Tanner Adell, a 24-year-old country singer, has voiced her frustration with the slow evolution of country music. She believes the genre has struggled to progress, particularly in terms of representation for black artists.
In a recent interview with NME, Adell highlighted that despite the African origins of the banjo, black artists have largely been excluded from modern country music discussions. “I feel like country music is the only genre that has had a hard time progressing and evolving,” she said. “Although the banjo has roots in Africa, black people weren’t really involved in the conversations around country music. If they had been more involved, we might have a completely different genre by now.”
Adell also touched on the challenges women face in the music industry. She noted that women often encounter resistance when trying to break new ground. “Whenever you’re trying to do something different, there will always be people telling you it won’t work,” she said. “We’re pitted against each other because it feels like there are only so many opportunities for us.”
She contrasted this with the opportunities available to male country musicians, adding, “If you’re a man doing country music, you have a better chance of being played on the radio and opening for bigger artists.”
Adell, who was adopted as a baby, recently released her new single “Going Blonde,” which she described as more personal than her previous work. She hopes the song will resonate with others and provide healing, saying, “Writing this song was a big part of my healing process. I hope by sharing my story, I can help others.”
The track was written nearly four years ago, during a period when Adell was searching for her birth family. She explained that releasing the song had been a carefully planned decision. “I’ve been really intentional with how I wanted to put this song out,” she shared with People. “I wrote it when I was going through a process of finding my birth family and uncovering some unexpected truths. I had to become a whole new person through that journey.”
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