Gabby Barrett is still on maternity leave after welcoming her son, Augustine Boone, in November, but that doesn't mean she's entirely off the clock. In fact, the singer is hard at work on her next album, and she says the tracklist will feature a song written by none other than Luke Combs.

Barrett breaks down how it all came together during a recent appearance on Country Countdown USA, explaining that not only did Combs pitch the song to her, but he all but insisted she cut it.

"He was very adamant about the song and me recording it," the "Pick Me Up" star relates. But from the sounds of it, Barrett — who's a longtime admirer of Combs' music  didn't need all that much convincing.

"I'm a big fan of his," she says. "... As soon as I heard [the song], I was like, 'It really strikes a chord with me.' I'm definitely gonna put it on my next album coming out later this year."

Barrett adds, "I think it's an awesome song, and it's coming out this year."

There's another familiar face who might make an appearance on Barrett's next project, too. She says that fans have long been asking for a duet between the singer and her husband Cade Foehner, whom she met while the two were contestants on American Idol. He plays guitar with her on the road, meaning that there's lots of opportunity for them to perform a hypothetical duet live — and on her next album, Barrett hints, they just might make a husband-and-wife collaboration happen.

"There's a good chance. There have been a lot of requests for that. Maybe on album two this year," she details. "You never know. I'll let you know!"

Barrett currently has a few dates on the books for 2023, including a performance at Stagecoach in April.

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