It was the second record released in Wilson's career and her first to gain traction on the American country albums chart.

Prior to that, Wilson had been performing and recording as a country artist in Nashville, Tennessee for several years.

[4] The album's title track describes the loss of a friend, a grandfather and Wilson's other experiences during childhood.

[5] In an interview with Songwriter Magazine, Wilson reflected on the content of Tougher: "...It’s so cool to go back and listen to the music that I put out years ago.

It was offered as both a compact disc[3] and as a digital release to platforms which included Apple Music.