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Okay Michelle is prepared for her nation closeup. The R&B artist and actuality star (she appeared in a number of seasons of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta) is leaning into her Southern roots with a brand new album, a brand new title and a CMA Awards collaboration with the night time’s Finest New Artist winner Jelly Roll.
Underneath the alias Puddin, the Memphis native has launched her first nation track, “Tennessee.” It’s the debut single from her forthcoming nation album — a transfer that feels completely pure to the star.
“It’s a part of who I’m,” the singer, 41, completely informed Us Weekly forward of the 2023 CMA Awards on Wednesday, November 8. “It’s so loopy once I discuss to individuals they usually’re like, ‘How does this transition?’ There’s no transition, let’s be trustworthy. That is who I’m. That is how I used to be born. That is how I used to be raised.”
Okay Michelle (actual title Kimberly Michelle Pate) made her Music Metropolis debut on country music’s largest stage on Wednesday night time when she joined Jelly Roll for a stirring efficiency of The Judds’ “Love Can Construct a Bridge.” It was a full-circle second for the musician, who additionally performs the track alongside Jelly and the Fisk Jubilee Singers on the just lately launched album A Tribute to The Judds.
“The primary nation that I acquired into was The Judds,” she stated. “The primary tape I ever acquired was The Judds and it was ‘Love Can Construct a Bridge.’”
As for sharing the stage with Jelly Roll, that’s all within the musical household for Okay Michelle.
“That’s my outlaw brother. I perceive him,” she shared. “We’re uncommon suspects in nation music. I do know his entire journey, his wrestle. We’re open books. We prevail, we do what we wish to do, however most significantly we love the music. The perfect factor is that we now have a mutual respect for one another, and [this pairing] was a match made in heaven.”
The efficiency was a surprising tribute to musical matriarch Naomi Judd, who passed away in 2022. With a crowd that included Judd’s daughter and bandmate Wynonna in attendance, Okay Michelle joined Jelly Roll to belt her means via considered one of The Judds’ most memorable hits.
Taking the stage in feathers and rhinestones, it was simple to think about the previous R&B artist as each bit the nation star. Her highly effective ad-libs introduced the crowd to its feet for a standing ovation earlier than the efficiency had even ended. It was a second stuffed with emotion for the performers and viewers alike.
“For me, nation music has at all times been about storytelling and in regards to the really feel of it,” she stated, including, “I’m so blessed and so excited to honor Naomi.”
For extra from Nashville, try Us Weekly’s VIP Guide to Music Metropolis.
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