Cecily Wilborn Opens Up About Real-Life Inspiration Behind New Album “Soul Therapy”: 'I Know How Bad I Fought' (Exclusive)

Rachel DeSantisFri, May 29, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC

0

Cecily Wilborn
Credit: Mel Bender Jr/Blackground Records 2.0 -

Cecily Wilborn's new album Soul Therapy reflects her journey through personal struggles, healing, and resilience

The Arkansas native blends R&B, country, and Southern soul, drawing inspiration from her life and those around her

The new album features a special appearance from Cupid

Cecily Wilborn is hardly exaggerating when, at the beginning of her new record Soul Therapy, she tells her listeners in a spoken-word track that "life started lifeing" in recent years, at times taking her down with it.

Wilborn, known for her unique blend of R&B, country and Southern soul, went through a difficult divorce, flunked out of school, lost her job and dealt with personal tragedy, all while raising four children.

But she also found love again, graduated, had a viral hit and lived to tell the tale, which she does in her distinct voice on Soul Therapy (out now).

"People see me and they think I'm just excited because I'm dropping an album with [record label] Blackground 2.0. But I'm really excited because I know how bad I fought," she tells PEOPLE. "And I know how many people told me I couldn't do this because I was a mom, or because I'd gotten past the threshold age. Everybody had so many reasons as to why they felt like this wouldn't work, but I showed them it would. It just took a little hard work."

Wilborn is used to working hard. Born and raised in Arkansas, she credits her pastor father and mom with instilling in her a love of music from a young age.

Cecily Wilborn
Credit: Mel Bender Jr/Blackground Records 2.0

"They made sure we weren't sheltered and it birthed something in me, because now nobody knows what my sound is," she says. "They're like, ‘You sound like everything.'"

She graduated from Full Sail University with a degree in music production, and in 2023, her song "Southern Man," written as a Father's Day gift for her husband, took off on TikTok.

Now, Wilborn is baring her soul like never before on Soul Therapy. Here, she opens up to PEOPLE about the record, which is rooted in healing, growth and generational trauma and features production by notable producers, including Eric and Curtis Hudson, Sean Garrett, Blac Elvis, Morris Hayes, CT the Producer and more.

PEOPLE: You start the album talking directly to your fans and telling them what they're in for. How did you land on that?

WILBORN: I wanted the people to know who I was talking to. I didn't want them to feel like I was talking to everybody, because my music is not for everybody. If this don't hit you, skip over to the next track. I got one for you.

Cecily Wilborn in Atlanta in November 2025.
Credit: Derek White/Getty for Amazon MGM Studios

PEOPLE: It does seem like so much of your music is pulled directly from your life.

Advertisement

WILBORN: A lot of it comes from my life, but I have great friends and so a lot of it comes from their lives, too. They're like, "Don't put my name in it. Don't tell anybody that's me!" But they will literally get into stuff and be like, "This is what you need to be writing about right here." When I first started writing, that was my quest. I was like, there are all these representations in music [but] where are the people that are living just the regular "9-5, work hard every day, take care of my kids, go home" lifestyle? We have problems that we need to talk through and we don't want to feel alone when we do it. I said, "Okay, we need representation for us." [Wilborn is mom to kids John, 18, Shamada, 17, J'Von, 14, and Jurnee, 8.]

PEOPLE: You mentioned that you started therapy. I know that's been a big journey for you, and it's a big part of the album. Can you tell me a little about that journey?

WILBORN: Well unfortunately, my father is also my pastor. It's a very sticky situation to be in. Because what can I say? What can I not say? So my first venture into just being totally honest with somebody and trying to talk through feelings was with my dad. But as I got older, some of those conversations got hard to have, so I started reaching out to other mentors and other professionals. It helps. It does. Being vulnerable is a very scary thing to people… so going through therapy, I wanted people to see the vulnerability and I wanted them to see the reward in taking the leap.

PEOPLE: What is your writing process like?

WILBORN: Inspiration comes from everywhere. The very last single that's on the album is called "Hope" and it's a very inspiring song, but I wrote that song, believe it or not, in my sleep. I'd gone to bed and I had been watching the news and my mind was just turning because I have teenagers... I was just so troubled. And I woke up that morning and I had a lot to say. So I jotted it all down. I had no music, it was just however it came to my head.

PEOPLE: How about "Feeling Lucky," which is a collaboration with Cupid? How'd that come to be?

WILBORN: I grew up in the country. We ain't got two stoplights, okay? We sit on the back porch and we hang out as a family a lot. They're not dancers. Cupid came out with the "Cupid Shuffle" and my aunt had to be in her mid to late 50s at the time. She was like, ‘Teach me how to do this.' And I said, ‘You gon do this?' Cupid Shuffle was the first line dance she allowed me to really teach her. I'm like, ‘If he can get my auntie on the dance floor, give me the rest of his music.' We called him and he already knew who I was, which blew my mind out the water. He right off the bat gave me an immediate yes. He's been so willing to give me advice, inspire me as far as how I can connect our audiences. People are scared to meet some of the people they admire [but] I'm so glad I met Cupid. He's a very dope guy.

PEOPLE: Do you have a favorite song on this album?

WILBORN: "I Need Your Love." That was one of the ones that I actually wrote from personal experience. Me and my husband are about to celebrate 10 years this year, shout out to us. Yes, 10 years. Girl, he ain't sick of me yet. We've had our disagreements a lot. We come from two totally different backgrounds. But because of our differences, he shaped me a lot and I was able to fine-tune him a lot. So that song to me is like, regardless of what we go through, I ain't giving up on this. Ain't no starting over. We're going to figure it out.

PEOPLE: Have you started writing more?

WILBORN: Oh my goodness girl, I got another album ready to go. I'm a writer writer. I never stop because you never know when the music is going to be needed. Some of the music that's on this album was written four or five years ago, but it wasn't the time for it. But now it's the perfect time. So I write it when I feel it, and when it's time to say it, that's when we put it out.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”