Gatlin’s debut album The Eldest Daughter arrives as both a reclamation of self and a refusal to live by anyone else’s script. The Florida-born, Los Angeles-based songwriter pulls from her own history of queerness, mental health struggles, and growing up in a deeply conservative community to create her most vulnerable and defiant work to date. Each of the album’s ten tracks confronts expectations head-on, tracing the rejection and questioning she endured before finding freedom in her own chosen path. “It’s not only about taking control of the life I’ve decided to live,” Gatlin says. “But sticking up for it.”

The record’s rawness is reflected in its standout singles. “If She Was A Boy,” inspired by a rediscovered diary entry from her early coming out journey, was praised by Rolling Stone as a “Song You Need to Know” and named one of GLAAD’s Best Songs of the Week. With “Jesus Christ & Country Clubs,” co-written with Liza Owen and Jennifer Decilveo, Gatlin takes sharp aim at the hypocrisy of the community she left behind. It is equal parts cathartic and satirical, refusing to conform to outdated norms and offering a glimpse of her unflinching wit.

The Eldest Daughter also extends Gatlin’s growing reach as a live performer. After early heartbreak pushed her into a deeper connection with pop music’s emotional core, she hit the road opening for Ashe, Pale Waves, and VERITE, bringing her unguarded songs to new audiences. Fans who discovered her through breakout single “What If I Love You” or the moody “2000 Miles” will find an even bolder voice here, one unafraid to balance humor and heartbreak, joy and pain.

Raised on Stevie Nicks and Taylor Swift, Gatlin has been writing and performing since childhood, later honing her craft at Nashville’s songwriting programs before striking out with her first releases in 2020. In just a few years she has amassed over 150 million streams, building a following drawn to her honest, confessional style. The CD version of The Eldest Daughter features alternate cover art and an extended cut of “Pipe Dream,” underlining her commitment to giving fans something personal and unique.

As Gatlin explains, her philosophy is simple: “Whatever emotion you’re feeling? Feel it deeply. Don’t numb it out.” That ethos is stamped across The Eldest Daughter, a record that chronicles survival while celebrating the liberation of living unapologetically.