Lee Ann Womack has left her longtime label, Universal Music Group (UMG), after more than 14 years with the record company's MCA imprint. The songstress, who has scored more than 20 Top 40 singles and sold over five million albums in the last 14 years, maintains she is optimistic about her future.

"[I'm] so appreciative to the wonderful MCA staff for giving me their all from my first days at Decca, through 'I Hope You Dance,' the awards for 'I May Hate Myself in the Morning' and There's More Where That Came From," says the angelic-voiced singer (quote via Country Weekly). "I am excited to see what comes next for so many people I think of as my friends, and am eager to see what life after 'leaving home' is like."

The married mother of two, who spent much of 2011 on the road with George Strait and Reba McEntire, has been hard at work on a new album, called The Way That I'm Living, which she says showcases a bit of a different sound than her previous work. "I didn't write anything on it," Lee Ann told The Boot. "It's funny, I was feeling weird about that and my husband (producer Frank Liddell) said, 'If outside songs are good enough for Willie Nelson, they should be good enough for you!' I had to agree with that."

There's no word yet on the status of the status of the new tunes, but it sounds like she is eager to share the music with her fans. "I've been living with this music now for months, and I'm dying to let the fans hear some," Lee Ann shares on her website.

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