Exclusive ACL Interview: Tiera Kennedy On Staying Rooted In Country Music

Tiera Kennedy

In an era where authenticity cuts deeper than genre labels, Tiera Kennedy stands tall as one of country music’s most dynamic new voices. Fresh off the release of her debut studio album Rooted (2024), Kennedy is embracing her journey of love, heartbreak, healing, and growth, all while redefining what it means to belong in Music City. With the album’s lead single, “I Ain’t A Cowgirl,” surpassing 760,000 streams on Spotify, and follow-up tracks like “Down The Road” and “Making Room” showcasing her emotional depth and songwriting power, Kenndy's star continues to rise. Beyond her own work, she’s made history as a featured collaborator on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, lending her soulful vocals to “Blackbird” and “Tyrant,” and joining Beyoncé’s unforgettable NFL Christmas Day halftime show performance. A CMT Next Women of Country alum and now a BET Award nominee, Tiera Kennedy is proof that staying rooted in who you are is the ultimate key to growth.

Tiara Kennedy performing at ACL

How is ACL treating you? 

So good! This is my first time beginning here. I have heard so much about it, so I was very excited to come and live up to all my expectations. 

For anyone who has never heard your music, how would you describe your sound?

R&B country. I grew up listening to a lot of R&B around the house and have always loved country, so it’s kinda a mesh between the two. You gotta inject some soul up in there. 

Your debut album, Rooted, tells a story of love, heartbreak, and healing. Which song felt the hardest to write emotionally, and which felt the most freeing? 

I would say for both of those it would be, ‘I Ain’t A Cowgirl’. I wrote that song at a really low point for me. Writing that song was very much a therapy session. It just felt really good when I put it out and to see people attach to that song and connect with it in their own way.

What do you want people to feel after listening to Rooted start to finish? 

I hope they feel a little bit more whole. I certainly did when I wrote those songs and put them out. I hope that with any of my music, people see themselves in it and heal whatever they're going through and feel seen. 

Your music blends themes of faith, resilience, and identity. Why was it important to touch on these topics in your debut album?

For all of those, I have just become stronger within myself and the person I really am. When you move to Nashville, when you get into the industry, it's really easy to be swayed by other people's opinions of who you should be. Creating ‘Rooted’, I felt like I was stepping into who I always was, and it required a lot of faith through that. I am an independent artist, and that’s really tough sometimes to not have this big record label behind you. Thankfully, just leaning on God and my faith through the whole thing, even on those tough moments, it was a little bit easier to get through that.

You’re a CMT Next Women of Country album and now a BET Award nominee. How do you balance being celebrated in both the country and broader Black music communities?

It’s really cool! When I first moved to Nashville, I didn't see a lot of myself, so now seeing so many cool artists just show up as themselves. I feel like everybody's got different sounds and different things they bring to the table. It’s cool to be a part of a community and to see each other through that. I’m thankful.

How do you see your ACL performance fitting into your larger journey after releasing Rooted?” 

It’s really awesome. I got to perform some of the songs from ‘Rooted’ and some new music that will be on the next album. This feels like a cool stamp, like a bridge between the two.

You’re sharing a lineup with some of music’s biggest names. Was there anyone you were especially excited to catch while you were here? 

I don't know if I’m going to catch him, but I think Luke Combs is so awesome. He is also just a great human. 

Do you have any pre-show rituals or routines that help you feel grounded before stepping on stage? 

Always gotta talk to the Lord before I step on stage, and sometimes, I’m really bad at it, but I try to warm up and have me a cup of tea.