[1] In 2014, two years after the success of her album Voyageur, Edwards decided to quit music and open a coffee shop in Stittsville called Quitters.

[2][3] Edwards returned to music in 2017 after Maren Morris invited her to write a song for her album, Girl.

[1] Total Freedom received positive reviews from music critics, who lauded the album as a fitting return for Edwards.

"[8] In a more critical review of the album, Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter wrote that "her singing remains strong and she is emoting about issues close to her, these tracks would benefit from more musical muscle."

However, Horowitz later noted "even if Total Freedom isn’t her finest work, it’s encouraging that Edwards has returned to releasing new material and doing what she does best.