We're proud to announce Father’s Daughter, the deeply personal, roots-rich debut album from Essence & Gold Country, arriving later this year. Led by sixth-generation San Franciscan singer-songwriter Essence Goldman—yes, that’s her real name—the project’s first single, “Free,” is out today, June 20, 2025.
A liberating anthem about reclaiming one’s voice after betrayal and heartbreak, “Free” pulses with the fire of hard-earned independence. “It’s a song that calls out the gaslighting, the lies, the toxic silence,” says Essence, who turned her own tumultuous chapter—divorce, single motherhood, the loss of her father—into a work of healing and celebration.
Produced by David Simon-Baker and recorded at Allegiant Records in Marin County, Father’s Daughter features Essence’s stellar Gold Country band, bringing warmth and grit to a sound rooted in classic country and Americana, rich with pedal steel, dobro, mandolin and banjo.
While Father’s Daughter marks her debut with Blue Élan, Essence is no stranger to the national stage. She touched hearts across the country through her work with Bernie Dalton, a surfer and aspiring musician diagnosed with ALS. As the creative force behind Bernie and the Believers, Essence became Bernie’s voice—literally—setting his lyrics to music and bringing their story to NPR’s Tiny Desk in a now-legendary 2018 performance that went viral.
“Bernie’s story moves me to tears more than any other in my 30 years at NPR,” wrote All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. “It’s a story with a beautiful, uplifting message.”
The project’s legacy continues: a feature film about Dalton’s life and their collaboration is currently in development with Weed Road / Paramount Pictures and John Legend’s Get Lifted production company, with Essence serving as a producer. She also founded Believe Music Heals, a nonprofit dedicated to the healing power of music.
On Father’s Daughter, Essence returns the spotlight to her own journey—with aching honesty and resilient grace. Songs like “Love Like Ours,” “Meet Me in the Stars,” and “The Gamble” explore grief, love, and transformation with timeless storytelling and unflinching vulnerability. From the swaggering single-parent anthem “Good Mom” to the tender duet “Quit You,” Essence brings raw emotion and lived wisdom to every note.
“I’ve lived through feast and famine, but music has always been my constant,” she says. “It’s how I make sense of the world. This record is about grief, growth, and coming home to myself.”
Essence & Gold Country’s Father’s Daughter is more than an album—it’s a statement of survival, truth, and triumph. With “Free” leading the charge, the journey begins now.