Singer, songwriter and reality TV star K. Michelle sits down with Bobby to talk about her longtime love of country music, how yodeling helped earn her a music scholarship, and why making a country record feels like something she was always supposed to do. She opens up about the complicated side of reality TV fame, what social media has done to her mental health, and the boundaries she’s had to create along the way. K. Michelle also shares why Beyoncé sending her flowers meant so much, what she learned from working with Nashville songwriters, and why people doubting her place in country music only made her want it more. Plus, she talks Real Housewives of Atlanta, manifestation, faith, motherhood and the full-circle moment of getting to sing a song by The Judds that she loved as a kid.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
I would still do my R & B songs, but
in the middle, I was going to sing a Dolly
or Judd's record. And people would laugh. I mean, like,
outright laugh.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Like, in my face. Like, that's not gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hey, everybody. We're going to talk to K. Michelle in
just a second. You may know her from Real Housewives
of Atlanta or Love & Hip Hop from back in
the day. She's always loved country music, and she is
putting out her debut country album, Jesus & Whiskey, on
October 16th. She's got a new song out called Yodel,
and we'll talk about that, and we'll talk about music,
(00:45):
and we have mutual friends. And I didn't know her
before this interview. A lot of times I have a
relationship already with people that come in, And so I
don't know what to expect, but I'm going to tell you,
I loved it. She's amazing. I would like to introduce
you guys, if you don't know her yet, to K.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Michelle.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
It is so good to meet you.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Thank you. It's great to meet you.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
So I got a lot of places that I would
like to start. Okay, let's start with this. Why did
you do Real Housewives?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Because I always said when I got a certain age,
I would do that because that is a franchise where
you can do other things. You know, it's not looked
down upon. Like, you know, people tend to look at
love and hip hop. Real Housewives has always been a
brand where you can, you know, work with other companies,
(01:34):
do other things. You know, it's that type of shade.
It's funny, but it's still something. I'm really good at reality.
I enjoy it. And I said, I told, I would
tell everybody when I get to be a certain age
and when I go back to reality, I'm going to housewife.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
What has been your experience with it after a season?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Woo. It is.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Really?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Oh, my God.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
More intense than you thought?
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Oh, yes. More intense. Even if, like, you got to
play the game right. Like, you got to play the
game right. It's not all this and it's a different,
it's a different beast.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And I came in it like looking like really open
to like friendship.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
You didn't finish it being open to friendship? No, no, no.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Honestly, no one would believe.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Everyone's so shocked now that I'm the one who is
cool with everybody.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
You know, I have like one. I just don't. But
other than that, I've made.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
It a point to talk to every last one of
these women off camera, you know, several times and get
to know them and their stories. And I think that's
just me being a writer, you know, and I can
pop off really bad, but I have to be provoked.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Would you ever do Dancing with the Stars?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Absolutely. I would dance. I would definitely do it.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
I think you'd be good on that show.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
I would love to do that. Phaedra, you know, did that.
I would love that. I think I would do really good.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
How did you get Real Housewives? Did you have somebody that, like, submitted?
Same thing with Dancing with the Stars, right? You just
got to get to the right people.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Everything that I....
Speaker 1 (03:17):
It comes true. It's the scariest thing ever. Like, okay,
singing at the CMAs with Jelly Roll. Like, I love
the Judds. I have Judds pictures all over my house,
and my fans knew that. So when Naomi died, you know,
it was a thing. I had them up, Dolly up,
(03:37):
Whitney up, but I had a lot of pictures of
these women in my home.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
And when she died, I never got to meet her.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
So I just was like, you know, I didn't get
to meet her people like, you know, it's OK. You know,
she impacted you. So with that, I didn't call anybody
or anything. They call me, her producers, their producers call
me and said, we want you to sing on the
tribute album.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
And I was like, wow.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
And I wouldn't dare ask for a specific record.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
And it was a record I wanted to sing. It
was Love Can Build a Bridge. I was like, what
are the chances?
