• Bethany Joy Lenz says she’s working on something new ahead of Hope Valley: 1874 season 2.
  • The Hallmark star is planning to release new music on Instagram.
  • Joy previously performed music while appearing on One Tree Hill.

Bethany Joy Lenz is using her downtime from Hope Valley: 1874 to take on a new passion project.

The hit Hallmark+ drama will return for season 2 in 2027, and Bethany has been keeping busy during the filming hiatus. In addition to gearing up for the release of her new novel, The Betrayal of Cora Wexford, Bethany is also getting back to music. In fact, she’s already started performing again, appearing at the iconic Bluebird Café in Nashville, where she teased new music she hopes to release soon, according to her Instagram post on July 5,

“Yeah, so, I wrote this for every girl who understands this song,” she stated in the clip before singing a new original track titled “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”

When fans saw that Bethany was actively working on new music, they couldn’t help but be excited about what she has in store.

“Love this song!!! Also looking forward to the official release of this song 🙏,” one person wrote in the comments.

“It’s me! I’m the girl that gets it! Absolutely love this!! ❤️❤️,” another agreed.

“I LOVE THIS. 👏 Love the country sound. It works so well with your voice! Please do more of this style! ❤️,” a different follower added.

Fans know she’s not entirely new to singing. During her time on One Tree Hill, Bethany’s character, Haley James Scott, was a professional singer who toured. In between shooting, Joy released her own tunes, including 2023’s “Strawberries” and the 2025 collaborative album, Well Well Well, with former OTH co-star Tyler Hilton.

As far as when new music will drop, Bethany is keeping that hush for now. But she is teasing that fans will get to hear something from her sooner rather than later.

“Now that my book has been turned in, I get to focus more on music for a little while,” she wrote on Instagram on July 3. “A few gigs coming up. Finally recorded Honeybee, which is coming out soon! In the meantime, I stumbled across this old gem. All I can say is whiskey and rice crispy treats are a dangerous combination.”

Looking forward to listening to whatever else Bethany has coming up!