Kristen Kelly Finds Healing in “The Next Right Thing”

Grief doesn’t come with a manual, but for Texas-born powerhouse Kristen Kelly, her new single, “The Next Right Thing,” is about finding a way forward when the weight feels unbearable. Out now everywhere, the song isn’t just a track; it’s a lifeline.

The story behind “The Next Right Thing” starts with a gut-punch moment: Wynonna Judd once admitted in an interview that, after losing her mother Naomi, she survived by focusing on doing “the next right thing.” That raw, grounding mantra stuck with hit songwriter Frank J. Myers (yes, the man behind “I Swear”), who later crossed paths with Kelly after she lost her father unexpectedly. The timing, the emotion, the truth, it all lined up. Myers, along with Oliver Leiber and Gregory J. Friia, brought the song to Kelly, and she made it her own.

Kelly released the track on October 1, deliberately aligning it with her father’s birthday month, a decision that makes this release feel like a tribute as much as it is an offering. And with her warm, soul-cutting vocals, she doesn’t just sing it, she lives it.

Here’s the thing: Kristen Kelly is not some cookie-cutter Nashville act trying to climb the charts with the same recycled storyline. She’s got grit, history, and receipts. From her Texas Red Dirt roots to her Billboard Top 30 breakout “Ex-Old Man” to playing the freakin’ Opry, Kelly has lived the highs and lows of this industry. And if you think this single is just a one-off ballad, think again. With Music Access, Inc. backing her, she’s stepping into a new chapter stacked with honesty, tempo, and a little sass, not just the grief.

What makes “The Next Right Thing” so potent is its universality. Grief? We’ve all felt it. Love? That too. But moving forward, when you’d rather stay in bed and shut the world out? That’s where Kelly taps into something bigger than herself. It’s not just country storytelling, it’s human storytelling.