Sheryl Crow's Sons Are Growing Up Fast
Sheryl Crow adopted her first son, Wyatt Crow, in 2007, and in 2010, she adopted his brother, Levi Crow. Becoming a mom is one of the most beautiful things to ever happen to "The First Cut Is the Deepest" singer, and it changed her. "I love being on the road. But having a home, both as a place and a state of being, is paramount," she told Elle in 2010.
In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, the singer spoke about adoption and discussed the timing of her decision. "I adopted my kids after I had breast cancer, and everything shifted, and I was ... I'm just more convinced than ever; I tell people all the time when it comes to adopting or having your kids or whatever, right now I believe your kids choose you," she said.
There is no denying her sons mean the world to her, but that doesn't mean raising them has always been smooth sailing. "There is a lot of bribery in my house. I'm a strong proponent," the star told Us Weekly in 2017. "With food I'll be like, 'If you eat this, you can have that.' And now it's over whether they get to watch 'Phineas and Ferb.'" They were raised away from the limelight, but now that they're growing up, fans may get a better glimpse into their worlds. Meet Sheryl Crow's two sons and the loves of her life.
They are being raised by a single mom
Sheryl Crow adopted her boys as a single mom. "It wouldn't have been my first choice to do it by myself," she told Yahoo Entertainment in 2020. But her journey into motherhood has been rewarding and filled with love. "They're the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think of at night," she told Closer Weekly in an interview in 2017.
Crow's decision to raise kids without another parent may inspire others. "The only advice I have is that there will never seem like a great time to do it — just like when you're married, it never seems like the perfect time to have a baby," she told Redbook in a 2010 interview about raising kids solo. But the "Soak Up the Sun" singer doesn't feel alone. Her boys are surrounded by friends and family, including "many great, strong, and very present male figures" like her father and brother.
Still, their upbringing differs from hers. In her interview with Yahoo Entertainment, she said she came from a "really conventional household." Luckily, she could appreciate the beauty of her life being different and a little unconventional. "Sometimes taking your perception of the way you think your life is supposed to look, taking that out of the picture really does create so much incredible opportunity," she said.
Levi Crow and Wyatt Crow grew up away from the spotlight
Sheryl Crow understands that growing up in the spotlight comes with its own challenges, and she decided instead to raise her family on a ranch outside of Nashville, Tennessee — moving away from Los Angeles to do so. This affords them privacy that many other celebrity children do not have.
"I want them to decide at what point they want to be living their lives in the public eye ... I am proud of them, and they are precious and beautiful and the most incredible, perfect boys in the world," Crow told Yahoo Entertainment in 2020. "I can say safely that the way that it's rolled out for me has been really a blessing that everything that I wanted to do selfishly when I was younger, I've gotten that out of my system, and now it's all about my boys." Wyatt and Levi have grown up surrounded by nature and pets, including cats, guinea pigs, and chickens.
Crow has worked hard to protect her children's privacy by not posting photos of them publicly often, and on occasion, she has used a blurring filter over their faces. "I'm very protective of them being allowed to have the innocence of being children," she told People (via ABC News).
Their first concert was to see Shawn Mendes
Sheryl Crow has her own loyal fans, but she doesn't count her sons, Wyatt Crow and Levi Crow, among them. So, when they attended a Shawn Mendes concert in August 2019, the moment was met with great excitement. Crow posted a photo of herself and Mendes on Instagram. "Wow! @shawnmendes was AMAZING last night in #Nashville!!" she wrote in the caption. "Like being in church!! Everyone in the house was singing! My two boys' first concert! (Besides mom's!)."
But what do Wyatt and Levi think of their mom's songs? "They wouldn't sing along" to her music, she told Page Six in a 2023 interview. "Now, if it was Zach Bryan, they'd sing along," she said of their preference. But they did have fun changing up her lyrics when they were younger. "They write their own lyrics to my music," she told Us Weekly in 2017. "It's always potty stuff. Like, 'All I wanna do is poop on you.'"
Crow has earned bragging rights thanks to her impressive career, but she's just a normal, sometimes uncool mom to her sons. In an interview on the "Making Space with Hoda Kotb" podcast, the "If It Makes You Happy" singer said she's "not a cool mom anymore." And her sons are prone to telling her, "You just don't know, Mom. You don't get it."
They are talented musicians
There is a possibility that Wyatt Crow and Levi Crow will follow in their mom's footsteps with a career in music because they are already proving to be talented musicians. "They're really into music. They both are taking piano lessons," Sheryl told Us Weekly in 2017. "Now they're getting to that stage where they're learning all the music, and they're just too cool for school."
As the boys get older, fans will be wondering whether they want to embrace a career in the limelight. "I don't know that either one of them really wants to do that, but they're both musical, and I'm one of those obnoxious parents who's like, 'You have to take piano. Do not argue with me about it,'" she told People in 2023. "But my 15-year-old, he's got a great ear and can play really well," she said of Wyatt. In the same interview, she also said he was a "great bass player."
Fans got a glimpse into the lives of the veteran star's sons when they appeared in the video for her new song, "Forever." Crow posted a clip of it on Instagram in April 2022. "What a blessing to get to experience the world through my children's eyes," she captioned the post. "Every moment reminds me that life goes fast and being in the moment is so important so I wrote a song about it called 'Forever.'"
