An “American Idol” star who’s made her name in country music recently expressed opinions regarding marriage and career that may ruffle some feathers.
During an interview this week on Hannah Love’s Unexpected podcast, country star Gabby Barrett, known most for her hit song I Hope, explained to Love that there are certain types of songs she will not sing, regardless of how they might further her career.
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Specifically, she said she won’t sing duets with male singers who are unduly intimate in their lyrics or who otherwise would make her husband, fellow country singer Cade Foehner “uncomfortable,” in her words.
As she explains to Love on the podcast, “I respect him [Foehner] a ton. … There’s been songs that are just not appropriate to sing, wording-wise. Like these love songs that are really intimate.”
Barrett, 23, went on to explain how, even though some of those duets she’s been offered would be “large song opportunities” for her career, they carry certain obligations with regard to performing and interviews.
“What does that look like on the stage? What does that dynamic look like if I’m singing with another [man]? Is that gonna make my husband uncomfortable? Probably,” she said.
Barrett’s concerns about performing those kinds of love songs with men who are not her husband are rooted, she explains, in biblical teachings on marriage and fidelity. As she says on the podcast, “I listen to what he has to say, and I think he deserves that. The Bible talks about us doing that for our husbands.”
Barrett met her future husband in 2018, when both were competing on “American Idol,” according to Fox News.
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They got married in 2019, and they recently announced they were expecting their third child. Both artists were signed to Warner Music Nashville and often sing and tour together.
Clearly, Barrett respects her husband and God’s law so much that she’s willing to turn down major opportunities for the health of her marriage.
It’s rare to see a singer, actress or any other celebrity make that kind of moral stand regarding career choices, willing to jeopardize their careers rather than “jeopardize [their] marriage.”
Let’s face it: The entertainment industry is filled with plenty of men like Harvey Weinstein or Dr. Luke, or women like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, who are perfectly willing to exploit or be exploited for something as transitory and unsatisfying as fame.
Despite the #MeToo movement and feminists decrying the likes of Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein, Barrett certainly will face some significant backlash, or at least condescending sneers, from those same self-professed feminists.
Such women will write think pieces in feminist publications such as Jezebel or The Mary Sue bemoaning Barrett’s “oppression,” probably blaming Foehner for holding his wife to such exacting standards.
In reality, however, Barrett’s stance seems to come from a place of mutual respect and trust between her and her 27-year-old husband.
And honestly, isn’t that a beautiful thing? Kudos to Gabby Barrett for unapologetically providing a public example of a healthy and chaste marriage for her young fans.
Though the feminist scolds may think Barrett is wrong for letting her husband “oppress” her, she understand that a healthy marriage requires putting your spouse above yourself.
As Barrett says in that same interview, “I care about this [her marriage] a lot more. I pray and hope and know that God will bless my efforts in trying to keep my marriage straight and not just for a duet — or whatever it is.”