Speaker 3 (04:17):
That might be their greatest song, too. I mean, that's
the one that my mom and my grandma would sing.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
What would be the chances, Bobby, that they would give
me that song and I'm singing it with the people
that produced the record?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
And that's where I met John Loba.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
And the president of my label, that's where all of
that started, manifested that. Just a lot of things, country music,
all of that, and getting a deal doing that, just
manifested that. And I had said for so long to producers,
I'm going to be on Real Housewives when I get
to be a certain age. I had even sent Andy
(04:56):
a DM like two years prior, and I said, I'm.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Going to be a housewife. And he didn't see it
or anything.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And- One of the producers on the show I had did,
she is the main producer.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
And, yeah, she was like, you should be a housewife.
When I said, yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Can you manifest thanks for other people?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I could try, but you won't.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
I'm trying to get a game show at this point,
you know? What? No game show, Bobby. I mean, I
won Dancing with the Stars. There's my mirror ball right there.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
So I got that done. I played the game, but
I'm trying to host a game show.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I'm pretty sure you're going to be doing this.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Okay. From your mouth, God's ears.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
I'm pretty sure.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Do you feel like you're psychic at all?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
I don't even want to scare you.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
I would love to be scared. Okay. Do you feel
like you have something about you that is extra?
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Yeah. So don't laugh.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Okay. I know I got a lot of Oprah stories.
That's a little girl. My mama would just watch Oprah.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
So it was this lady on Oprah and she was
talking about if you ask your angel for help, the
angel will help you. And she was on a plane
and the plane split and she didn't die.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
I was just a little girl watching. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
She said the plane broke and she didn't die. She
said she started asking her angel for help and the
angel would do things.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
I promise.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I was young and I was saying, angel, help me
like do things.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
It was like weird things.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Like I remember I said, angel, help me find my slip,
my slip for church. And I had opened up all
the drawers and it wasn't there.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
It was not there. And I said, angel, help me
find my slip. And it was there. So I started
screaming to my mom and dad. Like the angel, I'm
telling you that the angel. And I kept asking for stuff.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
So my mama come find her resume and she had
torn up the trunk for her resume. And I said,
she said, watch out your angel to help me find
my resume. And I said, angel, help my mama find
her resume. I promise she opened up that trunk and
found that resume. And she was like, girl, you need
to stop doing that. And so my very first Bible,
(07:09):
I had wrote down my first record deal and I
put a man name in it.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
I wrote it down.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
And I wanted that man. I wanted that record deal.
Those were the worst decisions of my life. And it
was a blue Bible. I had it through college. I
got rid of the Bible. I got rid of it.
And I said, Mama, I never, I never want a Bible.
And the Bible I got now, I've only had it
two years. And she gave it to me on Christmas.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Two years ago.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
And I've been writing stuff again in that Bible. Because
the other one scared me so bad. Everything that I
asked for, even if I didn't need it, You still
got it? I still got it. I was like, no,
I'm not with that at all. This is crazy. So
I was scared. And I was like, nope, I'm not
doing it. And then when my granddad died, I was
(07:57):
so mad at God. I was so mad.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
I mean, like mad. I know people's like, oh, I'm mad.
But I was really mad.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Why were you mad? Why that emotion?
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Because I was like, he just turned everybody. He lived
a good life. He was 92. I don't want to
hear that. Okay.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
It was at a time I'm like, you could have
just waited. We just had celebrated his birthday and it
was out of nowhere. And my mom was born on Christmas.
So he died right before Christmas. So every time Christmas
comes around, it's this feeling.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
And that's my favorite holiday.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
And I'd be like, you just ruined this holiday for me.
and I was so angry, and I probably was taking
a whole lot of things out, and I just wouldn't pray.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
I wouldn't anything. I really didn't want a Bible.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
I had already gotten rid of that Bible, and so
I think I just really started to heal and kind
of talk to my grandfather and all of that, and
I said, maybe I'll get a Bible. And my mama
gave me the Bible I got now at Christmas.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
It was aesthetically pleasing. You know, it was like the
little tan color that I liked. And now I carry it.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
And, you know, people carry whatever weapons they need. For me,
I'm not entering. I'm not going nowhere without their Bible.
