“The other thing about working this much is it really makes you feel like you’ve got family everywhere you go,” she says.

Not surprisingly for her, it’s about connections as well as accomplishments. If you imagine she’s depleted from all this as the year draws to a close, imagine again. Becoming one of the Grammys’ four top nominees of the year for her recorded output. Oh, and one-offs aside: a full tour behind “Days” (and “Daze”). Producing a 2022 album for Lucius (her “SNL” vocal accompanists) and 2023 ones for Tucker and Brandy Clark.

A collaborative single with friend Allison Russell. Releasing a deluxe version of her Grammy-nominated “In These Silent Days” record, featuring a whole separate version of the album with different, newly recorded arrangements. Being feted by the Human Rights Campaign. Being the exec-producer and partial subject of a theatrical documentary, “The Return of Tanya Tucker - Featuring Brandi Carlile.” Doing another edition of her annual Girls Just Wanna festival in Mexico. Doing an Imax live concert that went out to hundreds of theaters in real time. Going out on select dates of the “Judds Farewell Tour” to take Naomi’s place next to Wynonna (with her brother, Jay, in the backing band). Doing knockout performances at nationally televised memorial services for Naomi Judd and Loretta Lynn. Paying tribute Dolly Parton with Pink and others at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony.

Being the co-driving force (along with Batiste) for Mitchell’s MusiCares all-star salute. Engineering a “Joni Jam” with her beloved Joni Mitchell at the Newport Folk Festival, soon to be a live album. Sitting in with Elton John to sing “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” at Dodger Stadium for his globally webcast final American tour stop ever. To tick off some, if hardly all, of them: But in also talking about her Year That Was, there is so much more to discuss than could even get a moment’s mention in an hour’s chat. Our conversation is intended to focus on the love she’s getting from the Grammys, with Carlile going into the 2023 edition with seven nominations, the most she’s had in a single year after getting at least two each year for the last four ceremonies straight. Blink and you’ll miss something that for most other artists could be a heady career highlight, but that for her is … well, probably also a heady career highlight, but one of many sequentially getting ticked off as she becomes arguably the most constantly in-demand and oft-obliging singer the world has at the moment. In other words, it’s pretty much a typical week in the life of Brandi Carlile circa 2022.

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