When K. Michelle sings about heartbreak, resilience, or pouring another glass of Tennessee whiskey, you feel it in your bones. And now, the platinum-selling R&B icon is bringing that same unfiltered firepower to country music with her breathtaking debut single, “Jack Daniel’s,” which dropped this past Friday (August 29).
Produced by Kristian Bush (Sugarland, Megan Moroney) and Jeff Balding, and co-written with ERNEST, Jordan Dozzi, and Rocky Block, the track is as intoxicating as the spirit it honors. With smoky grit and soulful brilliance, K. Michelle declares Tennessee whiskey as the “only man she trusts” — delivering a powerhouse performance that feels both brand-new and deeply rooted in the genre’s core.
“This is me coming home,” K. Michelle shared, noting that country isn’t just a new chapter — it’s part of her DNA. “I was raised on southern soil in Memphis, Tennessee, where soul and country grew from the same roots. This new music is a celebration of where I come from — the pride, the bittersweet, and the whiskey-soaked truth of it all.”
Fans who’ve followed K. Michelle’s journey know this moment has been years in the making. She’s included a country section in nearly every R&B show she’s ever performed, fought industry gatekeeping, and even earned a college scholarship for yodeling before carving out her space as one of R&B’s fiercest voices.
In her Celeb Secrets interview backstage at CMA Fest 2025 this past June, she got real about the battle it took to arrive at this moment:
“I was told I couldn’t do country. I walked away from my R&B label because I wanted off of that label so I could do my country music. I told them from the beginning, I’m a country artist. It’s been a fight, but people are rooting for me everywhere because they know what my passion is and who I am.”
That passion now fuels her first-ever country album, due later this year on BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville, which is a major Nashville label that’s home to artists like Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Jason Aldean and more. “You can expect traditional, old-school country like The Judds. You can expect to cry, to laugh, to feel like you have a best friend, and even to shake your booty a little bit. It’s a buffet of emotions,” she told us, teasing what’s to come.
Raised in Memphis, K. Michelle grew up on a steady diet of Mary J. Blige and Whitney Houston right alongside The Judds and Lee Ann Womack. Those dual influences now collide beautifully in “Jack Daniel’s” — proof that her R&B soul and country storytelling have always been two sides of the same coin.
Her inspirations shine through the project, too. “Of course Dolly Parton inspires me. Ernest wrote a lot of songs on my album, and Morgan [Wallen] is one of my favorite artists because he combines R&B and country together. Lee Ann Womack is everything to me, and Gary [LeVox] from Rascal Flatts has my favorite male voice in country music,” she revealed.
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With the release of “Jack Daniel’s,” K. Michelle becomes the first Black woman to partner with the iconic Tennessee whiskey brand — a history-making move that underscores the significance of this new era. And if her CMA Fest National Anthem performance at Nissan Stadium this summer was any indication, country music’s newest powerhouse is here to stay.
“My proudest moment was hearing my label head say I have one of the most country albums in Nashville. I want the world to feel that, and I want them to hear these amazing songs,” she told Celeb Secrets.
For K. Michelle, this isn’t just a genre switch — it’s a return to her roots, her truth, and her Tennessee soul. And from the sound of “Jack Daniel’s” and the promise of her upcoming album, Nashville better get ready. Because K. Michelle isn’t crossing over… she’s taking over with a whiskey-soaked anthem and a forthcoming album that’s bound to shake Music City and beyond.
For more on K. Michelle’s upcoming country album, make sure to watch our full interview below — and don’t forget to let us know what you think of “Jack Daniel’s” by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecretscountry.
Interview quotes have been condensed and edited for clarity. For more coverage from CMA Fest 2025, click here.
