Emmy Russell shares the "magic" of her last year - from welcoming a baby daughter to secretly getting married — as she gears up to release her first song with husband Tyler Ward.

Ward says, with Russell cutting in to say ... "And we talked about it a little bit, but Emmy was so down, and she was like, 'Why don't we just do it, 'Taylor Ray Ward?' And my name is Tyler ...

Emmy Russell is carving out her own legacy ... "London Bridges," which has a sweet meaning tied to their little one. "My labor was long, but it was worth it," Russell, 26, tells PEOPLE.