On Nov. 2, 2025, Brandi Carlile made a commanding return to Saturday Night Live, delivering two stirring numbers — “Church & State” and “Human” — both drawn from her newly released solo album, Returning to Myself (released Oct. 25, 2025).

This marked Carlile’s fourth appearance as a musical guest on SNL and her second time on the program in 2025; earlier in the year she shared the stage with Elton John in April to promote their collaborative project, Who Believes in Angels?. For Saturday’s broadcast she performed alone, offering emotionally direct and musically assured renditions of both songs.

She opened with “Church & State,” a brooding, urgent track that conjures images of political instability and cultural fracture. The arrangement — co-written with producer Andrew Watt alongside longtime collaborators Phil and Tim Hanseroth — emphasized sparse, haunting textures that underscored the song’s bleak reportage.

Following that, Carlile sang “Human,” a soaring, vulnerable ballad that balances fragility with defiant strength — a fitting anthem for her forthcoming Human Tour, which is scheduled to begin in February 2026.

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Both selections appear on Carlile’s eighth studio album, Returning to Myself, issued Oct. 25, 2025. It is her first solo LP since 2021’s In These Silent Days, an album that reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200, topped the Rock and Americana/Folk charts, and earned multiple Grammy wins and nominations — including recognition for the single “Broken Horses” and the Best Americana Album accolade.

Since that last solo record, Carlile has stayed prominent across the roots and rock scenes: she’s curated festivals such as Girls Just Wanna Weekend and Echoes Through the Canyon, co-founded the country supergroup The Highwomen, and collaborated with artists from Elton John to Joni Mitchell and Tanya Tucker.

Her SNL appearance capped a busy October that included a set at Mitchell’s Joni Jam at the Hollywood Bowl and the announcement of additional international dates — she’s scheduled to return to Europe in fall 2026 following the North American leg of her tour.

In promotional spots for the episode Carlile also showcased a quick comic turn, quipping about noticing co-star Ashley Padilla’s new haircut before host Miles Teller — a deadpan line that helped the segment land a playful moment amid the night’s performances.