Long before power pickers like Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull and Sister Sadie began taking the bluegrass world by storm, it was Alison Krauss turning heads and blazing trails. Since bursting onto the scene as a teenager at bluegrass festivals in the mid '80s, the Illinois-born singer has gone on to win a whopping 27 GRAMMY Awards — the fourth most of all-time — most of them coming with her longtime backing band, Union Station, by her side.

The group's last GRAMMY win came in 2012, notching their fifth consecutive Best Bluegrass Album victory for 2011's Paper Airplanes. While the sextet toured together through 2015, the album would be their last for 14 years. But after time spent away from Union Station focusing on other projects — including her fourth solo album, 2017's Windy City, and her second album with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, 2021's Raise the Roof — the sextet were inspired to finally make another, and Arcadia was born.

Released on March 28, Arcadia serves as a continuation of the band's tried-and-true formula of taking songs from any genre or era and crafting them into timeless string ballads. Standouts include the swing-turned-grassy cover of JD McPherson's "North Side Gal" and "The Hangman," the latter being a poem that Krauss dug up and had music arranged for by her brother and frequent collaborator, Viktor Krauss.

But it was Arcadia's opening song, "Looks Like The End Of The Road," that Krauss says helped to set the entire album into motion. Together she and Union Station take Jeremy Lister's 2020 pop-tinged and piano driven number and turn it into a symphony of strings riding the highs and lows of Krauss' mountainous voice, which sounds as magnificent as ever.

"I've been collecting all of these tunes for what feels like forever," Krauss tells GRAMMY.com of the tracks making up Arcadia. "But it was the beginning of 2021 when I heard 'Looks Like The End Of The Road' and it just felt like what should be the first song. Until then, we didn't have a song to go in that spot as our way of saying 'Hello' again. Everything else just kind of fell into place after that."

Notably, Arcadia marks the group's first lineup change in over a quarter century with Dan Tyminski — who still plays guitar and mandolin on the album — stepping away from touring with Union Station to concentrate on his own band. In his place, the group welcomed IIIrd Tyme Out frontman, Russell Moore, who shares vocal duties with Krauss alongside longtime members Larry Atamanuik (drums/percussion), Ron Block (guitar, banjo), Barry Bales (bass), and Jerry Douglas (dobro).

Union Station will also include esteemed fiddler Stuart Duncan on their upcoming tour, which begins April 17 in Louisville, Ky. and concludes Sept. 28 in Hollywood, Fl. With 75 stops in total — including Denver's Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Los Angeles' Greek Theatre and New York City's Beacon Theatre — the trek will celebrate the band's new chapter as well as their standard-setting bluegrass legacy.

Below, Krauss chats with GRAMMY.com about Union Station's return and the path to recording again, the introduction of Moore to the group, who she sees as a "force of nature" in bluegrass music, and more.

You've said that "many people in bluegrass music talk about being born in the wrong decade." With that in mind, was there a particular decade and moment in time you were trying to channel on Arcadia compared to previous projects?

All of our tunes, no matter the album, live in a time period long ago — I wasn't trying to do anything different. We've always mixed old tunes with new tunes on our records. This one might have a couple more — like "Richmond On The James" and "Granite Mills" — that are even more tragic and really encompass that feeling of being from a different time.

"Richmond On The James" is originally a Civil War ballad. Is it the oldest composition on this record, and what made you want to put your own spin on it?

It is, but "Granite Mills" wasn't far behind it. I just recently saw the sheet music for it, which is written in ¾ time and has a whole bunch of extra verses compared to what we recorded for this album. I love the one we ended on about leaving things to your sister and mother. 

There's a distinct style of poetry that songs were written in in that period of time that are so well said and play out like a movie in my mind when I hear them. Because of that, it's such a beautiful song, but also one of the hardest for me to sing.

You mentioned poetry a moment ago, which leads me to the next song I wanted to ask about, "The Hangman," which actually originated as a poem. What inspired you to put it to song?

I don't write, I'm just a song finder. I've never felt like a poet, so I tend to stay away from it. "The Hangman" came up years ago when I was looking for songs for Dan [Tyminski] in response to a joke he'd made asking, "What am I going to be this time? Am I going to be a sailor? Am I going to be a farmer? A sharecropper? Because I always like that message. I'm like a man against the elements."

While looking for songs for him, I got to thinking about one of my favorite songs, "Renegade" by Styx, and the lines "Hangman is comin' down from the gallows/ And I don't have very long," and began hunting for something with lyrics like it. One day I was online looking for poems and searched "Hangman poem" and this piece from Maurice Ogden popped up. Once I started reading it, I quickly realized it was exactly what I'd been looking for, so I called Viktor and asked if he could write a melody to go with it in G.

With Dan stepping away from the group this year, the new album also serves as an introduction to his replacement, Russell Moore. How'd he find his way to the group?

There was a meeting with me and Jerry [Douglas] and Barry [Bales] and Ron [Block] where we sat down and talked about Dan leaving when Jerry asked, "What do you think?" and I said "Russell Moore" and everyone responded with an emphatic "Yes!" Their reaction was very sweet, but I still didn't know if [Russell] would do it. I actually thought he would say no since he has his own band and has been doing that for over 30 years.

Which is about how long the bulk of Union Station's members have been by your side. What does it mean to have that level of familiarity and camaraderie within the group?

Oh, it's a dream! For a while there Jerry was the new guy at 27 years, but now that goes to Russell. When you're picking out songs or listening at home, you don't hear them without hearing the guys in it. It was magical coming into the studio again and cutting the tracks with everybody.

Earlier you mentioned finding "The Hangman" online, but I understand a lot of the songs you've uncovered come from your decades old extensive record and cassette collection at home. Mind telling me about the role it had to play with Arcadia?

Well, I've got bins that are labeled by songwriter or artist of things I've heard through the years. Sometimes they go in a bin if the title looks interesting. Most of the songs on this album came from that collection but were set aside behind my desk 10-15 years ago. 

However, one of the songs — Bob Lucas' "Snow" — did come straight out of one of the bins. That one I've been holding onto for closer to 20 years. The newest songs I pulled from it were "Looks Like The End Of The Road" and "There's A Light Up Ahead."

That's as far as having them, but in total there's 10 bins stacked behind the cabinet in my living room full of material. Occasionally I'll think about where all of them are going to go someday, or wonder who in the world would want this collection of things through the years [Laughs]. One thing having all of it has taught me though is that a great song will live many lives. "Richmond On The James" was a ¾ waltz and piano song before we changed it into what it is now.

I just love how things can move around and become something else. If it's great poetry, it's gonna last.

Are there any bluegrass artists out there that remind you of yourself coming up through the scene?

There's a new person that I like but don't see her as a comparison, I see her as her own thing, like a force of nature. She's as good as anyone I've ever heard, and that's Sierra Ferrell. 

She is so unique and a game changer in country music, folk, Bluegrass, and Americana. I mostly listen to the old music that first made me want to start playing, but I do listen to Sierra on the bus and like to watch her sing live. I think she's even better live than she is on her records, just an incredible performer. Much like the older music I usually listen to, her songs inspire and transport me back to a different time.

What did the process of bringing Arcadia to life teach you about yourself?

It's taught me that deep down we're all the same. People want to relate to somebody. You want to relate to somebody else and want them to relate to you and feel like you're understood. That's what music exists for. It's the great encourager.

Speaking of encouragement, what do you have to say to fans looking forward to seeing you and Union Station live for the first time in a decade when you all go back on tour next month?

Bring it and we'll swing it!