Source: Courtesy of Tiera Kennedy / Courtesy of Tiera Kennedy
Since childhood, Tiera Kennedy has lived and breathed country music.
Now, her dreams of being a country music artist have manifested through her contributions on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and her debut project, Rooted. Seeing so much representation around the art form is vast for the Montgomery, Alabama, native who garnered a love for singing at an early age thanks to her mother.
“I’ve always had a passion for music,” Kennedy told MadameNoire. “I got singing from my mom, and I remember always singing around the house and in school, and my parents encouraged that within me. My parents were like, ‘We don’t care what you get into, we’re going to support you all the way.’ And so, you know, I tried dancing, acting, all of those things when I was younger, but music was always something I fell back into. Around elementary school, I started singing in front of people other than my family. The passion in my heart grew, and I’ve loved it ever since.”
In 2022, Kennedy’s dream came true when she signed with Big Machine Music Group. To her surprise, after two years of working on her debut album, she was dropped from the label. Little did she know, the experience would catapult her into the opportunity of a lifetime – collaborating with Beyoncé for the Grammy-winning album, Cowboy Carter, lending her talents to tracks like “Blackbiird” and “Tyrant.”
“I never thought I would have the opportunity to collaborate with Beyoncé and experience all of these accomplishments because of her,” said Kennedy. “It’s really beautiful to experience. It has been a journey to get to where I am today. I think that being part of the Cowboy Carter project has changed my heart as a human and as an artist. Still, I think, most importantly, it’s so beautiful to see the impact it’s had on the world, and how not even just artists, but I feel like so many of us feel more confident just to be ourselves. Cowboy Carter unveiled the history behind country music that we are a part of, and it’s beautiful to see that celebrated in our community.”
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She added, “Every day I’m trying to wrap my brain around the fact that I get to be a little part in this massive cultural movement that is happening. There’s so much going on in the world, so many of us are going through so much. But, I also see this beautiful celebration of our culture and who we are as a people.”
Not only did this moment catapult Kennedy to success, but it also helped her return to her roots. No stranger to the industry’s woes, the “Can’t Help My Country” crooner recalls losing her love for music because she has one of her horror stories about signing to a major label.
“I’d heard so many stories from other artists of, you know, signing, and then they completely change who you are as an artist and I experienced that,” Kennedy explained. “I lost a love for music, which is really tough because it’s not just my job, it’s my therapy, it’s how I express myself, and to not be able to express myself in the way that I want to and to not be celebrated in that, it was really tough.”
Source: Courtesy of Tiera Kennedy / Courtesy of Tiera Kennedy
“I think back to that time, and I think I kind of disassociated a bit, to be honest with you, because it was a situation that I couldn’t get out of,” she continued. “And when I got dropped from the deal, it was a mix of being happy to be out of that situation, but I was also so confused because I felt like that was where I was supposed to be. Like, signing a record deal was the goal as an artist and for that to be taken away, I was just like, ‘Lord, what is happening?’”
The situation was a gentle reminder that God’s timing trumps everything.
“I think I had to go through that tough time to sit in and celebrate where I am now, because I feel the most happy I’ve ever felt to create music, and I feel the most myself I’ve ever felt, and I do feel celebrated in that,” said Kennedy.
After leaving her deal, Kennedy’s debut album took on a whole new name and meaning. She notes that despite recording tracks under a big imprint, the singer still did not feel that the songs she created fully reflected who she was as a person and an artist.
Songs like “I’d Look Good In That Truck” and “I Ain’t A Cowgirl,” are tracks from Rooted that Kennedy says were enjoyable and freeing to write.
“When I left my deal, it took on this whole new meaning of the literal definition of rooted, which is to stand firm and to be confident in who I am” said Kennedy. “And so I went back, and we took some songs from before signing my deal that I had always loved and always felt like were truly me, and we put them on this project. It was healing for me, but now, I see so many people taking hold of it and finding peace in this album. It’s what you dream of as an artist. I wrote it for me, but so many people are taking hold of it. I feel even more rooted than I did when I put the album out and I think that’s the beauty in creating anything.”
As she looks ahead to the future, Kennedy aims to continue living her purpose and pursuing her passion for singing. She makes music that heals herself and those who encounter it.
“I feel so much more inspired to be more authentic, more vulnerable through my music,” she concluded. “We have plans to put out more music that shares where I’m at this season, which is, I’m rooted as heck. I’m very excited to get out on the road this year. We have some dates to announce, playing the project, and getting to celebrate and sing along with everybody I love. I’m excited for that this year.”
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