Country music’s audience keeps widening, and a new roundup from MadameNoire makes the case that Black women are central to that shift. The list spans generations. Mickey Guyton is a four-time Grammy nominee whose 2020 anthem“Black Like Me”made a lot of people sit up and listen. Rissi Palmer made history in 2007 as the first Black woman on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in two decades, and she continues to champion the genre’s roots as host of Color Me Country. Chapel Hart earned a rare Group Golden Buzzer on America’s Got Talent and has since debuted at the Grand Ole Opry.
The new wave is just as compelling. Reyna Roberts, the“Princess of Outlaw Country,”Brittney Spencer, Kris Londyn and Tiera Kennedy are all pushing the sound forward, blending country with rock, soul, pop and R&B. Roberts, Spencer and Kennedy also contributed to Beyoncé’s Grammy-nominated Cowboy Carter, which means if that album brought you here, you’re already partway down the path.
What unites all seven is a refusal to let one narrow definition of country stand. They’re honoring where the music came from while writing its next chapter, and listeners get the benefit of hearing it all unfold. Which of these artists is already on your playlist, and who should we add next?
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
