Goonica is hitting us upside the head with something new: a country album!
The 40 year old Grammy Award winner, Monica, shared with Billboard that we can be expecting her country album after we get the album she's just about done with now, Trenches. You may remember a sneak peak/preview she let us hear during her infamous Verzuz battle with Brandy.
Monica was signed to a record label at the tender age of 12; she's not new to this, she's true to this! She's releasing her upcoming independent debut album, Trenches, on her very own record label, MonDeenise Music.
One thing's for sure, Monica's return is full of momentum! Goonica says after we get Trenches, we should get the country album and can be expecting it before the end of the year! She saluted country legends Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers for serving as the artists who helped her fall in love with the genre and said she was also in the studio with Brandi Carlile recently. She says,
“I grew up loving country music and my stepfather, who raised me, is a Methodist minister, but he also drove buses and he would take us to Nashville, Gatlinburg and Dollywood in Tennessee. I became a really big fan of Dolly Parton, at about 8 or 9 years old. That was my real introduction to country music. Shortly after, it was Kenny Rogers. I started listening to the depth of the songs and the fact that they were unafraid to say whatever it was they felt. I felt like this was a great time for me to really step into an area that I’ve always admired and loved? We’re just getting started, but I have so enjoyed it and been welcomed with open arms.”
K. Michelle's got some company in her lane as a Black woman coming from R&B currently headed towards country music.
Truthfully, country music is nothing more than a colonized version of 'the Blues,' which was created by Black people. Blues is quite literally half of R&B: Rhythm & Blues. The story of 'the Blues' began in northwestern Mississippi in the late 1800's. It was initially a folk music popular among former slaves living in the Mississippi Delta, the flat plain between the Yazoo and Mississippi rivers. Traditionally, Blues was a therapeutic means of expression and consumption that translates pain and unfortunate situations into beautiful songs. How satisfying it is to see Black people take the reins and take up space in a sectors their ancestors laid the foundation for!
..well, what are your thoughts about Monica saddling up for a country album? Do you think it'll sell substantially or do any numbers on the charts? Keep it sticky + real in the comments and you know I'll talk to you soon!