The 5 Best Female Country Heartbreak Songs You’ve Never Heard

My favorite songs tend to be the sad, deep cuts - songs that even big fans of a given artist have never heard. I’m also a big fan of female country music, and I like to think I listen to some of the most underrated female songwriters in Nashville. 

Considering these two things about me, I decided to compile a list of my favorite female country heart-wrenching songs that I strongly doubt you’ve heard before - maybe even by artists you aren’t familiar with.

“Looking for a Lighter” by Caylee Hammack

Since I first heard Caylee Hammack’s voice in 2020, I’ve been astonished as to why she isn’t more popular. She has one of the strongest, most unique voices I’ve ever heard, and her songwriting is unbelievable. “Looking for a Lighter” is my favorite song from her masterful debut album If It Wasn’t For You. 

“Looking for a Lighter” is simply about Caylee looking for a lighter in her kitchen drawer and getting distracted by “sentimental things that I don’t need anymore.” She also uses smoking as a metaphor for the subject she sings about, “How can you flick me right back/Spark up a memory and just like that/I’m burning for you so bad/Your love is a drag.” The production builds throughout the song but the acoustic guitar shines throughout the whole song. And the outro - well, you should just listen for yourself. 

“Nothing To See Here” by Tenille Artes

Tenille Artes’ discography is stock-full of heartbreaking ballads, but my favorite has always been “Nothing To See Here.” This song is about Tenille seeing a bunch of ordinary places that have significant meaning to her past relationship. I also love how the chorus lyrics of the song change, with each chorus telling a story about a different place. Overall, it’s just a really sad song: “I won’t ever get the piece of my life back that you got/So why won’t these memories disappear/If there’s nothing to see here.” 

“Red Wine & Blue” by Hailey Whitters

I can’t say enough about how much I love Hailey Whitters. I remember exactly where I was (on a beach in Hawaii, actually!) when I turned on Hailey’s album The Dream for the first time. She’s got a crisp, stellar voice, and her songwriting is incredible. “Red Wine & Blue” is one of the best examples of her songwriting. It’s a clever play on words to describe a sad Fourth of July: “Oh I’m all dressed up with nowhere to go/Getting drunk in the afternoon/Red wine and blue.” I’ve listened to “Red Wine & Blue” the three Fourth of July’s that have passed since I first heard it. Leave it to me to find the saddest song about each holiday (“River” by Joni Mitchell is my favorite Christmas song)!

“Easy Pill” by Carter Faith

Carter Faith is an artist that I’ve been following since her debut single “Leaving Tennessee” in 2020. My favorite song of hers is “Easy Pill,” which is about running away from love out of fear: “Heartbreak is a hell of a drug/And I think I’ve had too much.” One of my favorite lyrics from the song is “If I had a choice/I wouldn’t choose to be this way.” The production is also really powerful and it’s such an emotional song to listen to. Carter has a really beautiful voice and I can’t wait to hear her hopefully put out an album soon!

“Met You” by Morgan Wade

I first heard Morgan Wade’s music earlier this year, and I was amazed by it. Morgan’s voice is super country, and the sound of her debut album Reckless is different from most music I listen to. Her song “Met You” hits me on an emotional level that few other songs do. It’s a slow, long song, but the lyrics and storytelling are just unbelievable. It’s a deeply painful song about the end of a relationship with someone that lit up your world: “Ain’t nothing bright as you ever step foot in this godforsaken town.” Every lyric in this song is specific and painfully honest, which is exactly how I would describe Morgan’s songwriting.

I’ve always thought that the best songs are the ones that are so honest you think to yourself, “Wow, that person is really sad; they need some help.” Those are the songs that end up being the saddest and most relatable, even if they’re about things I haven’t specifically experienced. Because of that, I’m always looking for songwriters that can write about their pain in an authentic and specific way. So, if you’re like me and are looking for a good, sad song, I hope you listen to any of these five songs by my favorite female country artists. 

Written by Peyton Price