Sydney Adams Returns with New Murder-Ballad Single, “One More Night With Him”

One of the great traditions of country music for several decades has been the release of murder-country tunes about a man that’s done a woman wrong. True or crafted story, the topic has been tackled by everyone from The Chicks and Reba McEntire to Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. And now, enter Sydney Adams.

The release of the Kentucky native’s new single, “One More Night With Him,” adds another chapter in the book of great murder-country ballads, as she spins a story of a belle taking matters into her own hands after her beau abused her.

Serving as her first single since last June’s release of her sophomore EP, A Lot Like You, Adams says she knew she wanted “One More Night With Him” to be her next release as soon as it was completed.

“Once ‘One More Night With Him’ was finished, I had to get in the studio. It’s my favorite song I’ve written, and it took me into depths of my songwriting that I was very proud of,” says Adams. “I don’t always think about what other people may like upon deciding to release (whether that may be good or bad), I just really loved the song and wanted to share it.”

In fact, she was playing the song live for several months before it was released, and it was that response that made her so eager to release it out into the world.

“I was eager to get the song to new listeners that hadn’t had the chance to catch it at my shows,” says Adams. “The song has always gotten a heartfelt response from my audience, so I was interested in seeing how it would translate without the live aspect of the songs performance, and I think it’s done well!”

After starting the song nearly a year prior to its release, Adams says she called upon her friend, Aaron Boyd, to help her tie up the loose ends of the song and help bring it to the finish line.

“I began writing this song about a year ago. I tried to finish it for months, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to rush the process and just use any filler type of lyric. I really wanted this song to shine, so I reached out to Aaron, and he helped me shape a chorus and transform my storyline and the lyrics I already had,” says Adams. “When I first started writing it, I didn’t want the song to have a chorus; just an old-timey murder-ballad story. Deep down, I knew that wouldn’t be good for a release, so I was open to any ideas Aaron had, and I’m glad he had such good ones.”

Adams’ newest effort comes just under a year after A Lot Like You; an EP that allowed her to expand her sound and showcase different sides of her artistry, including a countrified cover of Lorde’s “Royals” that serves as one of the EP’s standout tracks.

“Coming from my first EP to the second, I can say that gives a little more variety and is a more matured sound and version of who I’ve become over the last five years,” says Adams. “I was very excited to release a cover that as far as I knew, hadn’t been done country. It really felt like ‘my song’ because we’d been doing it our own unique way for so long. I think listeners were just as excited and surprised to see that it made the cut!”

2023 will also bring about the five-year anniversary of Adams’ debut single, “I Don’t Care.” While she looks back on it with fond memories, Adams says that she and her team have experienced exponential growth as she’s continued to release music.

“’I Don’t Care’ is my purest song,” Adams says with a laugh. “I hadn’t really cut my teeth yet; I was green, and I was fresh out of bluegrass music school. Though I lyrically had better songs to release at the time, I wanted to put that one first. I’d never released, and I wanted it to be a lighthearted middle finger to say no matter what happens, I’m going to do this anyway. And I think it did just that. Not only myself, but my producer whom I’ve worked with from the start, have grown so much.”

Adams will look to showcase more of that growth both on the stage and in the studio, as she plans to be busy in both settings this year and next.

“The rest of 2023 will be filled with continuing gigging and touring, and as much writing as I can possibly do,” says Adams. “I will be getting back in the studio in late ‘23 or early ‘24.”