Sara Evans is getting raw on her new single “Pride.”
The story is about a woman in an abusive relationship and the resilience that she needs to either leave him or stay with him. The story painfully details her own. In 2021, Evans filed for divorce from her husband of 13 years, Jay Barker. The two had a rocky road before deciding to give their marriage another try, which included Barker pleading guiltily to reckless endangerment for trying to hit Evans with his car. He was initially charged with felony aggravated assault.
While Evans noted on her new podcast, Diving in Deep with Sara Evans, that not everyone who has seen the darker side of their partner should go back with them, she felt as though Barker had changed and was ready to give another go with him.
“I don’t encourage all women to do this. Every situation is different. Some situations are a lot more dangerous than mine. Some situations are less and they should still probably divorce. But I just did not want to divorce again and start over. And I just pictured myself being alone and missing him and thinking, ‘We could have tried harder…’”
Reflecting on her relationship, Evans felt the need to share her experience through music, leading to the creation of her forthcoming album, Unbroke. In it, she reflects on the hardships she and Barker went through and how their marriage got back on track.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE Magazine, she chatted with the publication about the first single, “Pride,” and how it has been hard for her and Barker to reflect on his chapter.
“People are going to judge me. ‘Why do you feel sorry for him?’ But I know what he’s feeling — he’s feeling shame. But he’s also being brave and being like, ‘Yeah, that’s the truth. I did that.’”
Evans knows that her choice to get back with Barker will elicit some strong opinions from fans, but she wants people to know that he has changed. As they are in counseling, she would not have given the relationship another shot if there was not movement towards self-betterment.
“My biggest fear is that people are going to judge me or be angry with me for staying with Jay and not understand the whole story and the whole picture. I just want, more than anything, for them to understand that each marriage is different, each story is different.”
While the two are in a good place now, “Pride,” Evans’s first single in seven years, does not portray her partner in the best light. Written during a painstaking heartbreak, she offered to rewrite it out of respect for Barker, but he insisted that she leave it as it was.
While the song reflects a time when they were stuck in a toxic cycle, Evans spoke about how different their life is now.
“It’s like 180 degrees. He’s not ever going to be perfect. I’m not ever going to be perfect. But we’re in love. We’re going to do everything we can to stay together and be healthy. Now he treats me like a queen. I would not be here if that wasn’t the case. I want people to know that. I filed for divorce. I was serious.
I don’t want people to think that I’m minimizing anything having to do with toxic marriages or abuse in marriage or any kind of addiction. I’m not downplaying any of it. I’m just saying, for me, my choice was to stay and put in the hard work but also lay down boundaries and ground rules.”
While this next chapter of music will cover a lot of emotion, this single is a great lead out of what we are in store for. It’s beautifully heartbreaking knowing that the lyrics hit so close to home.
“You left a mark on my face
And brought a dozen red flags in a vase
You thought everything would be okay
But it’s not okay
Nobody saw the other side
You turn into Jekyll and I’d run and hide
And I’d come back, I don’t know why
I don’t know why…”
Give it a listen.
