Rissi Palmer empowers herself, other acclaimed artists rising from country music's margins

Via examples like country star Rissi Palmer, it's a misnomer to still call Nashville a "10-year town."

Suppose we're to believe that the movement for women's, Black, brown and LGBTQ equity is slowly working in Music City. In that case, simply because the talent pool is more diverse and ultra-gifted than ever, the country music industry must amend the notion that an artist can achieve success after roughly a decade of pounding the country music pavement in the genre's capital city.

In fact, for Rissi Palmer – the host of last Thursday's Color Me Country songwriting round at Lower Broadway's Assembly Food Hall – Nashville success is an incredible 20-year journey.

Because of the perils of institutional racism coupled with the sheer volume of acts working in Nashville, the St. Louis native has taken two decades to entrench herself in the country music industry's most respected tier.

Now she's there and beginning to make her most significant career gains. But it's still not without difficulty.

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On July 5, Palmer tweeted that she was "mentally exhausted" from her work of late. This statement makes obvious sense, especially when fellow African-American female country performer Mickey Guyton says that Rissi "is out here building an empire!"

A list of her many achievements to date:

• One of two Black women (Mickey Guyton as well) to break the top 50 on country music's radio charts in the past two decades ("No Air," 2008).

• Newly elected governor of the Recording Academy's Nashville chapter.

• 2022 Grammy nominee for Best Children's Music Album.

• Host of Apple Music Radio's "Color Me Country Radio."

• Partnered with the Rainey Day Fund to start the Color Me Country grant fund that has awarded $50,000-plus to underrepresented artists of color in country music in under two years.

• Special correspondent for CMT's Hot 20 Countdown.

To wit, Palmer's labor now involves routinely traveling worldwide as both an ambassador of the sustainability of people of color in country music and an artist in the midst of crafting her fourth country album and seventh solo release overall.

Also, her Color Me Country brand has proved so popular that she's preparing to present a stage at Leicestershire, England's Long Road Festival Aug. 26-28, featuring Chapel Hart Band, Madeline Edwards, Charly Lowry, Miko Marks, Camille Parker and Valerie Ponzio.

Concerning why she's tired, Palmer tells The Tennessean that she's "never satisfied." That is part and parcel of a two-part answer regarding the movement for Black equity in country music.

The murder of George Floyd and the national protests that followed aroused intense support for talented Black creatives in spaces where they had been long underrepresented. In country music, since June 2020, five Black men – Jimmie Allen, BRELAND, Blanco Brown, Kane Brown and Darius Rucker – have achieved No. 1 singles on country radio.

Couple that with Guyton singing the national anthem at this year's Super Bowl, Yola appearing as Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the latest Elvis biopic, plus Edwards, Allison Russell, Reyna Roberts, Brittney Spencer and others routinely appearing on top-tier country music touring lineups and change feels afoot.

The "Seeds" vocalist cites a need to "change her approach" and "look at things differently" in the wake of these achievements. Highlighting that all of the previously mentioned accomplishments are "awesome," she now is keen on achieving more prodigious gains.

"The real wins are behind the scenes," she says.

For example, Palmer wants to see more African-American representation in the names of record label executives, song publishers and songwriters of No. 1 hits across the board.

"More Black professionals need to be cashing in on wins (in Nashville)," she says.

Her broadened approach impacts her music, too. Her heightened popularity has oddly not yet encompassed her soulful, frequently folk-aimed stylings.

In front of an intimate, capacity crowd at Assembly Food Hall for her very first Color Me Country" songwriting round (featuring Color Me Country grant recipients Julia Cannon, Joy Clark, Tae Lewis and Michael B. Whit), she grabs an acoustic guitar and performs. Her smile is tinged with relief that the younger artists performing have a sizable audience. But it's also offering something more.

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That "something more" is then humbly stated: "Mama can still sing sometimes, too."

Palmer is mindful of the power of her "reintroduction" as country music's moment in both country-related genres and the pop music spotlight is brighter than ever. Thus, she's undoubtedly basking in it and taking measured next steps to assure something greater than her previous groundbreaking moment.

Though she has yet to have her chart-topping moment in country music, she still has independently released over a half-dozen projects, been featured on numerous others, and had Grammy-nominated success. Thus, she's a formidable talent with a significant following.

"I'm one of many powerhouse artists, deserving of acclaim, wanting to be celebrated for their greatness."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Rissi Palmer's Color Me Country brand gains support