Rissi describes her work as “Southern soul,” which is as deceptively simple as each of those words on its own. Pulling influences from country to jazz to folk to rock to pop, Rissi’s sound is a rich combination of cultures and perspectives. After releasing her debut album in 2008, she was featured in Ebony, Rolling Stone andThe Wall Street Journal and performing everywhere from the White House to the Grand Ole Opry. Her debut single, “Country Girl,” put an African-American woman at the top of Billboard’s Country chart for the first time in 20 years. Since that whirlwind beginning, Rissi has left Nashville and re-centered in North Carolina, writing and performing the songs that reflect her constant evolution. She has toured extensively across the country, sharing stages with Taylor Swift, The Eagles, Chris Young, Charley Crockett, and many more. Rissi is now the host of the Apple Music Country show, Color Me Country Radio w/ Rissi Palmer, a Special Correspondent for CMT’s (Country Music Television) Hot 20 Countdown, and is also among some of country music’s most notable stars being showcased in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s “American Currents: State of the Music” exhibition, running through March 2022. Oh, and she’s nominated for a GRAMMY this year! She’s also dedicated herself to uplifting the next generation of BIPOC country artists through the Color Me Country Artist Grant Fund.