Priscilla Renea is Staking a Claim for Black Women in Country

"Who is your favorite Black female country artist? If you're having a hard time coming up with one because country music has generally been unwelcoming to minorities, and exceptionally so to Black people... take a listen to Renea" wrote Refinery29 of hit songwriter and vocal powerhouse, Priscilla Renea.

The LA-based singer and multi-instrumentalist got her start as a songwriter, penning hits for Rihanna, Fifth Harmony, Kesha and others. Now, Priscilla is taking over the mic with her fierce, personal and political 10-song collection, 'Coloured.' (out June 22 via Thirty Tigers).

Both a country and an R&B album, 'Coloured' is a breath of fresh air for both genres, seamlessly blending Nashville guitars, bluesy rhythms, hip-hop production and her soulful, powerhouse vocals. 

Priscilla describes as "a gumbo of pop, dirt road country and urban, mixed together with a keen sense of contemporary politics and millennial perspective."

Her singular sound caught the eye of Rolling Stone Country, who named her an "Artist You Need To Know" this April, saying she shows a "rare combination of stellar musicianship, creative vision and natural chops that make for a truly singular artist" and "RIYL: Maren Morris, Ruby Amanfu, Daydream-era Mariah Carey." 

Priscilla recently sat down with Billboard to chat experiences as a black woman in music, her reverence for Cardi B, and the luminaries who inspired her unique "country soul" style.