Oscar-Nominated Actress Amy Irving Announces Willie Nelson Covers Album + Shares “Always Will Be” ft. Amy Helm

Academy Award-Nominated Actress Amy Irving
Announces Sophomore Album Always Will Be
Out April 25

10-Song Collection of Songs from Longtime Friend 

Willie Nelson’s Catalog Features Special Guests Steve Earle, Amy Helm, Lizzie No and Nelson Himself

Bittersweet Title Track “Always Will Be” (feat. Amy Helm) 
Out Now 

Album Release Shows Announced at NYC’s City Winery &

Woodstock’s Levon Helm Studios

January 28, 2025 – Today, Academy Award-nominated actress Amy Irving has announced her sophomore album Always Will Be, out April 25 via Queen Of The Castle Records/Missing Piece Records. Featuring 10 electrifying renditions from her longtime friend Willie Nelson’s iconic catalog, Always Will Be finds Irving marrying the worlds of music and theater to craft a deeply personal autobiography in song, reflecting on key moments from her widely acclaimed career. In the spirit of true collaboration, the album also includes contributions from special guests Willie NelsonAmy Helm, Louis CatoSteve Earle, Chris Pierce and Lizzie No. Along with the announcement, Irving shares the title track “Always Will Be” (feat. Amy Helm), a bittersweet ode to her late best friend Judy Nelson, with guest vocals from Helm and a voicemail from Nelson himself.

Irving has also announced album release shows at New York City’s City Winery on May 5 and Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY on May 31.

Listen to “Always Will Be” (feat. Amy Helm) via YouTube

Stream “Always Will Be” (feat. Amy Helm)

Pre-order/pre-save Always Will Be

“Judy Nelson was a great love in my life,” says Irving while reflecting on the new song that’s dedicated to her late best friend. “A blessed friendship, I miss her every day. I sing this song for her, and I know she’s dancing. Amy Helm brought so much to the party! She has such a rich soulful voice – it’s like we added a whole choir!”

The origin story of Always Will Be begins with Irving and Nelson’s decades-long friendship, which spans back to when they first met on the set of the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose. After dueting on a reimagining of his song “I’m Waiting Forever” for her 2023 debut Born In A Trunk, Nelson reached out to his longtime friend with a proposition: Why not record another album, one entirely of his own work? “I knew she’d probably do a lot of my songs and I knew they’d be good. You know, I’m just an old hustler,” Nelson said with a laugh. Irving took him up on the offer, collaborating again with bandleader Goolis (Jules David Bartkowski) to pare down a list of 50 options from the songwriter’s oeuvre to these 10 genre-defying tracks. The end result is an incredibly heartfelt album, one that is ultimately rooted in love and friendship.

“I’m a romantic person,” Irving says. “I’ve always been a romantic, and I thought the songs had a trajectory—of the first meeting to the end—through relationships. I just think the way people touch each other and connect, especially after we’ve gone through such a disconnect, touching each other’s hearts is very important.” All corners of Irving’s life find themselves represented over the arc of Always Will Be: “My dog’s a part of it. My best friend, Judy, is a part of it. Willie, of course, is a part. My husband, of course, is part of it. That’s why I chose the songs that I did and why I did it.”

Over Irving’s prolific near-lifelong career, she has been heralded as a “revelation” by Time, while Variety dubbed her “a gifted stage actress of uncompromising integrity.” She first came to prominence with early screen roles in Brian DePalma’s Carrie and The Fury, and stage performances of Romeo and Juliet with the Los Angeles Free Shakespeare Society and Broadway’s Amadeus. Nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Yentl, Irving has captivated audiences with beloved starring roles in films like Crossing DelanceyThe Competition and Micki and Maude.

Now in this latest chapter, Irving has created an arresting body of work that couples her gift for dynamic storytelling with her talent for bringing unexpected and inspiring interpretations to the works of others with great nuance and depth. Shifting into music, the playground may look slightly different, but the creative impulse, and deep dedication to craft, remains. “I’m finding something new,” Irving says. “And, boy, there’s nothing that makes you feel more alive.”

Always Will Be Tracklist:
1. It’s a Dream Come True (feat. Lizzie No)
2. Yesterday’s Wine (feat. Goolis)
3. I Guess I’ve Come to Live Here In Your Eyes (feat. Chris Pierce)
4. I’d Have To Be Crazy
5. If You Want Me to Love You I Will
6. I Wish I Didn’t Love You So (feat. Steve Earle)
7. Getting Over You (feat. Goolis)
8. Everywhere I Go (feat. Louis Cato)
9. Always Will Be (feat. Amy Helm)
10. Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground (feat. Willie Nelson)

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