After gaining recognition in the series Hart of Dixie as the charismatic Crickett, Brandi Burkhardt is returning to her musical journey with a brand-new EP scheduled for release in May 2025. The artist, who has also shined on Broadway stages, now presents original songs that explore themes such as empowerment, vulnerability, and self-discovery. In addition to music, she stars in the feature film Friendship, A24’s new release set to premiere in the same month, alongside Paul Rudd.
You have already shined on Broadway, TV, and film, but now you are returning to music with a very personal original work. What was it like to rediscover your musical voice after so many experiences in other forms of art?
It felt like coming home—but to a version of myself I hadn’t met yet. I’ve always told stories through characters—on stage, on screen—but songwriting is different. It’s unfiltered. After years of interpreting other people’s words, rediscovering my own musical language was both terrifying and electrifying. I had to get really honest, let go of perfection, and let vulnerability lead. This project became a way of reclaiming my artistry on my own terms. It’s pop, but it’s personal. Every melody carries a memory. Every lyric is a truth I didn’t always know how to say out loud.
Your new EP seems to be more than just a musical project — it sounds like a kind of emotional and personal journey. What motivated you to transform this moment in your life into songs and share it with the world?
The EP started as a way to make sense of everything I was feeling—then it became a lifeline. It was my way of getting free. It’s about being stuck in an emotional loop—caught between what was, what could’ve been, and what I kept pretending still might be. I think we all have those moments where we replay something a thousand different ways, hoping for a different ending. These songs became the soundtrack to me finally letting go. It didn’t start as a concept project, but once I listened back, it was clear: every track is a step closer to the version of me who doesn’t need to hold on anymore. Sharing it felt like the final step—and maybe someone else hears it and feels a little more ready to break their own loop, too.
You describe this work as a story of a personal superheroine, where vulnerability turns into strength. When did you realize that embracing your fragilities would be the very path to artistic empowerment?
I always thought I was being vulnerable—but really, I was just scared. Real vulnerability means releasing the outcome, and that’s something I’m still learning to do. The shift happened when I stopped performing my feelings and actually started feeling them. Once I gave myself permission to not have all the answers, the music poured out. I wasn’t writing from some polished, perfect place—I was writing from the middle of it. I think that’s where the strength comes from. Not pretending everything’s fine, but staying open anyway. That’s the heartbeat of this project: a heroine who’s not invincible, just brave enough to keep going.
Besides music, you will soon be debuting in the film Friendship by A24. How was it to balance this emotional dive of the EP with the process of bringing a new character to life on the big screen?
It was the best kind of whiplash. One day I’m in the studio writing about heartbreak and healing, the next I’m on set tossing quips and diving into chaos with Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson. Friendship was wild in the best way—and honestly, it gave me room to breathe. The EP asked me to go deep, while the film gave me permission to let go and just play. Having both saved me a little. They balanced each other out and reminded me that being an artist doesn’t mean picking a lane. I get to be both: the girl spilling her heart in the booth and the one cracking jokes on set.
Many artists spend years trying to find their own language — and you are now presenting work that seems to have been born from instinct and inner listening. How much has trusting yourself changed the way you create?
The biggest shift was learning not to perform—but to feel. I’ve spent a lot of my career singing big, belting high, hitting the kind of notes that make people stop and listen. And I still love that—it’s part of me. But this record isn’t about proving anything. It’s about telling the truth. Capturing a moment. Letting a breathy whisper say more than a belt ever could. And that was hard—resisting the urge to impress and stepping into something more raw, more intimate. It’s not perfect. And it’s not supposed to be. That’s what makes it real.
We are used to seeing you in strong, determined, charming characters. What will people discover about the real Brandi when they listen to this EP? Do you often find a lot of similarity between yourself and your characters?
I’ve played a wide spectrum of women—some light and sweet, some bold and sensual, some messy, eager, simple, fierce, even a little villainous. And I’ve loved them all, because each one let me try on a version of myself I wasn’t quite ready to own in real life. Honestly, I used to borrow confidence from my roles. It was safer to feel powerful as someone else. But this EP isn’t a character. It’s me. The stories aren’t tied up in bows or written for applause. They’re fragments of real feelings—moments I actually lived through. So what people might discover in this music is someone still figuring it out, still growing. And maybe that’s the bravest character I’ve ever played.
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