Their Bible's probably over there on the front seat. I'm
not going nowhere. It has to be around. And maybe
that's a crutch. If I have like anxiety and stuff
just go real bad, I do this.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Maybe that is wrong. Maybe you're going crazy, girl. But
I always reach it and rub it and say it's okay.
It's going to be okay. So I don't know if
I'm psychic or just.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Well, ask your angel if I can get a game show.
I'll ask mine too.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Angel. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Help my friend Bobby to get a game show and
the Desires of of his heart, because if he brought
this up, he really won't fit.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Yeah, I've been trying. I've been trying for a long time.
I got real close a couple times.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Why you don't get it by now?
Speaker 3 (10:09):
I don't know. It's like the one thing that's out
of my grasp.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
It's not out of your grasp.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Well, I haven't got it yet. I've gotten close on
some big ones a couple times. But they always end
up hiring somebody way more famous than me. Because it's
not a skill set thing. And then also like massive
celebrities want to be game show hosts now. So it's
kind of taken that.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Yeah, but you got to know your gift.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Like I want to be a judge on The Voice
and I'm going to manifest it. Now that I'm over
in the NBC circle, I'm going to manifest.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Being a judge. I believe you. And you're going to manifest.
You're going to manifest that. You're going to.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
No, you're going to manifest it for me. And then
I'm going to call you and go, thank you so much. Like,
send your angel a Uber Eats gift card from me
because that was so nice of your angel to do that.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
You're going to get it.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Where do you live now?
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I'm in Georgia.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
You live in Atlanta?
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Yeah, in Beaufort.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Is that a suburb?
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Yes, it's kind of far, but it's like a whole
little world and community.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
I love it. I would like to talk about your
music scholarship, if that's okay.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Because, first of all, shout out you for getting a
music scholarship. That's pretty legit.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Was it for singing?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Yes, for singing.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Now, I read, though, that there was some yodeling involved.
And I have heard the new song, too. Well, you
actually know how to yodel.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
I yodeled to impress them. I had this vocal coach
named Bob Westbrook. And he did like Britney Spears. He
did Justin Timberlake. And my mom took me to him
and he said, well, I want to just teach her to,
you know, listen to other things. She has this big voice.
And everyone's going to expect her to sing Whitney Houston.
(11:48):
So I want to teach her about yodeling and, you know,
country music. And the first country group was the Judds
for me. That was like a thing for me. So
when I went to college, I did like opera, Ave Maria.
I did Little Cowboy Sweetheart. I sang Unchained Melody. I
(12:08):
just sang all of these songs and they gave me
a scholarship for it because they thought I was a
little weird. You know, it was a HBCU. So they
weren't used to anybody coming and just singing all these songs.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Did you learn to yodel from your coach?
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Like he taught me about yodeling and, you know, my
one little star song was Cowboy Sweetheart.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
And people were so impressed by it.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Even when I pledged, I pledged Delta and they would
like make me like do it with this fake horse.
That was like my hazing.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Okay. So I would do that and sing country music
and all of that. So it was like a little
hazing situation for me, but it was a good one.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Who in your house listened to country music?
Speaker 5 (12:58):
Nobody.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
So how were you exposed to it then?
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Well, he wanted me to know about it.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
And I remember one day I was watching Oprah and
the judge came on.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
And I was like, oh, my.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
God, I had like this hair, this fire red hair.
And the first tape I ever got in my whole
life was Love Can Build a Bridge. And my parents,
I knew it was Christmas coming. And for Christmas, I
could get anything I wanted.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
And I wanted that tape. And show you my age.
I wanted a cassette tape.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Well, we're about the same age. So you're preaching to
the choir.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
And so you burned that tape up?
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
And it was like, I love like my favorite songs,
like romping, stomping, bad news blues. And my family just like, well,
she just loves to sing. And I remember they like
gave me the biggest closet so they could close the door.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
So you could sing.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
In the closet. Did you sing as a kid a lot?
Speaker 2 (13:58):
All the time. I wouldn't shut up.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Did you sing as a kid in front of people?
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
Anytime somebody would walk in, I would get to go on.
