Sheryl Crow isn’t one to dwell, but big moments demand big changes, and that’s exactly what happened after her split with Lance Armstrong and a breast cancer diagnosis.
The 63-year-old music legend recently opened up about the massive pivot she made in her life following the back-to-back emotional gut punches in 2006. By 2007, she had packed up her Hollywood life and relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, ready to start over with a whole new mindset.
Speaking to Variety, Sheryl explained that it was one of those life-altering seasons where everything hit at once. She thought marriage was on the table with Armstrong and had bonded deeply with his children, only for the relationship to end unexpectedly. That same year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, forcing her to hit pause and reevaluate what truly mattered. “I just looked at it and thought, ‘I want to put down roots; I want to have a family,’” she shared. Her family lived nearby, and her sisters were already in the area, so the decision to move to Tennessee was natural and deeply personal.
And she didn’t just talk about starting over, she really did it. Sheryl adopted her first son, Wyatt, in 2007 and then welcomed Levi in 2010. Now 18 and 15, they’ve become her whole world. She even cut her stint short on the Outlaw Music Festival Tour with Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan just to be there for them, especially with school commitments. “I’m too selfish to want to miss any time with them,” she admitted, adding that her oldest is heading off to college soon and it feels like he was “just born.”
But motherhood hasn’t dimmed her creative flame. In fact, it’s just on pause. Sheryl says she plans to jump back into music full-time once her boys are grown, and she’s already looking forward to that phase. “I have an acute connection to joy when I’m playing,” she said, proving that her passion hasn’t faded, just reprioritized.
Looking back at her decades-long career, Sheryl also shared her relief at not having to come up in today’s music industry. The constant pressure to build and maintain a brand, she says, is emotionally exhausting and ego-driven. “The brand is so 24 hours a day… it’s so cultivated,” she reflected. As someone who’s battled depression and insecurity, the idea of having to present a curated version of herself just doesn’t sit right.
“I already struggle with having my feelings hurt,” she said candidly. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to go into it knowing I’ve got to build this picture of a famous, secure person but also try to be vulnerable and be an artist.” These days, she’s found more peace and quieted some of the inner voices that used to make things harder.
Her story isn’t just about celebrity or hardship, it’s about resilience, choices, and tuning into what really matters when life forces you to hit the brakes.
