Who Is Brittney Spencer? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

There is nothing we love more than supporting female country artists in the industry. Today, we get to highlight a rising female artist that we have been loving, Brittney Spencer. Spencer is an incredible vocalist, songwriter, and overall entertainer, with an interesting journey to the genre.

Growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, the singer-songwriter did not have a typical southern upbringing that you see so often with country artists. Despite that, music was a defining pillar in her childhood. “Music was everywhere,” she tells us. “I was singing in the choir when I was three or four years old.”

Both Spencer’s father and late uncle sang, but it was her Dad who really was captivated by music the most. “My family always had a high appreciation for music, and they were always open to hearing different styles as well, so that was always really cool about my family,” she shared.  Spencer later added, “My dad blasts music all around the house all the time, ever since I was a kid. And now I find myself blasting music too.”

As a child, Spencer was exposed to Pop, Hip-hop, R&B, and eventually country music. “I was the first person in my family really to dive into country music and they got on board with that as well. It’s so fun watching my family always expanding their repertoire.”

Spencer recalls listening to the alternative rock radio station on the bus on the way to school each morning. Unbeknownst to her, the radio station would play all different artists, including country musicians. Because of this Spencer became fans of artists like The Chicks, Taylor Swift, and Shania Twain. Of course, the songstress also names John Mayer, Norah Jones, Beyonce, Britney Spears, and India Arie, as some of her inspirations as well.

The Turning Point:

Spencer had a few moments in her life that became turning points to lead her to pursuing country music for a living. “When I heard The Chicks, they made me love country music and I went on this entire escapade of finding every country radio station that I could and I started watching CMT,” she tells us. “I got deep in to it and I loved it […] and a few years later, I found Taylor Swift and there was something about her that made me feel like I could do country music.”

Between the poetry and the storytelling of country music, and finally realizing what the genre was, Spencer became infatuated with the genre. In love with the stories, the singer began to watch documentaries on artists as well. After watching two documentaries, one on Reba, and one on Taylor Swift, Spencer discovered the common thread between the two: Nashville.

She thought to herself, “I don’t know how far I can go, but I should go to Nashville and give this thing a shot, and I did.”

Today:

Flash forward to present day, Spencer has been named a CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2021 and is on an exciting trajectory with her career. As a self-proclaimed “country-alternative artist,” the songstress has as sound and a vibe all her own. It is clearly resonated across fanbases, as Spencer is currently on the road with Jason Isbell and Brett Eldredge on their respective tours.

Most recently, the singer even put out a song called “Sober and Skinny.” The acoustic and lyrically-focused tune is both a vibe and a heartbreaker. The song came to fruition during a Zoom write, where Spencer came to her co-writers with the idea and a chorus.

“It’s not exactly autobiographical, but I was able to draw on several of my experiences. It was really cool and it challenged me creatively to write about something that wasn’t directly how I felt, but something that was inspired by my thoughts, my experiences.”

According to Spencer, the song has become one of her favorites and set her off on a new level in her artistry as well. “Sober and Skinny was a huge turning point from me creatively. My Compassion EP was so personal, so writing this song was an opportunity to step outside of myself a bit. It really put me on the trajectory that I am which is writing stories.”

Spencer promises that there are more stories and songs on the horizon, coming most likely at the top of 2022. Until then, fans can continue to stream her previously released music and catch her on the road during her upcoming tour dates.

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