And they tried to put me in swimming, but I
still can't swim.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
Like I sang in church, but I was not a
good singer in church. I went to a Baptist church.
So I'm not a good singer. I sing for comedy purposes,
but I'm not a good singer. But they let anybody
sing in church. Because you can't say no in church.
But so many of my friends that are singers now,
they really started singing in church in front of people.
Did you sing as a kid in church?
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Yes, I sang as a kid.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I remember singing this song, Now Behold the Lamb.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
And Available to You.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
And I was singing, I was ready for every Sunday.
Like it was like star search.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Did your parents sing at all?
Speaker 2 (14:45):
No.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
So no music at all really in the house?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
My grandparents were like singers, singers. And it skipped my
parents and came to me.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
What do you mean singer, singers? Singers.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Oh, I mean like down home singing Lexington, Mississippi. The
Pate family, everybody there was related. And I mean like
down home church singing to the ground. My grandfather, until
he died, sang in church on my mom's side. So
both sides of my grandparents were real like deep soul singers.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Growing up. I lived in a town and the town
is still segregated by a railroad track. And so there's
the white quarters and the black quarters. And about once
out of every four weekends, I would just go to
the black church. And for me, I love black church
because the food is better.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
But church also lasts six or seven hours.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Yeah, that could be the bad part, but you do
have a big concert going on.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
Yeah, it was by far the most fun. And I
feel lucky to have been in a town that just
wasn't a bunch of white people, honestly, because I feel
like I, there was just a difference. Like I was
like a skinny white dude singing Rock of Ages at church.
And then I got to go, you know, two blocks over.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
And have a concert.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
And have like, not just that, like emotion thing.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
See, because when I got, when I first moved to Atlanta,
I went to a white church because It was on time.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
And it was.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
You start when it was on time?
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Yeah, and then they had different services. They had like
a 7 p.m. I was like, wow, y'all got three
different services.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
So me waking up late and all of that, I
would go at like a 7 o'clock service.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
It would last an hour.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
And it ended in an hour.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
And for me, that was good to talk to God
and get that in.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
And then, you know.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Yeah, I didn't have to sit there all day, but
it is a major difference. And I think it's the music, like,
that's the difference for me.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Yeah, I feel like what I enjoyed most was, like,
I felt it in my guts more.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
If that makes sense. Because I just, I did, it
was more of a.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Not produced.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
No, I just felt, it was more of, like, just
an overwhelming overall feeling because I felt like everybody was outward,
was very much... It was more outward.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
There for therapy, there to release, there in belief. Whereas
when I went to a white church, it.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Was like, I was like, oh, God, y'all got screens
and stuff up here. It was all type of screens.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Popping up and it was words and everybody was uniformed.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
I was like, OK, don't let me get to shout.
Let me just, you know, it was more of this
than that.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Let me come in and be free and feel everybody
around me and what they're going through. It was more
of Sundays is a time to make it through the.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Rest of the week.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
So growing up, my grandma adopted me for a long time,
a part of my life, and she was Pentecostal. You
ever been to Pentecostal church? No. They just are speaking
in tongues. It's wild. I didn't know any better. I
was like eight. Because I grew up mostly in a
Baptist church.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
Both churches I went to at Mountain Pine were Baptist churches.
But my grandma, when she was raising me, we went
to a Pentecostal church. And she never knew how to
play guitar, but she taught herself how to play guitar.
And then they would just speak in tongues. And that
was visceral. That was like... But I never could quite
get on with it. I couldn't, like, understand. Like, the
spirit never got me through tongues.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
It never made me go to tongues. I'm telling you, Bobby.
It never done that to me. Like, when people do that,
I'm still, like, on the line.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
I know I say things and people kind of get mad,
but I just kind of say the truth. It still
kind of bothers me because, like, there's a girl online.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
I'm not going to say her name.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
And she is a reality star and she like harasses everybody.
And then she like screams God and then she starts
talking in tongue after she just threatened people.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
And so I don't know. It doesn't to me. I
don't know if it's sincere.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
So in my worship, that's something that is still kind
of makes me uncomfortable.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
I was looking at some of the writing credits on
your record, and you wrote a bunch. And I would
see like Ernest.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
And like my friend Christian Bush.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Yes, he did my whole album.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
And that's like, I wrote a bunch of songs with Christian.
