Brandi Carlile’s 2 Daughters: All About Evangeline and Elijah

Brandi Carlile brought her thoughts on motherhood into her music through songs like “The Mother”.

Carlile has two daughters with his wife of more than a decade, Catherine Shepherd: Evangeline Ruth, 9, and Elijah, 6.

The singer’s daughters often appear on Carlile’s social networks. Evangeline and Elijah also walked the red carpet with their parents at the 2020 Los Angeles premiere of the film. Forward and even made an adorable appearance during the 2023 Grammys when they introduced their mom’s performance.

After Carlile published her memoirs Broken horses in April 2021, she opened up to PEOPLE about parenting her two daughters with her husband, noting that they have to forge a new path forward as a same-sex parenting couple.

“My hope is that people will see through my story that there is no right or wrong way to develop a parenting role in a heterosexual or same-sex relationship,” Carlile said. “There are different, complicated dynamics and there are many ways to feel. The more we talk about it and normalize it, the easier it is to understand that your parenting journey is customized. It is truly yours.”

Carlile also shared that she often worries about her daughters as they get older, explaining, “I hesitate to say things like, ‘We all worry all the time — that’s what moms do.’ ”

Brandi Carlile and Catherine Shepherd Relationship Timeline

Brandi Carlile with her daughters, Evangeline and Elijah.

Brandi Carlile’s Instagram

“Because some moms are like, ‘Oh, am I—– because I don’t care?’ ” Carlile added. “But no, I worry all the time that I’m doing it wrong or that I’m depriving them of something or that they’re getting too much or that they won’t have the life skills that I have because they’re not poor or because they’ve only lived in one house or because they don’t understand that things in the world are hard. We don’t know how to tell them yet.”

From their appearances on stage with their mother to their kittens, here’s everything you need to know about Brandi Carlile’s two daughters.

Evangeline Ruth, 9

Brandi Carlile and her daughter Evangeline.

Brandi Carlile’s Instagram

Carlile and Shepherd welcomed their first child, daughter Evangeline Ruth, on June 15, 2014. The singer announced the birth of her daughter on Instagram, sharing a photo of the tot wearing a tree-print jumpsuit and matching beanie.

Evangeline was conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF), harvesting Carlyle’s eggs for Shepherd to carry due to the singer’s busy work and touring schedule. The Grammy-winning artist told PEOPLE in April 2021 that she initially “struggled” with the fact that she wouldn’t be carrying their daughter, but eventually “came to terms with not being pregnant.”

“I came to terms with the fact that there was some pioneering involved in what we were doing, to the point where there wasn’t yet a template with two mothers on the birth certificate,” she explained. “There is now, but psychologically, all these things are really hard. And the big leap into parenthood is a complicated leap anyway.”

Carlile reflected on Evangeline’s birth in her memoir broken horses, sharing a short snippet of her book in the Instagram caption alongside a black and white photo montage of the mother-daughter duo.

“Born with two mothers on Father’s Day,” Carlile wrote of her older daughter. “The midwife told us that we all need a mantra for every time the world of motherhood feels like a mold that we don’t fit into. Mine was: ‘I am the mother of Evangeline.’ ”

Evangeline’s birth was the inspiration for Carlile’s 2018 song “The Mother”, which appears on her album By the way, I forgive you. Carlile said Shondaland in February 2018 that when she turned 30, her desire to become a mother “became super intense.”

“I thought I was going to carry, and when I didn’t, it was a whole different set of surprises and twists and things to learn from,” she said. “It’s really been quite a journey as a mom, but also a journey as a gay mom, specifically, because there are some really serious differences that I wasn’t quite ready for. I didn’t have proper mirroring.”

Brandi Carlile and her daughter Evangeline.

Brandi Carlile’s Instagram

Carlile added that her parenting models were mostly heterosexual examples, which in part led her to write “Mother”. She also reflected on her early worries about her fear of not acting “motherly” to her daughter, knowing that other people may be experiencing the same. She explained: “The love I feel for Evangeline is crazy. It’s intense, it keeps me up at night. But it wasn’t innate, it wasn’t immediate, and it was hard to learn.”

As for what Evangeline thought of the song, Carlile said she “loves it.”

Evangeline appeared in the live music video for Carlile’s song, as well as the Farm Aid 2020 On The Road performance, sitting next to her mum as the artist played acoustic guitar. Carlile also sang “The Mother” with Evangeline on stage at the singing festival, The Mothership Weekend, in May 2023.

Over the years, Evangeline has been known to help around the family home outside of Seattle. On Instagram, Carlile shared several videos and photos of Evangeline helping with yard work, including helping in the garden. In one post, Carlile wrote, “Can’t believe I finally have a sidekick crazy enough to walk me through the PNW rain!”

Evangeline also proves to be very hot, and Carlile shows her older daughter helping her set up the table. In an Instagram post, Carlile recorded a video of Evangeline drilling screws into the bottom of the table, with the singer walking her daughter through the process step-by-step. In the caption, Carlile wrote, “Daddy Schmad.”

Ilija, 6

Daughter of Brandi Carlile Elijah.

Brandi Carlile’s Instagram

Carlile and Shepherd welcomed their youngest daughter, Elijah, on March 18, 2018. The singer announced her birth on Instagram, sharing a photo of her newborn laying on her chest.

Elijah was conceived through IVF in 2017. Carlile told PEOPLE that the couple opted for IUI for their second child because Shepherd was “struggling” with IVF hormones. The singer said that with the couple’s second pregnancy, she felt more confident in her role as a parent, even though she wasn’t carrying Elijah.

Carlile opened up about Shepherd’s pregnancy and Elijah’s birth in an essay written for Parents in January 2021, saying that this time they were “ready to give birth” and had their “different but complementary baby skills solidified.”

“I have never felt the anxiety, guilt or confusion we struggled with the first time,” she wrote. “Eli was huge. Almost 10 pounds! She was a dream baby. We call her the ‘joy bomb’ because she just exploded with joy in our world and finally taught our serious little Evangeline how to belly laugh.”

Daughter of Brandi Carlile Elijah.

Brandi Carlile’s Instagram

Carlile gave her younger daughter a kitten, Zelda Rainbow Lavender Carlile, for her birthday in March 2021, sharing a photo on Instagram of her cradling the tiny kitten on her chest. Elijah and Zelda Rainbow Lavender became fast friends, and Carlile took photos of the duo napping and cuddling together.

Evangeline and Elijah also have a sweet sisterly bond. Carlile has captured some adorable moments between the siblings over the years, documenting their relationship on social media. In November 2019, the singer posted a photo of the duo in an embrace on Instagram, captioning it: “When the kids get quiet and you come around the corner and see this.”

Carlile also shared a series of photos of the sisters enjoying their family vacation in Mexico, including multiple photos of Evangeline and Elijah holding hands as they strolled along the beach and resort. The singer also captured her daughters in their more creative moments, including a video of them dressed in matching pink ballet outfits while dancing to Swan Lake around the house.

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Source: HIS Education