In June, country singer Brittney Spencer made headlines when her single, “Sober & Skinny,” hit the Top 40 on iTunes and as it stands.
And her career continues to be on the rise.
Recently, Spencer stopped by “The Karen Hunter Show,” where she talked about her country music journey.
“As a teenager, I fell in love with country music. A friend of mine named Keisha was like, ‘Yo, you need to listen to Dixie Chicks, now, they’re The Chicks’. And I didn’t know what I was about to embark upon it,” she explained about falling in love with the genre.
“Without realizing, you don’t really know your life is changing in real-time, at least as a kid. And I didn’t know. All I knew is that I loved them, and I just started binging country radio and watching all the music videos. I got put on this trail. And then I started, kind of, learning a whole lot about like Ray Charles and just the history and the love. The collective love from just our community as it pertains to country music. And I just followed suit, and I just thought, ‘Oh, this is dope.'”
While there are several Black artists who have stepped into the world of country music, very few have lasted. At times, the culture has openly rejected non-white artists.
Spencer says for her, the roots of country have always been Black.
“The only thing I knew about country culture was us. It was folks who listened to Al Green and made mac and cheese with six or seven different kinds of cheese and grits,” she shared. “And we arguing over whether or not to put salt or sugar in them. I put sugar in mine growing up, but now it’s cheese and it’s all kinds of bougie savory things.”
And why does Spencer feel she belongs in country?
“I think that whenever Black people get involved in something, it’s just about to be taken to a whole other level. And so we know how to make great greater, and we know how to… We just, bring our own thing. And I’ve watched Black culture and Black music influence country for years,’ she gushes.
“And so that’s happened throughout the history of country music and pretty much a lot of genres. It’s like once people get a seat, we just, I don’t know, we’re fire, man. We’re incredible. And I’m watching it happen right now,” she says, later adding, “I don’t know that I ever thought I would be right here, but I’m grateful that I am.”
Watch the full interview below.
