BEHIND THE SMILE: KIRSTY LEE AKERS SHARES HER PERSONAL STRUGGLES WITH DEPRESSION IN ‘IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS’How an emotional conversation with longtime collaborator Trey Bruce sparked one of Kirsty’s most raw and honest songs to date.“It’s the Little Things” is Kirsty Lee Akers at her most vulnerable. Written in Nashville with longtime collaborator and Emmy Award-winning songwriter/producer Trey Bruce, the song was born from a moment when her carefully constructed facade finally cracked. In a session that began with Trey simply asking, “Is everything ok?”, years of bottled-up emotion spilled out, shaping lyrics that speak to the crushing weight of depression and the whiplash of an artist’s life- the highs of performing for thousands one night, followed by the loneliness of feeling lost and invisible the next.“I’ve always wanted to produce Kirsty, and after we wrote ‘It’s The Little Things’, I knew that was the song that I’d be willing to do whatever it takes, to cut. Kirsty was having a bad day, and I encouraged her to own it, to say the hurt or anger out loud, in plain English. I’ve been writing with Kirsty since she was 18, so talking with each other honestly was easy. Once we got the first verse almost written, the lines began to come pretty quickly. We got down in the dirt pretty deep during this write. It was a great day after all”. – Trey BruceWith haunting honesty, Kirsty turns her breakdown into a confession set to melody, shining a light on how the smallest moments can trigger the deepest pain.“This song was born from a co-writing session with my producer Trey,” says Kirsty. “It all started from him asking me one question- is everything ok? Up until that point I thought I had been putting on a great facade, and I was! I’m the girl who always has her shit together, the high achiever, the first-born daughter who everyone comes to for their problems, the one always making jokes and making people laugh… but Trey and I have worked together since I was 18 years old and he could obviously see through all of that. In that moment, I absolutely fell to pieces. It felt like twenty years of bottled-up emotion came flooding out, and I was bawling uncontrollably. Trey just started writing down everything I was saying and in no time, we had this song.”It’s The Little Things captures the raw humanity behind the performer- the cracks beneath the polish, the truth behind the smile. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is admit that everything isn’t okay.