ZZ Ward, courtesy.

Dirty Shine may be the title of the latest album from ZZ Ward, but for the singer-songwriter, the phrase is a rallying cry that speaks to so much more.

“It’s something my fans came up with when I first started playing out on my first album,” the Oregon native said in a recent call. “It basically means being your true authentic self and not being shy about it, even if it’s a little rough around the edges.”

The term has grown to define the singer beyond just her music; it’s also become the name of her newly launched record label, on which she released the album.

“Wearing long blond hair with a fedora was not something anyone was doing then,” Ward said. “It was just kind of this outsider thing that I think people really connected with.”

Ward is set to embark on the next leg of her One Hell of a Night Tour. A veteran of the road, Ward said she still feels anxious and excited before a tour.

“The anxiety is less about playing the shows—just more of everything involved in getting there,” she said. “But then excitement to play. It amazes me that I have the fans that I do when I come out.”

In going the independent route, Ward wanted complete creative control of her path without being told “no” by forces beyond her control. One example of that is releasing music more frequently, which he said she couldn’t do before. She still has a team supporting her and helping her make the right creative and business decisions, but she no longer has to worry about meeting the goals of anyone but herself.

“You can get sidetracked trying to please other people, or label and what they want from you or what they see from you,” Ward said.

Ward is pregnant with her second child, but it was the birth of her son and the journey into motherhood that guided her writing on Dirty Shine.

“You feel different because your life has changed, and it’s never going to be what it was before,” Ward said. “It takes some time to get to know yourself again and figuring out what your new life is going to look like.”

As with many musicians who become new parents, ZZ Ward faced a decision she had to make, and she decided to do whatever was necessary to continue to tour. For that she’s faced some backlash.

“I’m going to work really hard and I’m going to bring my son on this adventure with me, unforgivingly,” she said. “Not everybody likes that. Sometimes they’ll say, ‘Oh, you’re gonna bring your kid?’ Tough; I’m gonna bring my kid.”

So, does the youngest member of the family (now 2 years old) realize the cool job mom has yet? Not quite yet.

“He’s so adorable. He’ll say, ‘Mama sings for the people.’ He doesn’t really understand what’s going on, but he likes music,” Ward said. “He’s got really good rhythm, which is really impressive to me, I’m really good at music but I wouldn’t say the rhythm is my strongest asset.”

Ward’s music benefits from plenty of rhythm. The harmonica-playing vocalist’s sound is rooted in blues and soul but features splashes of hip-hop, pop and rock. She’s worked with the likes of Aloe Blacc, Gary Clark Jr., Kendrick Lamar and Oakland’s Fantastic Negrito. She said fans are just looking for the experience of the song rather than trying to pin down its influences.

“I think that genres are created for marketing purposes,” Ward said. “When I’m in the studio writing, it just has to make me feel something whether that’s strong or empowered, or angry, or sad; I just want it to feel like a real emotion, whatever that is.”

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.