This marks Carlile’s fourth time as musical guest on SNL and her second appearance this year, following an April duet with Elton John promoting their joint project Who Believes in Angels?. On Saturday’s show, she took center stage solo, delivering two emotionally charged performances.
Opening with “Church & State,” Carlile sang of a “failing empire” and sociopolitical unrest in a haunting arrangement co-written with producer Andrew Watt and longtime collaborators Phil and Tim Hanseroth.
She followed with “Human,” a soaring ballad that reflects on vulnerability and resilience — also the name of her upcoming Human Tour, which kicks off in February 2026.
The two songs are from Carlile’s eighth studio album, Returning to Myself, released Oct. 25. It marks her first solo LP since 2021’s In These Silent Days, which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200, topped the Rock and Americana/Folk charts, and won multiple Grammy awards, including Best Americana Album and awards for “Broken Horses.” It also received seven Grammy nominations overall.
Since her last solo project, Carlile has remained a central figure in American roots and rock music — curating music festivals (Girls Just Wanna Weekend, Echoes Through the Canyon), forming the country supergroup The Highwomen, and collaborating with legends like Elton John, Joni Mitchell and Tanya Tucker.
Her SNL appearance follows a busy October that included performing at Mitchell’s Joni Jam at the Hollywood Bowl and announcing her return to Europe in fall 2026 after the North American leg of her tour.
Carlile also appeared in the episode’s promos, stealing the scene with a joke about noticing co-star Ashley Padilla’s haircut before Top Gun: Maverick actor Miles Teller, who hosted this week’s episode. “The second I saw you, I knew you had that new-haircut glow,” Carlile deadpanned — leading Padilla to declare her the new host.
