Brandi Carlile Announces Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version), Unveils “Human (Sad Gay Version)”
Brandi Carlile has announced an expanded edition of her 2025 album Returning To Myself near its one-year anniversary with a sad or happy twist. As a preview of the new edition, Carlile put out “Human (Sad Gay Version).”
Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version) is scheduled for digital release September 25 through Interscope Records and Lost Highway Records. The new edition will feature all songs from the first pressing plus “sad gay” versions that are “intimate reimagined versions” of every track, a press release said. Carlile returned to Long Pond Studio to co-produce four tracks with Aaron Dessner. The digital edition exclusively will feature a new cover of Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes.” An autographed rainbow-colored vinyl edition is also being put out with the “sad gay” versions of the song. To get this vinyl edition fans have to pre-order by October 1st. Fans can pre-order the vinyl and pre-save the digital edition here.
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“When I was a teenager, I loved to toy with my own emotions by actively seeking out songs in a genre that very few are willing to call by its rightful name. The ‘Sad Gay’ genre,” Carlile said in the press release. “You don’t have to actually be gay to let it break your heart into a thousand pieces, it will do that against your will.”
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In this “Sad Gay” genre, Carlile listed “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M., “Language or the Kiss” by the Indigo Girls, “This Woman’s Work” by Kate Bush, and others as well as the soundtracks for the films Philadelphia and City of Angels.
“I would do this just to feel myself spiral into pure emotional self-indulgence in ways only music like this could permit, making me a very sad gay,” she said. “I reimagined this album in this way because I want to be brought back to the edge of my bed again and I want to bring you with me. I rebuilt the whole thing for you and for myself. This one is for us . . . the sad gays wherever you are.”
“Human (Sad Gay Version)” features composer and electronic musician Jon Hopkins, who has worked with Brian Eno and Coldplay. The reimagining of the originally electrified song molds the tune into a tender piano ballad that builds until it’s reaching for the sky.
Returning to Myself originally came out October 24th, 2025.
Carlile kicked off the second leg of her North American tour Thursday evening. Fans can look for tickets via Vivid Seats, where they can save $20 on their first order of $200 or more with promo code CONSEQUENCE20 at checkout.
In other Carlile news, her supergroup The Highwomen put out a surprise release in May.
Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version) Album Artwork:
Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version) Digital Edition Tracklist:
01. Returning To Myself
02. Human
03. A Woman Oversees
04. A War With Time
05. Anniversary
06. Church & State
07. Joni
08. You Without Me
09. No One Knows Us
10. A Long Goodbye
11. Human (feat. Jon Hopkins) (Sad Gay Version)
12. Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version)
13. You Without Me (Sad Gay Version)
14. No One Knows Us (Sad Gay Version)
15. Anniversary (Sad Gay Version)
16. And So It Goes (Sad Gay Version)
17. A Woman Oversees (Sad Gay Version)
18. Church & State (Sad Gay Version)
19. A War With Time (Sad Gay Version)
20. Joni (Sad Gay Version)
21. A Long Goodbye (Sad Gay Version)
Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version) Vinyl Edition Tracklist:
SIDE A
01. Human (feat. Jon Hopkins) (Sad Gay Version)
02. Returning To Myself (Sad Gay Version)
03. You Without Me (Sad Gay Version)
04. No One Knows Us (Sad Gay Version)
05. Anniversary (Sad Gay Version)
SIDE B
01. A Woman Oversees (Sad Gay Version)
02. Church & State (Sad Gay Version)
03. A War With Time (Sad Gay Version)
04. Joni (Sad Gay Version)
05. A Long Goodbye (Sad Gay Version)
Brandi Carlile 2026 Tour Dates:
08/13 – Portland, ME @ Cross Insurance Arena +
08/14 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena +
08/16 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts +
08/18 – Lenox, MA @ Tanglewood – Koussevitzky Music Shed
08/20 – Canandaigua, NY @ CMAC #
08/21 – Rochester Hills, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheatre #
08/23 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Acrisure Amphitheater #
08/24 – Madison, WI @ Breese Stevens Field #
08/26 – Highland Park, IL @ The Pavilion at Ravinia
08/29 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena ^
09/01 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center §
09/03 – Duluth, GA @ Gas South Arena §
09/05 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena §
09/06 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center §
09/11 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre ||
09/12 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre ||
09/13 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre ||
09/17 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena **
09/19 – Stanford, CA @ Frost Amphitheater **
09/20 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl **
09/22 – San Diego, CA @ The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park **
10/15 – Dublin, IE @ 3Arena ††
10/18 – Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live ††
10/19 – Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro ††
10/21 – London, UK @ The O2 ††
10/23 – Paris, FR @ La Seine Musicale ††
10/24 – Zurich, CH @ The Hall ††
10/26 – Dusseldorf, DE @ Mitsubishi Electric Halle ††
10/27 – Amsterdam, NL @ AFAS Live ††
10/29 – Oslo, NO @ Spektrum ††
10/30 – Stockholm, SE @ Annexet ††
11/01 – Lisbon, PT @ Sagres Campo Pequeno ††
+ = w/ Jensen McRae
# = w/ I’m With Her
^ = w/ Gregory Alan Isakov
§ = w/ The Head and The Heart
|| = w/ Stephen Wilson Jr.
** = w/ CMAT
†† = w/ KT Tunstall
