K. Michelle Opens Up About Her Country Music Debut, ‘Jesus & Whiskey,’ and Her Longtime Nashville Journey [Exclusive]

K. Michelle is a formidable force in entertainment, having established herself in mainstream R&B with six studio albums while also showcasing her acting skills on television, including appearances on The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.

But she has even more to offer.

Now, the multi-platinum powerhouse and singer-songwriter is marking a bold new chapter in her career and returning to her country roots with her debut full-length country album, Jesus & Whiskey. Released Oct. 16 via Real Outlawz Records, Inc., under exclusive license to This Is Hit, Inc. d/b/a BBR Music Group, the nine-track collection explores themes of faith, heartbreak, redemption, and love.

Though not her most personal album to date, K. Michelle describes the project as a “life album” and her “most musical” body of work.

“I would say it’s the most musical where I had thought through everything,” K. Michelle told Country Now in a brand-new interview. “For example, I wanted a live band. So, I thought through every detail of the music on the album…. This speaks more to my day-to-day life. I would say it’s a life album, a lifestyle album; it’s what I’m doing through the day and things like that and the things I stand for in life.”

“When I do R&B albums, I’ve done a lot of things for the ladies to cry,” she clarified. “This is not a cry album. So I think it’s not my most personal album, but it is my most musical.”

Although her move into country music may seem like a departure to some, becoming a country artist has been a longtime dream for the Memphis-born singer. In fact, K. Michelle spent years working and writing in Nashville before deciding which songs would ultimately make the album.

“For years I had been in Nashville working and writing on my album and writing as well for other people,” she shared. “I decided these are the songs. It was hard narrowing them down because we made so many songs for years, but I feel like these most represent where I’m at in life right now.”

That personal evolution is also reflected in the album’s cover art, which features K. Michelle watering herself while surrounded by a white picket fence. The imagery symbolizes her commitment to nurturing her growth and forging her path, even when others might fail to understand her vision.

“It’s me watering myself. I like to say I don’t go off being the music industry’s favorite. The music industry hasn’t made it easy for me at all, even up until this album,” she explained. “And I’ve had to go on a prayer and just the belief that good songs always find their way home. And watering myself has made me grow, and that’s just what has to happen. Sometimes people don’t see your vision or understand your purpose. You’re going to see it before a lot of people will.”

One of the most distinctive elements of Jesus & Whiskey is K. Michelle’s impressive yodeling, a talent she has showcased since her teenage years. In fact, she earned a scholarship to Florida A&M University for her yodeling abilities. She puts that skill front and center on the album’s opening track, aptly titled “Yodel,” a lively tune written alongside Tomy Gé, Kelly Sheehan, David Mescon, and Thomas Edwards.

“It’s very important for me,” she said of including the skill on the album. “Because it’s just something I always tell people that I could do. And I said, ‘Oh, I’ll just do it on my album.’ And people were kind of shocked by that. They were shocked, period, that I love all forms of music.”

For the project, K. Michelle enlisted longtime friend and award-winning singer-songwriter and producer Kristian Bush, one-half of the country duo Sugarland. Having known her for more than a decade, Bush understood her connection to country music and proved to be the creative partner she wanted by her side.

“It was very important to have somebody who’s not a yes person around me,” K. Michelle explained. “When it comes to music, Kristian will tell me, ‘I don’t really get that, or if you want to roll with that, if that’s your belief, you could do that.’ He’s someone who will debate, and he’s one of my toughest music writers. So I knew that I wanted him to come in and hear what I had already done and try to take it to a new level.”

One song that benefited from that creative push was K. Michelle’s personal favorite, “Blame Tennessee,” which she co-wrote with Bush, Ernest Keith Smith, and Felly. The track holds special meaning for the Tennessee native, who says the writing process challenged her in the best way.

