Not everyone who has worked in show business for 30 years comes out the other side and while LeAnn Rimes has emerged triumphantly — that doesn’t mean it has always been easy.
Since careening into the country music industry as a kid — she won two Grammys at just 14 — Rimes has charted her own course to success through ups and downs. At 43, she’s happily thriving and still evolving as a trailblazer.
“Everybody wanted to keep me this little girl forever, and that was just not possible,” Rimes exclusively shared in her Us Weekly cover story ahead of the premiere of her new ABC series 9-1-1: Nashville, which is out on Thursday, October 9. “For so long, I was afraid of all of these different aspects of myself because we’re told not to allow that out. [Now] I’m not afraid of myself any longer.”
With support from loved ones — including husband Eddie Cibrian — Rimes has come to embody the word “resilience” and it’s on full display whether she’s performing or sharing an unfiltered look into her private health battles.
“The best gift I’ve ever been given is to be an artist,” Rimes, who also recently released the single “What Mattered Most” with Ty Herndon, added. “To have been as successful as I’ve been for as long as I’ve been, I don’t take that for granted.”
In a wide-ranging sit-down with Us, Rimes reflected on her career evolution, finding autonomy and looking ahead to the next chapter.
How would you describe this era of LeAnn Rimes?
Everything I do at this point in my life is moving toward freedom, whether that is freedom of expression or freedom in my body or in my mind. When I find myself scared of something, I usually move toward it. I’m really in my era of exploration. I’ve always been one where as soon as somebody tries to fit me into a box, I break out of it in every way possible. I’m still in that era and forever will be — probably even more so now. I’ve done this for so long that I’m lucky enough to get to choose what roles I want to play, what songs I want to sing.
Looking back at your early success, how do you think your music has grown with you?
I got more comfortable telling my truth; I knew there were other people that were going through the same situations. As I got older and started writing my own material, it was so important to me to be authentic in that.
I was this kid in a very adult world, so I always felt like an outcast. The whole industry had this camaraderie that I wasn’t included in because I was so young. That’s why [doing] The Voice in Australia and in the U.K. was so important. It was important for me to go on those shows and be able to mentor other people, because I didn’t have that.
Do you feel like you have more of a community now?
When I recorded [my 17th studio album, 2022’s] God’s Work, I had so many peers that I called upon. From Ziggy Marley to Ledisi to Mickey Guyton, people were just gung-ho to come on the record. When you haven’t had that, to now build it just feels really solid.
You must have changed a lot along the way, too.
The biggest piece for me was my perfectionist mindset and the people pleasing. The great thing about life happening is I have plenty to draw from for my art. But reclaiming that humanity for myself — and allowing myself to get messy — was the most pivotal point. This all came through a lot of deep work. This is not like, “Oh, I’m just going to decide one day to change the way I think and live.”
Did you ever get to a point where you thought about leaving it all behind?
I’m sure there are moments where I was like, I’m done. I still have those where I’m exhausted. I’ve done this for a long time.
What brings you back?
I love what I do. I don’t think I could ever walk away from that because making music truly feels like it’s a soul need [but] my “why” is very different these days: to be able to communicate my feelings and to be able to connect with other people.
What would you tell 13-year-old LeAnn if you could?
Rest more. Say “no” more. “No” is your friend. You don’t have to please everybody. Stay connected to your inner voice and your inner knowing. Returning to that was crucial for me in feeling like I wasn’t just surviving but really thriving.
Do you ever go back and listen to your own music?
I don’t really go back and listen to the early stuff like “Blue” and “How Do I Live” and “Can’t Fight the Moonlight.” … Starting with the [2002] album Twisted Angel … when I started writing my own material … I do go back and listen.
Every once in a while, somebody will mention a song on Instagram that they love, and I’m like, Oh, I haven’t heard that in a long time. I’m really proud of all my work. I look back at that 13-year-old and the songs that I chose then, and the songs that moved me were so very adult. I’m glad they are, because I’ve been able to grow with them and they’ve grown with me.
