Three Black Artists Dominating Country Music
“COWBOY CARTER” is about to make its debut on March 29th as Act II of Beyonce’s Renaissance series! Because “Texas Hold Em” granted Beyonce to become the first Black woman to reach the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Charts, it has opened an array of doors to avid music listeners to other Black country artists that have been in the genre for years. Here are three black artists that are rising stars in the genre!
Kane Brown
Kane Brown is one of the latest rising stars in the genre since 2014 as he incorporated R&B into his work along with his Tennessee roots! Around 2015, he gained a social media following and released his debut EP, “Closer” that gave him his start in establishing himself in the industry.
Born in the Chattanooga area, he grew up listening to country music and won a few talent shows, specifically a rendition of Chris Young’s, “Getting You Home” (a classic country song that should be in your playlists for real). After his appearances on American Idol and the X Factor, it was apparent that Brown was ready to be signed and that he was with Zone 4 at the beginning of his career. In 2016, Brown opened for numerous music festivals and signed with Sony Music Nashville after creating more attraction to his art. One of his most popular EPs, “Chapter 1”, debuted at number nine on the U.S Billboard 200 and number three on the Top Country Albums chart!
His self-titled album, released in 2018, debuted at number 10 on the U.S Billboard 200! In addition, Brown’s second album, “Experiment”, released in 2018, helped him gain the top spot on the Billboard 200 charts that solidified his name and presence in the genre! After listening to Brown’s work, his sound has the modern country flair that mixes pop and R&B, but one of his defining characteristics is his vocals. Brown’s vocals are powerful and has a gritty quality that blends well with the genre. Check out one of his videos here!
Mickey Guyton
If anyone wants to know about Black artists in the country genre, Mickey Guyton should be high on the list! Candance Mycale “Mickey” Guyton is one of the leading ladies in the genre since her 2014 debut EP, “Unbreakable”! Her career consists of one studio album, four extended plays (EPs), ten singles, and more! Born in Arlington Texas and a church background since five years old, Guyton has contributed her art to music. She moved to Los Angeles, California after finishing her senior year in high school to pursue country music while studying business at Santa Monica College. After she met record producer Julian Raymond in California, she was able to launch her career by signing with UMG’s Capitol Records Nashville division.
After her signing, she released her debut single, “Better Than You Left Me” (an absolute banger!), and the song reached number 34 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. However, Guyton wasn’t surprised about her status on the chart because according to an interview with the Washington Post in 2021, she said, “They didn’t want two slow songs by women on the radio at the same time.” Around this time, Guyton’s music was more mainstream to appeal to the country music scene, especially in the video below.
Around 2020, when the Black Lives Matter movement started to gain attention, she decided to branch out musically and lyrically. “Black Like Me” is a powerful ballad that describes Guyton’s experience with racial discrimination which led to her first Grammy nomination for “Best Country Solo Performance” at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards! Historically, it made Guyton to become the first Black woman to be nominated in that category. After her success with her single, she released her debut studio album, “Remember Her Name” in 2021. Right now, Guyton is showing no signs of stopping and is continuing her journey in the genre! Check out her Grammy performance here!
Brittney Spencer
Brittney Spencer is a new name in the country music genre! Spencer began her musical journey similarly to Kane Brown with a social media following! On X (formerly known as Twitter), she posted a viral video of her singing “Crowded Table” by The Highwomen on October 10, 2020. The video is below! Because of her soulful vocals and rendition of the song, It gained over 150,000 views and received praise from country singers like Maren Morris and Amanda Shires. At the height of her stardom, she released an EP called, “Compassion” and included songs such as, “My Perfect Life”. One of her notable achievements is that she was nominated for “Breakthrough Female Video of the Year” by the Country Music Television (CMT) Music Awards!
Because her fame is still new, she recently signed with Elektra Records and is still creating new material for her fans! Check out her latest single, “I Got Time” here!
These are three black artists in the country music genre that everyone should look out for! For more black artists in the genre, be sure to check out Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Pandora, and much more!
Featured Image by Soundtrap via Unsplash