I love Christian. He's one half of Sugar Land for
those of you guys that are watching or listening. But
also like a great producer, produced all Megan Maroney's stuff.
How did you start working with those guys?
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Well, Christian Bush actually came on Love.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
& Hip Hop. What? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
10 years ago, Christian Bush uh got a call and
I love Sugarland I was talking about him and Mona
Scott Young gave him a call and he actually came
and you can like watch the clip of me and
him talking about country music and you know what I
was feeling and what I was thinking and we like
(20:04):
wrote a song on tv on the spot so for
10 years we kept in touch And he was like,
what are you doing?
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Like, you got to believe in yourself. What are you doing?
Speaker 1 (20:14):
So when I came here to just start writing and
all of that, and I got the deal, and I
said I want Christian to be a part of it.
So it was such a thing. He's such a genius
in what he does. And so, like, that was the hardest.
I always say Christian Bush was the hardest writing session that.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
I have ever had in my life.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
Because?
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Because he's down to the T. And he is very
passionate about it.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
And I'm like, that's Jessup. Come on. And he's like, no, no, no.
But it did. It was challenging for me because I'm
so used to doing what I want to do in writing.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
But he was my first, like, real, like, co-write to
really do that. And I wanted him to be a
part of my album because he understood me. And I
like somebody to tell it like it is. I don't
like any sugar cone. He going to say whatever comes
out of his mouth and whatever he thinks. And I
appreciate that. So I wanted him to come in and
(21:11):
I was able to combine him and some of the
best R & B writers in the game and to
watch them come together and really respect.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
Each other and really make it a thing. That was
a big thing for me.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
Let's take a quick pause for a message from our sponsor.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
And we're back on the Bobby cast.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
So did you just start coming to town and writing,
or did you come to town going, I have a deal,
I'm now going to go to town and write?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
No, I came to town just writing.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
And I picked up everything and said, I'm going to
follow my dreams. So I came to Nashville, and I
was just writing for years with everyone.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
And I remember when Morgan had a number one album, and.
I was like, oh, I was looking at the writers.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
I was like, oh, you know, Ernest, this Ernest guy.
And I had told my manager at that time. And
I just woke up one morning because I had a
studio downstairs. And she said, that writer you like, you know,
is downstairs.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
And I went down there and Ernest was there. And,
you know, we just became very cool. And, you know,
he's a great rapper. Yeah. He's a great rapper.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
That's a different life he lived. But for sure, that
version of Ernest, he was really good. He's really, really good.
I should say he is really good. He's just not
doing a lot of that now.
Speaker 5 (22:44):
But yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Yeah. And I just like really loved his energy.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
And he told me he had worked in a studio
with me while I was making one of my R &
B albums.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
And I didn't even know.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
But his energy and how he wrote and everything. So
we would have these jam sessions. And I don't like
to do writing sessions that are like quick. I like
to have like a chef, like cook some good food.
Like everyone comes and we just get to jamming.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
It's not this. I got to write this right now
and do that. I never do well in those.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
So everyone always met Erica and she would cook for
them and we would all just eat. And we would
drink Jack Daniels and eat and just kind of chill.
And that's where the best records have come from with me.
Speaker 5 (23:29):
Which is amazing.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
A bit different than how this town does writing. Cause
this is a business, this town, this is a, the
business of writing and you go in, you start at nine,
you finish around three, you set up your rights.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
That's tough for you.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
It's so tough.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
And like, I just say, no, now I'm just on
a no, because I know that the best product doesn't
come out of me like that. So all the songs
that I did, you know, all these songs that I
did were made in my home on my album and,
And it was always a vibe. So I don't even
play the games like they're like, I got two sessions.
I'm like, well, don't come because I really need to,
(24:06):
you know, know you and the situation and feel comfortable.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
And that's how it's been.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
How are you writing personal songs with folks maybe that
you haven't spent a lot of time with? Because it's
a very personal thing to write a personal song.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
I think I'm good once I like warm up to you.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Once I like, you know, I like food and liquor.