“My personal favorite on the album would be ‘Blame Tennessee’ because I’m a Tennessee girl,” she admitted. “Me and Ernest did that record together, and then I went with Kristian to finish up the bridge and just tighten up everything. And that was a hard write for me, and he didn’t back down. But just to hear the feel of ‘Blame Tennessee,’ it makes me feel good, and it makes me proud to be from Tennessee.”

Another standout, “Damn Good Friend,” finds K. Michelle confronting the imperfections of human nature while exploring faith, temptation, and redemption. The piano-driven track struck an emotional chord with her from the moment she heard its demo.

“I heard it in the middle of the night, and it just moved my soul,” she recalled. “No one really wants to talk about their imperfections and talk about their sinning. People like to judge when they sin; their sin might be different from another person’s, but it still is sin. So I wanted to do something. I’ve always spoken about not being perfect, and I wanted to do a record that kind of put my foot down and said, ‘You have no rain over here, devil.’”

The album’s title track further captures that message of embracing life’s imperfections while maintaining a relationship with faith. Co-written with Smith, Jordan Dozzi, and Rocky Block, “Jesus & Whiskey” finds K. Michelle reflecting on the different roles she holds in life and how they can coexist.

“‘Jesus and Whiskey’ is just who I am. That just talks about and sums up a lot of things for me. I’m a sister. I’m a mother. I’m all of these different things, and it’s okay to be those,” she said. “And I could be drinking on a Saturday night with my friends, but how I was raised, I don’t care what you do on Saturday night, you’re going to get up and go to church on Sunday.”

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Elsewhere, K. Michelle joins forces with her longtime writing partner Blush on “Anything,” marking a special collaboration between the two.

“Blush is my writing partner. She’s my musical soulmate. She and I have created some of the most amazing songs to date,” she shared. “I’ve always wanted to do a feature with someone like her that is so near and dear to me.”

She also admits she was surprised by the response to “Handle On It,” another fan-favorite featuring a sweeping country melody and an uplifting message about finding the strength to get back up when life gets difficult.

“I did not know people were going to like ‘Handle On It’ like that, but that is one of the top records that my old school R&B fans absolutely love,” she said.

While Jesus & Whiskey represents a new chapter, K. Michelle says her longtime supporters have known about her love for country music for years. She has repeatedly expressed her desire to make the genre a bigger part of her career, even when record labels encouraged her to revisit the idea another time.

“My fans know what I listen to. They know my love for The Judds and Dolly Parton and Lee Ann Womack. We sang these songs on stage for years as a tribute to country music,” she explained. “So a lot of them have been prepared for me to put out an album that I wanted to and was proud of. So it wasn’t a big switch for them. I am the same girl with the same thoughts, emotions, feelings, and the same writing style.”

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Now, as she joins a growing community of Black artists making their mark in country music, including Mickey Guyton, Darius Rucker, and The War and Treaty, K. Michelle hopes her work can help create more opportunities for those who follow.

“Being an African American in country music has always been difficult. I think being a woman in country music is difficult,” she acknowledged. “So just being able to put out music that I’m really proud of and music that does pay tribute and honor to country music and country artists before me, as well as hopefully it helps the artists that are coming after me. So it feels really great.”

Ultimately, K. Michelle hopes Jesus & Whiskey encourages listeners to connect with the music on a deeper level, regardless of their musical background.

“I just want everybody to feel good and feel something,” she said. “Music now is so generic, and it is so here one day, gone the next. Classics still remain. I want people to feel classic records, and I want them to relate to something on there because it’s so much honesty in it, and it’s a human album. So I want people to have a human experience.”

With Jesus & Whiskey now introducing another side of her artistry to the world, K. Michelle isn’t slowing down anytime soon. She is continuing to film The Real Housewives of Atlanta, with a second season underway, while preparing to announce upcoming performances and release more music videos in support of the album.

“I plan on just putting out the music videos, continuing to push so more people can hear the album and just having the opportunity to really present my music to Nashville and continue to present it to the world and doing what it is I love, and that is singing,” she said. “So I’m here.”