Carrie Underwood’s new single “Cry Pretty” is a point of departure from her last single, “Champion,” featuring  Ludacris. “Champion” serves as the anthem of Super Bowl Lll. With lyrics such as:

“I am invincible, unbreakable
Unstoppable, unshakeable
They knock me down, I get up again
I am the champion
You’re gonna know my name
You can’t hurt me now
I can’t feel the pain
I was made for this, yeah, I was born to win
I am the champion”

“Champion” is anthemic, motivating, powerful and a modern day war cry. Contrarily, “Cry Pretty” stands on lyrics such as:

“You can’t turn off the flood when the dam breaks
When all your mascara is going to waste
When things get ugly, you just gotta face
That you can’t cry pretty”

“Cry Pretty” is relatable, sympathetic, grandiose and inspiring in a way that differs from “Champion”. When Carrie sings, “falling apart is about as human as it gets,” she hits a buried, unmentioned nerve with listeners. The lyric video consists of glittering gold, glittering purple and glittering silver colors. This stylization is more than appropriate. Glitter is pretty and distracting. Just like glitter, this song is pretty and distracting from any pain or rough patch one might find themselves in, it invites listeners to let out their pain and embrace the ugly cry. With this message, it is not surprising that Carrie chose this song as her premiere performance after a traumatic accident that resulted in 40-50 stitches, a facial injury and injured wrist. Carrie appeared at the Academy of Country Music Awards with glitter under her eyes and wowed attendees with this profound message and her grandiose pipes.

“Cry Pretty” is the first single off of Carrie’s forthcoming sixth studio album. It will be the track that is played at maximum volume for at least the next six months and thereafter whenever a pick me up is needed.