And once I do, like, I'm sorry. I just do.
I like food and liquor and good vibes.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
So once the vibe is set and everyone, I say
everything we say stays here. And I want everyone to
be comfortable. So even the things they're going through comes out,
I try to really set.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
I don't think anyone would tell you.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
That they haven't come to my home and writing with me,
and they haven't had a vibe.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I don't really go to anybody else's house to write.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Do you have a song on this album that's coming
out that you feel, of all the songs that you've
recorded for this record, is the most personal song?
Speaker 1 (25:06):
It's crazy because it's the most personal song, but I
didn't write it.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Justin Wilson wrote it.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
And he was going through, he tells a story, he
was going through a cocaine binge.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
And he was like to his wit's end.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
And then he the next day, he really like went
to church and, you know, he's wrote all these big records.
And he went to church and he really, you know,
was like, I got to get clean and I got to,
you know, get my life together. So it's a record
called There's a War Going On and the Devil's About
to Lose Him a Damn Good Friend.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
And that's the name of the song.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Yeah, Damn Good Friend.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
And when they told him I wanted to sing it,
he was like, oh, girl gonna sing that? And she
not scared to, you know, to really go at the
devil and really sing that. And I sang it and
it's so personal and it's his personal story, but it's
also my personal story. And I feel like ever since
(26:06):
I did that record, I've been a bit under attack.
And I just, I believe that. I feel like I
carry my Bible everywhere with me. I write these letters
and I open my Bible and they come true. It's
kind of scary. But I feel like after I did
that record, I carry my Bible with me like a
gun everywhere.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
It's with me with letters in it everywhere.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
One of my best friends wrote that song with him, George.
Speaker 4 (26:34):
Really?
Speaker 3 (26:35):
And so, yeah, they wrote that song, obviously. He had
a day and they wrote it and now you've recorded it.
And it's funny that that's the most personal song to you.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
And it made it to you.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
A song always will find its home.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
You believe that?
Speaker 2 (26:52):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Just because a song is the number one on the
chart doesn't mean it ain't did its job.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
You feel like that song did its job with you?
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Do you feel like you did your job with it?
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Absolutely. I sang that song. That was a church. That
song is like it's like chills.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Like I just know like Christian and like just seeing
his face and the recordings.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
And I have some some snippets of it. I'm about
to like start posting.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
And it was just such a moment and feel of
that song. And I just feel like it's going to
touch a lot of people and it will upset a
lot of demons.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
I know that.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
Do you feel like some people might be confused with
you doing love and hip hop and also with you
on Real Housewives that you're doing a country record?
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Oh, yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
They are so confused. Like, I don't know what the
hell is going on. But like my true fans that
know me, they know I've.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
Been this like.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
I feel like they want to box artists and people
and say, this is who you are and this is
how it should be. And I never strayed from country.
When I got to Atlantic Records, I said, I want
to do country music. And people don't understand, they saw
me as a rapper. So I make music and country
(28:15):
is the first music that I got a hold to.
And it's what I love, and they kept telling me
I couldn't do it because I was black. So I
was like, okay, well, I can write, I can sing,
I can do it all. And even in my R & B,
people will say she sound like a country singer.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
And loving hip-hop is, you know, people talk about it.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
And I hate that so bad because there's not a
lot of black reality shows even left.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
And it was....
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Something for me that I needed. It was, you know,
I went through my abuse on TV. These people have
watched me grow. I can watch my life back for
over 10 years. You know, I did that. Then I
had my own show, K Michelle, my life for three
years and country has always been a thing. There's never
not a time where I didn't talk about it in
(29:07):
any TV show or wasn't fighting. And I've been fighting
and I've been, paying my dues in respect to, you know,
a genre that's important to me. So it's been a thing.
So I'm like, I am that girl. Like, I am
the girl next door.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
I am the girl that is, you know, will used
to slap you. You know, now I just kind of...
Not anymore? Yeah, you know. No, I don't. But that
don't mean I don't want to.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
But... I kind of, yeah, I've absolutely had to calm.
