NPR

Priscilla Renea Refuses To Be Quiet About Racism In Country Music

Dolly Parton, one of Renea's favorite singers, says you have to stay quiet to make it in show business. But Renea refuses to downplay her experiences as a black woman in country music.
"The essence of country music is talking about your experiences," Priscilla Renea says.

Priscilla Renea has just two solo albums, but she's written chart-topping pop songs for years: Rihanna's "California King Bed," Pitbull's "Timber," Fifth Harmony's "Worth It" and dozens more.

It was always Renea's goal to make her own music, she says, but she wrote for six years to sustain herself to the point where she could do what she wanted. Nine years after is out now.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR1 min read
How The FBI's Fake Cell Phone Company Put Criminals Into Real Jail Cells
There is a constant arms race between law enforcement and criminals, especially when it comes to technology. For years, law enforcement has been frustrated with encrypted messaging apps, like Signal and Telegram. And law enforcement has been even mor
NPR1 min read
New Music Friday: The best albums out June 14
This week, NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Ann Powers steer the New Music Friday podcast straight into the oncoming Father's Day weekend, following the lead of country superstar Luke Combs, whose new album Fathers & Sons is a heartfelt meditati
NPR1 min read
Why Is Everyone Talking About Musk's Money?
We've lived amongst Elon Musk headlines for so long now that it's easy to forget just how much he sounds like a sci-fi character. He runs a space company and wants to colonize mars. He also runs a company that just implanted a computer chip into a hu

Related Books & Audiobooks