What are the professional lessons you’ve taken away?
I’m very aware of my commitments, and I want my freedom. I really think through things before jumping in. If I’m ever going to give a piece of my freedom away, I want it to be worthy of me — and I don’t think everything’s worthy of me and my time. That’s a great place to be at 43. I don’t take that for granted.
How do you approach new opportunities at this stage in your life?
I’m in a place where if I give my time away, it’s because it brings me joy. I’m just really grateful that I have plenty of what not to do behind me, and it definitely informs what I do now and how I do it.
That must mean that your new role on 9-1-1: Nashville felt like a joyous fit! Why is that?
[Playing Dixie Bennings], I get to let out a side of myself that doesn’t ever come out in real life, so it’s very healing in that way. It was definitely a stretch for me. Dixie is obsessed with her son. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for her son as a single mom. But she definitely feels like she’s been slighted in life. She will go to every extreme in order to get what she feels like she’s owed — including manipulating his love.
How did you develop that mother-son bond with Hunter McVey?
I am so protective of Hunter in real life. This is his first acting gig and so he got thrown into the fire. So I’ll DM him and I’m like, ‘Make sure you’re taking care of yourself. This is from your mother.’
Dixie is a former backup singer so how does that continue to play out?
I do sing in the show. Dixie has definitely had success, performed for all of these different artists and yet she feels like she never got her day in the sun. She’s struggling with trying to figure out where music fits into her life.
You’ve been very candid about your health struggles, which have included anxiety, depression and psoriasis, which seems really brave and scary.
I remember when I posted the picture of me with psoriasis all over me [in 2020], and it was such a moment of relief because I had been hiding that for so long. The same with my mental health and now with perimenopause. Every time I talk about it, I set myself — and someone else — free.
That’s amazing. It’s like that saying, “Your secrets keep you sick.”
For so long, it did feel like I was hiding so much of myself. It did allow for the insecurity of thoughts I’ve had in the past about “I’m not pretty, I’m not good enough.” I did learn how to love myself through all of my different incarnations.
That must have taken some time.
Looking back at all of those different people I was, I know that next year I’ll be different from who I am now. I hope I am. I’m aware of getting the chance to love all of the aspects of myself. Some of those are harder to love, but I now have the bandwidth and capacity. I can talk to myself in a kinder way.
How are you feeling right now?
I feel great. My physical health has been something I’ve focused on the past few years, and preparing my body for the changes it’s going through. I feel good even though I have my hormonally challenged days. Going through perimenopause is no joke. But for the most part, I feel really good in my body.
Do you remember your first thought when you found out you were in perimenopause, which can last anywhere from months to years?
“Oh s***.” It was something I had to seek out and learn about for myself because there aren’t a lot of conversations. [But] we’re starting to have them.
[In my late 30s], I found Dr. Mindy Pelz‘s book called The Menopause Reset. After reading I was like, “I need to know this woman.” She was so pivotal in my physical health and helping me to kind of get control of it and to start feeling good again. We’ve become dear friends. I had to go learn for myself because I had no context around it.
What has the process been like?
It’s been a journey of finding the right doctors who will listen to me and who will take the time. There’s such a conversation around hormonal replacement therapy. There’s very few doctors who actually will take the time and know enough about it to prescribe it properly. I went out of my way to dig deep and find the right one.
What was the toughest part?
There’s grief that comes along with it that no one talks about. Perimenopause is not just about not making eggs anymore. That’s a biological piece of us changing. It’s such a deepening of the soul and allowing pieces of us that no longer serve us to fall away. It is such a transformational and beautiful part of life if we know what’s going on with our bodies.
What treatments have you explored?
I’ve done a lot of EMDR. I found it really helpful for intrusive thoughts. … I had a really heavy mercury load in my body [which] can really stress out the nervous system. Completely detoxing my body and removing some of the toxicity has leveled things out.
