn’t want to put any of my friends in the middle of any of the fallout.”
Shires asked a few friends in Los Angeles to play on “some sensitive material.”
“Friends who could put up with a woman crying on occasion, either out of joy or want for tacos or sadness.”
Shires said she’s still adjusting to not wearing her wedding band.
“You’re like, ‘At my age, wow, when all these people see my hand empty, what are they thinking of me?’ I don’t know! And why do I care?”
The Divorce Details
In December 2023, Isbell, 46, filed for divorce from his wife and collaborator. He cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Their split was finalized in March 2025, according to online records viewed by PEOPLE.
Isbell and Shires married in 2013 and share daughter Mercy, 9.
Shires’ forthcoming record Nobody’s Girl is due Sept. 26 via ATO Records.
