Today, country music singer songwriter, Erin Enderlin is celebrating July 4th in a special way by helping to honor those who is or have served in the military.

Photo by Grand Ole Opry photos by Chris Hollo

Erin Enderlin recently debuted a brand new song, When You Look At Me at the Grand Ole Opry, which was co-written by veteran couple, Tanja Struyck-Fogleman and Brent Fogleman and by Erin Enderlin, brought together by the SongwritingWith:Soldiers organization.

SongwritingWith:Soldiers brings service members, veterans, and military families together with professional songwriters to co-create powerful songs that are grounded in lived experience, shaped by each storyteller, and created to build connection. These collaborations take place in a trusted, evidence-informed retreat program designed to foster creativity, connection, and meaningful expression.

The CMBeat recently got to chat with Erin Enderlin about the new song and the singer songwriter shared what it was like creating the song with Tanja Struyck-Fogleman and Brent Fogleman at a SongwritingWith:Soldiers and Boulder Crest Foundation couples retreat. “The biggest thing is to just make it an open and comfortable environment – to just start by having a conversation and seeing where it goes,” said Enderlin. 

This opportunity is special to be able to share music within such a important community and Enderlin shared how she felt about that. “I fell in love with music for a lot of reasons, one being the way that music connects all of us and promotes understanding and healing,” said Enderlin. “It’s an honor to be able to share that with veterans and first responders.”

Photo by Grand Ole Opry Photos by Chris Hollo. From L to R, veteran co-writers, Brent Fogleman and Tanja Struyck-Fogleman, Erin Enderlin and Jay Clementi (Music Director, SongwritingWith:Soldiers)

These types of songs are important to share and Erin Enderlin shared the same sentiment. “I think songs like this one, and stories like Tanja and Brent’s are very important to share. I hope that others hear the song and feel less alone and feel seen and that it’s safe to share their story,” said Enderlin. 

Lastly, The CMBeat asked Erin Enderlin what she would want listeners to take away when listening to the new song, When You Look At Me. “I wouldn’t want to speak for Brent and Tanja, but I’m hopeful that listeners will take away that it’s ok to not always be ok – the important part is that you’re on a journey and that we all struggle, but you can struggle well.”

The incredible new song, When You Look At Me, performed by Erin Enderlin featuring Randy Houser, is available now on YouTube. Watch the official lyric video for the song below and you can click HERE to watch the story behind-the-song video on YouTube as well!