Gabby Barrett Says She's Turned Down Duets in Order to 'Respect' Her Husband: 'Not Going to Jeopardize My Marriage'

Country singer Gabby Barrett says she’s turned down duets with male singers so as not to "jeopardize" her marriage to husband Cade Foehner.

The “I Hope” singer, 23, opened up about her relationship with Foehner, 27, on the Unexpected with Hannah Love podcast, and explained that she’s embraced certain boundaries when it comes to career obligations.

“There’s been large song opportunities that have come in for me to duet on or be a part of, and something between myself and my husband… I respect him a ton, and I listen to what he has to say, and I think he deserves that,” Barrett told Love, who is married to Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay.

The star continued: “There’s been songs that have been not appropriate to sing wording-wise, like these love songs that are really intimate wording-wise. And then when you accept a song, there’s obligations that go along with it, that you could sing it on awards shows together, you might be doing interviews together. What does that look like on the stage? What does that dynamic look like if I’m singing with another man? Is that gonna make my husband uncomfortable? Probably.”

Foehner currently accompanies Barrett on guitar during all of her live performances. The pair met as contestants on season 16 of American Idol in 2018, and were married in October 2019 after a seven-month engagement. 

Barrett is currently expecting the couple’s third child, a girl, who will join older sister Baylah May, 2½, and brother Augustine Boone, 14 months.

“I respect him and love him so much that I am not going to jeopardize my marriage to do a duet with somebody,” she said on the podcast. “I care about this a lot more and I pray and hope and know that God will bless my efforts in trying to keep my marriage straight and not… just for a duet or whatever it is.”

The singer said she and Foehner have sought counseling, and that in those sessions, they’ve been told they’re both “strong-willed people,” something she says she believes help her remain strong in her convictions.

"I have tons of people say that say to me, or have texted me, or have commented about me and said, 'She's ruining her career by talking about these things, and by X, Y and Z," Barrett said. "Because I treasure a Godly marriage over anything the world could offer….”

Barrett released her debut album Goldmine in 2020, and is set to release a follow-up, titled Chapter & Verse, in February.

She opened up to PEOPLE in September about her impending bundle of joy, saying she was excited to have "another girl and another girl personality in the house."

"My first was a girl, second was a boy, third will be a girl again. So love girls, love raising my first one," she said. "So lots of personalities in the house."

While pregnant with Baylah in 2021, Barrett also told PEOPLE that Foehner was an excellent caregiver.

"He's just been very nice. He rubs my feet every single night. He's been extra, extra thoughtful," she said. "And pregnancy can sometimes bring on mood swings and all of those crazy things from the lovely hormones. He's just been very patient about it and very understanding."