“23 years old in Music City / With a dream and high-heeled boots / Singing to a blue-eyed crowd / Do they need me too?” Julie Williams croons at Nashville's Blue Room venue.
The 26-year-old, who is biracial, is one of many Black female artists carving out a space in the heartland of country music, where predominantly white male gatekeepers determine who succeeds and who doesn't.
Megastar Beyoncé's long-awaited country album, released Friday, spotlights efforts by Black performers to create a more inclusive Nashville, an important part of the genre's history.
“Who's looking forward to Beyoncé's new country album?” Williams said to loud applause.
“Is this what all white women have always felt? You just see someone who's at the top of their craft and just crushing it, and you think, 'Wow, that could be me.'” That's pretty exciting. ”
Speaking to AFP backstage, Williams described Beyoncé's move as a “historic moment to bring black country into the mainstream.”
Williams is one of about 200 artists associated with the Black Opry, a three-year-old organization that showcases and amplifies the voices of Black artists working across genres such as country, Americana and folk.
“I've been a huge fan of country music all my life, and I've always felt alone in that experience, especially as a Black, queer woman who is often underrepresented in relation to artists. , fans, marketing materials,” Black Opry founder Holly G told AFP.
“Since I started doing Black Opry, I've realized that we're all there. We just don't have the same platforms and opportunities as some white people.”
“I'm trying to open the door.”
The facility's name is a direct reference to the Grand Ole Opry. The Grand Ole Opry is a nearly century-old country performance space whose complicated history has been shaped by Black performers but has also spotlighted figures associated with racist ideology. .
Charles Hughes, author of Country Soul: The Making of Music and the Making of Race in the American South, said Beyoncé's announcement has given new attention to the conversation about the marginalization of black country artists. .
“Once you start to see things starting to change behind the scenes,” he told AFP, “the impact of the Beyoncé moment will hopefully be felt by these communities, by the musicians, by the songwriters, by the fans, by the hard-working people.” Other people would feel it too.'' To open the door. ”
Country is a typical American music style with African influences. The banjo evolved specifically from instruments brought to the Americas and the Caribbean by enslaved people in the 1600s.
But the modern image of the country is overwhelmingly white, macho, and conservative, and industry leaders have proven resistant to change.
In the 1920s, industry experts developed the terms “hillbilly” and “race” records to define popular music charts. Those labels grew into country and R&B respectively.
“The first breakup was solely because of the color of my skin, not the sound of the music,” Holly G said.
These divisions persist, meaning that black musicians, and black women in particular, face significant barriers while female artists in general have a decidedly harder time getting airplay on trendsetting country radio.
Prana Supreme, a member of the mother-daughter duo One the Duo, told AFP: “This song could sound exactly like everyone else on the radio. 'You guys aren't country.' It's like,” he said.
“So, um, what's the only difference here?”
“Carrier of culture”
Even Beyoncé has said she encountered resistance from the industry.
“My hope is that years from now, mentioning an artist's race will be irrelevant in connection with the release of a musical genre,” Beyoncé recently said.
Prana Supreme calls her a “culture mover,” and Beyoncé's country moment not only shows black artists are essential to country, but also shows black fans that country is important to them too. He said it was important to demonstrate that.
“Southern culture is black culture,” she said.
Her mother, Texas, said Beyoncé is the “champion” we need to show the industry's blind spots. “Everyone leaves on the floor.”
Trea Swindle, a member of country artist Chapel Heart, said the group has noticed an increase in attention and streaming since Beyoncé's announcement, adding that “country music as a whole has opened up to a whole new demographic.” added.
The members of Chapel Heart grew up in small towns in the South and laugh at anyone who says they're not rednecks.
“Honey, go to Poplarville, Mississippi. Whether you're black, white, Asian or Hispanic, this is Poplarville. You're going to live that rural experience,” Swindle said.
“Countryside is a feeling. Countryside is a way of life.”
Holly G. said if she saw mainstream change, she would believe it was happening.
“Beyoncé is one of the most influential celebrities in the world, and she was able to use that to achieve success in this field,” she said.
“But I don't think that's because the industry is scared of Beyoncé, and not because it's willing to support black women.”