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Emmy Russell and Tyler Ward shared the emotional moment Ward held his newborn daughter for the first time.
The new parents — and newlyweds — shared a video of that moment on Instagram on Friday (February 28), as they debuted the new ballad in honor of their daughter. Russell, 26, and Ward, 40, welcomed Baby No. 1 on January 31 (Russell later shared updates after a long labor, and shared that she “never knew how real this struggle could be” after making it home from the hospital). Ward tearfully looked into his daughter’s eyes when he held her for the first time, and Russell softly told him, “she loves you.” Their heartfelt duet, “London Bridges,” sees the new parents pledging to “be right here for you” through happiness and heartbreak throughout their daughter’s life.
Russell, a former American Idol finalist and granddaughter of late legend Loretta Lynn, shared in an interview with PEOPLE that she and Ward chose Taylor Ray (Raydiant) Ward’s name because when Russell discovered she was pregnant, “as weird as this sounds, I literally heard, I felt like I heard God tell me, 'Emmy, you're pregnant, and your baby is Radiant.’” Since Ward’s middle name is Ray, the idea stuck and the couple settled on their daughter’s name the moment they met her. Taylor Ray joins Christian, Ward’s nephew, who also lives with Ward and Russell. Taylor Ray’s birth also follows her parents’ secret wedding ceremony last year.
Russell announced her pregnancy when she and her mother, Patsy Russell, joined host Jennifer Vickery Smith on an episode of Smith’s podcast, Got It From My Momma. The episode was recorded live on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. Russell debuted her baby bump to the audience and said, “y’all, me and Tyler are expecting a baby girl.” Ward briefly joined Russell on stage as the crowd cheered for them.
Russell and Ward are among several artists welcoming babies into the family in 2025. Others with babies on the way include Lauren Alaina, Jordan Davis, HARDY and more. See the list of pregnancy announcements here.