K. Michelle is preparing for an impactful debut in country music. The singer-songwriter has signed a record deal with BBR Music Group and BMG Nashville.
She joins a roster that includes Jason Aldean, Jelly Roll, Blanco Brown, and Lainey Wilson, among others.
“I have been ready. I am grateful for this moment,” says K. Michelle. “Rebels and Real Outlawz, it’s time! I am excited and want to thank my BMG Team. I am happy to finally sing the music I grew up on. I am a country girl at heart and can’t wait to share my country music with you.”
Katie Kerkhover, BMG’s vice president of A&R, adds, “When we first met K. Michelle, she radiated her passion for country music. It’s the fabric of who she is because the lyrics represent truth. She’s built an incredible fanbase with her unique vocals anchored with storytelling at its heart and that is what transcends genres.”
With K. Michelle’s new record deal solidified, the Memphis, Tennessee, native is focused on her highly anticipated country album and supporting tour.
K. Michelle first teased her country album in 2019 on X, formerly known as Twitter. She shared that she was traveling to Nashville to begin working on the project. Over the last few years, she has kept her fans updated on the album’s progress, including sharing fun facts and snippets of what she recorded.
In 2020, K. Michelle told her followers that country icon Dolly Parton wrote a song for her that will appear on the album. “My lord I’m floored and honored. Can’t wait for you guys to hear it!!!!!!!” she wrote.
In an interview with Rated R&B, K. Michelle explained that, while her country album has been brewing for years, she doesn’t feel hurried to release it.
“I’m not going to let anything rush me. I feel like everything has a time [and] a place,” she exclusively told Rated R&B earlier this year. “The album is basically done. I probably will add a couple more ballads, but right now, the focus is on how I’m going to release it.”
She continued, “I do have some interest from a lot of major labels right now. I own my publishing if I want to do that. The focus is on how this is properly going to be presented because the music is there, and they love it. That’s my focus right now. I’m not rushing it out.”
K. Michelle’s upcoming country album will follow 2023’s I’m The Problem, which she dubbed as her final R&B album. I’m The Problem included her No. 1 hit “Scooch” and the country-tinged bonus track “Tennessee.”
She co-wrote the latter track with the song’s producers Louis York, the musical duo consisting of Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony.
Last year, K. Michelle also covered The Judds’ “Love Can Build A Bridge” with Jelly Roll, which appeared on A Tribute to The Judds compilation album.
“All of you know me know from the very beginning how important The Judds are to me, they shaped my entire musical being,” K. Michelle wrote in an Instagram post. “The very first tape I EVER got as a little girl was The Judds, I watched them on the Oprah show and begged my momma and daddy for their tape. From that day all I ever wanted to do was be a country singer. I knew every word to every song on that album.”
In November, she performed “Love Can Build A Bridge” with Jelly Roll at the 2023 CMT Music Awards.
