Who is Tiera Kennedy? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music (2023)
Who is Tiera Kennedy? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…
Tiera Kennedy | Photo credit: Alexa Campbell
Quick Facts:
Full Name – Tiera Kennedy
Hometown – Birmingham, Alabama
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood
Current Single – “Jesus, My Mama, My Therapist” (as of date of article 10/23/23)
The Beginning:
A little over three years ago, back in 2020, we introduced you to a new artist, who was making waves on social media: Tiera. Flash forward to today, Tiera, who now goes by her full name, Tiera Kennedy has landed herself both a publishing deal and a record deal. We caught up with the singer-songwriter to learn about how she got to where she is today and to talk all about her new music. Keep reading to find out more.
“I’m from Birmingham, Alabama, and I’ve always loved music for as long as I can remember,” she began. “I guess it kind of like blossomed when I was in middle school. I started writing songs and fell in love with country music.” Throughout her upbringing, Kennedy recalls listening to a ton of country music and writing songs at a young age.
“I grew up in the age of Taylor Swift, the beginning of her career, and I just fell in love with all of her songs, like so many of us did,” shared the songstress. “She was writing a lot of songs about boys, and that’s where I was in my life. I started to do the same, I would perform those songs around my school, and just like the response from that made me actually believe I could do it for my career. I was definitely in to do it for the long haul.”
Kennedy credits influences from 90s country and artists like Swift and Carrie Underwood for her early love for music and songwriting. These influences stayed with her throughout her career while she built upon even more musical influences too. “I listen to just about everything. I love 90s country, that’s my ultimate jam,” shared Kennedy. Adding, “I’m super random with what I listen to. I listen to Scottish music and Irish music sometimes, and R&B stuff. I really gravitate towards things that make me feel good. When I get into the writer’s room, those are the kind of songs I like to write. I feel like everybody has a bunch of different influences, nobody listens to one thing.”
The Turning Point:
After writing her first song in high school and teaching herself how to play guitar, Kennedy had her heart set on attending Nashville’s Belmont University. However, as plans changed, she ended up attending the University of Northern Alabama for one year on a full-ride scholarship instead before changing trajectories. “Eventually, after a year in college, my parents let me drop out and move to Nashville, and I’ve been here about 7 years.”
Throughout her seven years in town, Kennedy networked with as many people as she possibly could to get her name and her music out there. “I just hit the ground running as soon as I got here. I had a show my first night there, at the Listening Room, and I was really just trying to get a foot in everywhere I could. I would write with anybody and everybody. I would take every single meeting.”
In the early stages of her career, Kennedy did whatever it took to advance her career and dream. “Those first couple of years, I played at a couple of restaurants and hotel lobbies. I was just making tips from there, and looking back, I feel like it really taught me how to hold a crowd and how to entertain people.”
After a few years, Kennedy finally landed her publishing deal as the flagship songwriter for Nicolle Galyon’s Songs & Daughters. “They signed me to my deal with Big Loud’s Songs & Daughters and Warner Chappell, so I finally got my publishing deal.”
At around the same time, Kennedy’s music started taking off on social media. Her song, “Found It In You” became her first viral hit. “Record labels started to take notice and I started taking those meetings, and I wasn’t really planning to sign a deal at the moment, I just thought it would be fun because I really loved being an independent artist, so I was kind of going back and forth, but then I had a meeting with Big Machine, and I just fell in love with them. They were everything that I wanted in a label.”
Today:
Flash forward to today, Kennedy is a signed artist who is ready to take the world by storm. “I really hope when people hear this music they think I’m a friend,” she shared. Her current single, “Jesus, My Mama, My Therapist” is growing in popularity, as the song really speaks to the singer’s talent as a vocalist and as a storyteller.
““Jesus, My Mama, My Therapist” is this new era of music for me,” she begins. Adding, “I wrote this song on a writer’s retreat with some of my favorite co-writers. […] It was one of the last songs we wrote for the retreat, so we really got to just have fun, and write a fun song, and not think too much about it. […] It’s a story about being from a small town and how words spread fast, but I like to say that even people who aren’t from a small town can relate to this, because not everyone can keep secrets to themselves.”
According to Kennedy, the song is meant to be a relatable, fun song with heart. “The three people I can depend on are Jesus, my mama, and my therapist. It was really cool to have fun with this song, and not be too serious. It’s a little different, sound-wise, from anything I’ve put out, and it’s really shaped the next music we’re going to put out, too. It’s a lot more country, which I love and I think the fans will love it too.”
Fans can look forward to more new music from Kennedy coming down the pipeline soon. “I have pretty much finished the album, so we’ve got all the songs together, and I’ve been teasing some of them, but there’s definitely songs people haven’t heard. People can expect to get to know me better.” Stay tuned!
Connect:
Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news and announcements about future Tiera Kennedy releases.
To keep up with Tiera, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Tiera Kennedy’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.