Bri Bagwell talks outlaws and ageism ahead of Santa Fe gala appearance

Country music phenomenon Bri Bagwell is performing at the Buckaroo Ball, a charity gala at Bishop’s Lodge in Santa Fe, on Saturday, July 26, as part of her 2025 nationwide tour.

For those who can’t catch her in Santa Fe, she’ll also perform at the 8750’ Festival in Red River later next month.

Bagwell released her latest single, “Border Girl,” in April. The lyrics reflect her formative experiences growing up in Las Cruces on the U.S.–Mexico border.

“I just love where I’m from, and I wanted to write a song about that. I sat down to write it, and it was just one of the easiest songs I’ve ever written,” Bagwell said. “It’s just about loving the Mexican American influence. And it’s been really well received. I think there’s a lot of people who feel like they are part of two different cultures, like I do.”

Although Bagwell is not Hispanic, she said Mexican American culture has had a profound influence on her.

“I always joke that I loved George Strait and Selena in the same vein,” she said. “And I sing in Spanish every night, and I go home and just can’t wait to eat green chile.”

Bagwell recognizes that in today’s era of heightened political division, a song about being a “border girl” might be misinterpreted as an overt political statement.

“I think it’s so funny,” she said, “because I released a song about voting, and then I released this. And people are quick to make the assumption that I’m saying something political.”

“I think everyone wants that sort of division,” she continued. “But this song is maybe the polar opposite of that.”

At its heart, “Border Girl” is about “the pride that we all have about our hometown,” Bagwell said. “It’s talking about feeling the division in my heart of being (between) one culture and the other, but how it’s beautiful when it melds together.”

Bagwell, who is 37, said she thinks her songwriting has gotten better over time, but she has constantly had to confront ageism and sexism in the country music industry.

“I’m not in my 20s anymore, and I’m totally okay with that, even if Nashville is not,” she said. “There’s just a weird stigma about it, where no one asks my boyfriend how old he is, or no one really cares if he’s over 40.”

“I actually had a deal in Nashville when I was 26, and there was a record executive in the room who had told me I was too old at 26, which I thought was hilarious,” she said.

“But I feel so much more comfortable in my skin than I did 10 years ago,” Bagwell continued, “and I’ve grown so much as an artist.”

Bagwell plans to release a six-song EP in the fall, which will include “Border Girl.”

“Then, later on this year, I’m releasing a double record called ‘20 Years in Texas,’ because I moved to Texas 20 years ago, which is wild to think about,” Bagwell said. “It’s going to be kind of a compilation of quote-unquote ‘Greatest Hits,’ plus a couple new songs.”

Although “Texas” is in the title, some of the songs are about New Mexico.

“I’m going to put a song on there I wrote about Billy the Kid, because he was also all over New Mexico and in jail in Las Cruces,” she said.

“I don’t have a manager or a label right now, so I can kind of record anything I want,” Bagwell said. “I don’t think they would necessarily encourage me to write songs about the border or Billy the Kid. But I can, and it’s so much fun. I’m having a ball!”

There’s a mischievous glint in Bagwell’s eyes as she talks about defying music industry expectations and embracing outlaw figures like Billy the Kid.

“Johnny Cash and my grandma were second cousins, actually, so I really blame that whole part of my family (for my outlaw spirit),” she said. “But I’m probably less of a real life outlaw than the one I have created in my brain.”

“I want to have bullets around my hips and ride a pony across New Mexico,” she said. “I love the idea of being an outlaw, but in practice, I’m probably just a Goody Two-shoes with a big imagination.”

Bri Bagwell talks outlaws and ageism ahead of Santa Fe gala appearance