And I think that's what age. If you don't calm
and grow, then what are you doing?
Speaker 2 (29:49):
You're just here. So I still, you know, will let
you have it. But not as often. I will give
you your grace.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
What did you learn about yourself? From doing love and hip-hop.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
Oh, that I was resilient. And I learned that... I
learned that.
I learned that the world has really mean people. Mm-hmm.
I learned that. And I ain't even got no whiskey. Yeah,
I learned that. I learned that from, like, media. And
(30:28):
it was like a.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
I think it has affected, excuse me.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
I think it has affected even me putting out music.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
How so?
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Because it's calmer when I don't. It's calmer in silence
than when you put your art in front of the world.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
You guys can hand her a tissue or something if
you have one. Yeah, you're good.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Thank y'all.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Yeah, help out out there.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Yeah, it's calmer. It's a calmer situation.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
Like if I don't put out music, I can kind
of go under the radar and And, you know, people
leave me alone. But once I do like interviews and
I put out music.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Or I'm on TV. Thank you. I put I do TV.
Then I have to deal. And I find myself being like, oh,
here we go on this cycle. This cycle of.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
All eyes on you. So when all eyes are on you,
you have to deal in all criticisms. And even though
I've had to do it for so long, I can
feel I can feel it when it's rising.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
I can just feel it. Those moments, you know.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
So it just kind of taught me that those people,
people at home, there's a lot of people rooting for you.
There's a lot of people that are, you know, praying
against you for you to fall.
Speaker 3 (31:53):
And the people that are rooting for you aren't the
loud ones.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
No, at all. They might not even be on social media.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
And also the people that are rooting for you aren't
the ones that even stick out. Cause like, you know,
I've had that. I'm in a lot of therapy. I
have two therapists. I got my wife and I go
and I got my own.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
And so I'm constantly dealing with my own mental health
because I'm in a place where I have opinions every
single day. And I have like my, I got, I
have like three people that I trust that I can
talk to. I got two therapists and I have one
friend in the media, Charlemagne, that is, we've been friends
for a decade that I like know, understand, like I
(32:30):
know understands what I'm going through because he's doing the same.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
And so I have a very short circle and then
I just have to like put boundaries up on what
I do and when I do it because you're right.
The loud ones are the mean ones.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
Oh, my God. It's like waking up every day. And then,
you know, it got so bad.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
Like, at least I can say with like loving hip hop,
then social media wasn't. People weren't as, you know, it
was just kind of, you know, that. And like now
the audacity is. And they'll even make up. They'll just
make up something. Like, I'm like, you really just really
(33:10):
made that up in your head. So for me, I
do have these fans that I need to touch and
talk to. That's the big part of my career. It
is social media because I can touch people. It's the
gift and a curse. So, like, even with a therapist
with me, like, it's kind of a thing of.
(33:32):
Okay, well, you know what you're in. You've done this
for so long. Like, why do you continue to, I guess,
even try? That's how I feel. But there are some
people that really need me. I feel like on social
media that they is made because I say hello or
(33:53):
because I, you know, I ask them like how their
child is doing and things like that. And I feel like,
I can't just put it down or hand it over.
You know, I have to. I have to just fight
through all of it because there's people.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
That need me.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Whenever I heard about your music, it was Charlamagne who
called me.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
And he called. And he also knows that people come
to me all the time about everything, asking. They're just like,
hear this, hear this. It's so much to the point
where I don't hear or see anything unless somebody close
to me gives it to me.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
And so he called and he said, hey, I have
this friend. And she's putting out a country record. And
this is not fake to her. She's not doing it
to just, like, try country. Like, she legitimately is this.
And he said, you don't have to do anything with it,
but I'm just letting you know. And I was like,
I appreciate that. Because, again, that's how stuff gets to me.
My close people telling me. And then I saw you.
(34:48):
Did you perform on his show?
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Yeah, I performed.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
That was crazy.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
Yeah, the first one to perform on there, like, I
was so happy.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
How do you guys know each other?