Music has always played an important role in their lives
When Sheryl Crow became a mom to Wyatt Crow, she was still touring and took her young son with her. It is an experience she remembers fondly. "Wyatt came on the road with me when he was 3 months old; he's seen all the zoos and aquariums around the world," she told Redbook in 2010. "So my life hasn't really changed that much; it's just been enhanced."
In April 2023, Sheryl posted a photo of herself holding a baby and chatting with country music star Willie Nelson on Instagram. The post was to celebrate Nelson's 90th birthday but also gave a glimpse into her family life. "I'm on my way to LA to sing with — and for — my favorite duet partner ever and one of the greatest artists/people of all time. I love you Willie Nelson, and happy birthday! ... and yes, my babies were raised on Willie Nelson!" she wrote in the caption.
They spend a lot of time outdoors
Wyatt Crow and Levi Crow are fortunate to grow up on a large property with plenty of natural beauty and places to explore. "Raising two boys, my main objective is for them to be more outside than inside, more in nature than into electronics," Sheryl Crow told Architectural Digest in 2019. The Nashville home she purchased was designed to benefit from the outdoors as much as possible. "The den opens out to the backyard, and an outside den and the piano room opens out to the outside — almost everything leads outside," Sheryl told the publication.
In a rare Instagram photo of her sons, the "Strong Enough" singer posted a photo of them skiing. "Thank you, Todd Casey @coppermtn, for teaching my boys to rip around the mountain!!" she wrote in the caption. But when they are inside, they are just as active, engaging in dance parties. "They love having dance parties before bed, and they always get to pick the music. I just hope they love music, and I can tell they do," Crow told Closer Weekly in 2017.
Levi Crow is passionate about sports
Levi Crow had the opportunity to meet with several NFL players from the Kansas City Chiefs, and his excited mom, Sheryl Crow, shared the moment on social media. She posted a bunch of photos of herself, Levi, and the players. "#GreatestDayEver in Levi James Crow's life! (Ok, definitely up there for me, too!)," she captioned the Instagram post. "Thank you, Travis Kelce @killatrav and @patrickmahomes, for taking time with us yesterday. It was such a thrill for us!"
Sheryl has also discussed how her son loves sports. "I will say that my 13-year-old [Levi], who is a sports junkie, said, 'Oh, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — is that like the [Baseball] Hall of Fame or like the [Pro] Football Hall of Fame?' And I said, 'Yeah, it's kind of like that.' And he shook his head fairly approvingly," the singer told The New York Post in a 2023 interview about her nomination (and her short-lived promotion from standard mom to cool mom).
In another Instagram post from 2021, the singer posted a photo of herself and both of her sons meeting retired basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson following The Milwaukee Bucks game. "The coolest thing of all, aside from the @Bucks winning, was getting to meet a couple super legend teammates and foundational figures of the hardwood game," she captioned the post.
Wyatt Crow is preparing to get his driver's license
Wyatt Crow is at an age when he is experiencing some exciting milestones. "My 15-year-old, in about three months, is going to get his driver's license, and you just feel like they're little tiny toddlers, and the next thing, they're slipping away. So, I am into every moment," Sheryl Crow old E! News in 2023. When he gets his license, this will not only give Wyatt his independence but also allow the "All I Wanna Do" singer to not have to drive her sons back and forth as much — in an interview with Good Housekeeping in 2014, she referred to herself as a "glorified taxi driver."
Another example of Wyatt growing up can be seen in how he has thought about what he wants to do when he's older. "I think he will always tinker, but he wants to be a marine biologist, so I don't know how to compete with that because it's such an — I don't even know what they do," Crow told People in 2023. "So I'm happy for him to go save the reefs. That's what he wants to do."
The brothers have a close bond
Wyatt Crow and Levi Crow are not related biologically, but they have a strong connection. "[T]hey could not be more brothers if I'd had them both myself," Sheryl Crow told Good Housekeeping in 2014. "They understand that they came out of different tummies. But they also believe, as do I, that God put us together. They know how blessed I am to get to be their mommy. So when they're mad that I won't let them play video games, I say, 'God put me in charge. I'm raising you all the best that I can, and some decisions are not fun.'"
There is a three-year age gap between the two boys, which the singer felt was for the best — although she told Redbook she had planned to add to the family with a second child when her eldest was 2. "For Wyatt, 2 would have been too early. It would have been difficult for his self-esteem," she said in 2010. "But 3 is perfect because he's very well established now in who he is. He helps me with Levi's baths, with the burping. He helps me hold the bottle. He's very involved." When Levi arrived, Sheryl carefully ensured Wyatt did not feel left out, even choosing a "neutral area" in Mississippi for them to meet for the first time. "Also, Levi brought lots of cool things for Wyatt, little toys and presents," she said.
They were proud of their mom's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination
Sheryl Crow's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023 was a special moment in her career. It was also an event that her sons, Wyatt Crow and Levi Crow, thought was pretty cool, and they accompanied her to the event held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn — a rare occurrence for this super-private family. "My 15-year-old called me today and said, 'Mom, I'm so proud of you. I heard you're nominated,'" Sheryl told E! News. She also told the outlet she "wouldn't say that I am their favorite artist," but her sons enjoy a wide range of genres. "They're into pop music and they're into rap music and they're also into country music," she said.
The proud mama has the full support of her sons when it comes to her achievements. Sheryl posted a photo of herself on Instagram in May 2023 with balloons and cupcakes from her boys. "I have the best kids in the world! @rockhall is cool... even to teenagers!!" she wrote in the caption.