Lauren Daigle says she hit “rock bottom” during the pandemic

Lauren Daigle‘s new self-titled album is her first release since 2018, but between then and now, she says she hit “rock bottom.”

What sent Lauren into a tailspin was her dream tour — the one she’d been fantasizing about since she was a teenager and that was all set to go in 2020 — was canceled due to the pandemic.

“You combine the disappointment with grief and loss and the state of the world … I felt like I didn’t know myself anymore. I started developing panic attacks,” she tells People. “I found myself at a rock bottom.”

But the singer was able to climb out of that hole thanks to counseling, and the support of friends and family. She says making the new album “was this rebirth process,” adding, “My whole world fell apart, and I had to learn how to find myself again.”

And while her new album features songs that seem more secular than her past work, Lauren tells People, “For all the fans that have been with me in my journey from the very, very, very beginning, this is no different than a ‘You Say’ moment for me. These are other little pieces of me that you’re now going to get to learn of as well.”