A Renaissance sculptor’s answer about freeing an angel from marble became the heart of Rita Wilson’s new song. The singer-songwriter has shared “Michelangelo,” an empowering ballad from her album ‘Sound of a Woman,’ out now via her Sing It Loud Records, alongside an eye-catching video shot in New York City and directed by Steven Sebring (Patti Smith). It’s the second track unveiled from her ambitious sixth studio album, co-produced by Wilson and Grammy winner Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton).
Co-written with industry heavyweight Amy Wadge, the choir-accompanied track embraces poetic simplicity as Wilson reflects on uncovering one’s most authentic self. Her crystalline vocals sit against sparse piano that captures the contemplative, introspective nature of the lyrics.
The title carries real weight for her. “Michelangelo was asked how he made such exquisite statues out of blocks of stone; his answer was, ‘I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free,'” Wilson explains. “So much of becoming ourselves involves the lifelong work of chipping away at what’s nonessential and getting closer to the truth of who we are as women. That process is not without pain and loss, but in the end there’s so much beauty to be gained from the constant practice of looking inward with real curiosity and courage.”
She continues: “As an artist, or as a woman in any facet of our lives, we are sculpting ourselves into being. Which to me means getting rid of all the excess and discovering who you are in the most essential sense, recognizing the work you’ve done to become the person you are.” Mirroring that idea, the video finds Wilson alone in an art studio, ending with her writing Zora Neale Hurston’s words across a canvas: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
‘Sound of a Woman’ explores the arc of a woman’s life as part unfiltered memoir, part nuanced observation of the world. The album moves beyond gender bounds and cuts to the raw truth of human experience, offering catharsis, reflection, and unabashed joy along the way, with a sonic depth that matches the scope of Wilson’s soul-baring songwriting.
Rita Wilson 2026 Tour Dates:
June 9 – Pittsburgh @ City Winery
June 10 – Philadelphia @ City Winery
June 11 – Boston @ City Winery
June 13 – New York City @ City Winery