Any self-care regimes?
One of the biggest things lately that I’ve been doing is working with a woman in Nashville who Kimberly Williams-Paisley actually turned me on to. She works a lot with pelvic floor [exercises] and she has me doing all of these grounding exercises and breathing exercises. It’s really about breath work and feeling the ground. These exercises, I do them after I go on stage and after I come home from work on set.
Fragrance is also a big thing for me. It is like music to me. It’s just very poetic and emotional. Lighting a candle or having something diffusing in my house is always simple but it works for me.
Has your body surprised you in a positive way?
I put my body through a lot. As a kid — or as a young woman — you don’t look at it as having gratitude for the vessel that you have. But I do now.
How has Eddie supported you amid all these changes and challenges?
It’s been the greatest thing for him to learn through me and to want to learn through me. Having the knowledge — and then being able to share it with him — and having an actual dialogue with each other has been super helpful for our relationship.
What is his support style?
He’s keeping a sense of humor in this massive transition when his wife is becoming a different person. Just having that levity is super helpful because I’m not one to joke about it. He pulls me back out of it into this lighter realm.
How about when it comes to your career?
When we don’t have the kids [Rimes’ stepsons, Jake and Mason] — they’re 18 and 22, but they’re still at our house and basically live here all the time — he travels on the road with me. Especially with 9-1-1, he’s been so helpful and supportive. He’s come on set with me.
What advice has he given you?
I love just having his eyes. He’s really creative. He’s there to see things that I might not think about sometimes and be a sounding board. And when he works, I’m constantly going to set and being there for him like he is for me. It’s definitely reciprocal.
Have you talked about working together again?
We love working together. We’ve definitely talked about writing some stuff for us to do together in the future. We are one of those couples that can actually work together fairly easily and still go home and not hate each other.
What’s the best part of collaborating with Eddie?
He’s wonderful to work with and super easygoing.
You just celebrated 14 years of marriage. How has your relationship changed over time?
If I look back at our relationship, I’m really in awe of the things that we’ve endured and how we’ve grown together. The place we’re in now is just so comfortable and calm and quiet. We really find our quiet together. That’s really important.
It’s so wonderful to hear about celebrity couples who are just happy together.
We love doing simple things together. We’re very normal. That normalcy is what allowed us to have this relationship in this crazy business. Our relationship is better than it’s ever been. I really do have very major moments of gratitude.
How do you manage to keep surprising each other after all these years?
Curiosity. I’m changing and he’s changing. If you’re present, you do learn new things about each other. It’s really about choosing to connect and making an effort.
Looking at the other important people in your life, how would you say your inner circle has evolved?
I have such an amazing team of people that surround me now. I’ve gone through many years of editing and removing people that didn’t have my best interests at heart. The people that are around me now are not yes-people at all. I have people that will tell me the hard truths when I need to hear them. That’s why you see me try new things, because I feel like I always have them to return to, even if something falls flat. We’ll pivot to the next thing. I always have that creative sounding board around me too. It’s not just business.
What does thriving look like for you now?
As you get older, there’s so much that has to be done in order to maintain and take care of your body and your mind. Thriving for me is really becoming disciplined about my health and my goals. That just allows me the space to be able to do whatever I want to from that place of really grounded care.
How do you think you got there?
We all have to break — and not just once. It will happen often. Rock bottom looks different for everybody [but] you have a choice. In my darkest moments, it’s always been about, How do I find the light again?
In a lifetime full of many impressive accomplishments, what do you consider your biggest one?
I’m proud of being here, because a lot of people that start at my age don’t see 43. I’ll cry talking about it, but I’m really proud of the fact that I’m doing good and I’m thriving. I’ve gone through so much, and I’m in awe. It just feels like this massive evolution into someone who is grounded in humanity and not running away from those aspects of myself. That’s what I’m most proud of — that what you see is what you get with me.