Speaker 2 (34:58):
I know him from.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Starting out in the business and I would do like,
you know, his birthday parties and hostings and things like that.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
And we became really cool.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
And one of his co-hosts, I just, you know, whatever
that is, I just don't do her.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
So I don't.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
Jess?
Speaker 2 (35:18):
Oh, no, I love Jess. Okay. No, one of the
old ones.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
Angela?
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Yeah, I don't do that girl.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
All right.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
I don't play them games with that girl. I don't
do that girl at all, honey. So we just kind
of grew apart from that, you know. And when we
saw each other again, when I went to sing, you know,
it was like an embrace. It was like, you know,
I missed you. And like I told him, I'm so
(35:43):
proud of you. And he's always tried to like encourage
me and do things to help me.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
I can never take that from him at all. So
he was like, you know, you really got to meet
Bobby again.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
Yeah, he called and said really nice things about you.
He said things that a friend would say to a friend.
Just it was like, hey, this is not BS. He's like,
you don't have to like it, but you should just
know it's not BS. And so that's all I need
to hear. Yeah. And so then I listened to it.
It's good.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (36:11):
You're good.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (36:14):
But I listened to it with the ear of, I
know this is not somebody that's just like coming to town,
trying this out. Like this is somebody who loves it
and appreciates it. Yes. And so, yeah, when your friend
tells you something. You definitely pay attention to it. And
you should just know that my friend did that also.
Now he's also your friend.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
And he told me and I called him and I
was like, you know, thank you so much. And even
when I leave now, I'm going to call and, you know,
talk to him. But, you know, like in in culture,
they can say a lot of things about me. Every
person in culture knows that. I love country music, and
that's who I am.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
And I've fought. I've fought with labels. I've done this
for years.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
When you say culture, do you mean black culture?
Speaker 2 (36:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
Okay, I'm white. You've got to be a little bit— you
have to break it down. Black culture.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Elementary.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Okay, got it, got it, got it.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Black culture knows that that is such a thing for me.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
And I try so hard.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
And when Beyonce put out Cowboy Carter, I just remember again, like,
the hateful comments. And it was like, oh, I know K.
Michelle is crying. I know she's hurt. And actually, you know,
I knew the album was coming out. So when it did,
I was like, why are y'all giving me all of
this attention if y'all laughed and said I can't do it?
Speaker 2 (37:30):
Why am I trending? I didn't put out an album.
Why am I trending? Well, I said.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
I'm going to support Beyonce like I always do. And
I can't wait for her to do this amazing album.
And that doesn't take away that I am one of
the greatest country singers of our time. And when I
said that, it just went wild. And then I just
remember John Loba.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
I was in the middle of.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
About to start negotiating this deal. I knew that that's
where I wanted to go.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
Who's the head? Who's the head of the label?
Speaker 2 (38:05):
He's the head of everything.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
He's the head of the labels.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
The labels.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
I've known John for a long time.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
And I met with him and he said, you're all
on Daily Mail. Like, what's going on? I was like,
what is Daily Mail? Like, you know, I didn't know anything.
And I just knew I was supporting this woman and
I knew I was supporting myself. And it was such
a big to do. And I, you know, I wasn't
(38:31):
going to stop what I always been doing. And then
she sent me flowers. And I thought that was just
that was amazing.
Speaker 3 (38:37):
Beyonce did?
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Yes. Beyonce sent me flowers.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Because?
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Just to say I see what you're doing in country music.
I think, you know, as a woman, you see people
coming at another woman just for trying. And she said,
I see what you're doing, you know, in country music.
And I look forward to meeting you and everything. And
I thought that was really stand up. I appreciated that.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
OK, so help me out. So it wasn't white people
saying you can't do country music.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
No, it was my own people. Yeah, it was my
own people. And I've said this a lot.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
It wasn't.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
My label would say it, you know, they were white people,
but it was black people with them.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
I got that. They had spent money on another lane
and to have to, you know, switch over business.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
But, you know, I would say it all the time
and sing it at every show. I would still do
my R & B songs, but in the middle, I
was going to sing a Dolly or Judd's record and
um people would laugh like I mean like outright laugh
like in my face like that's not gonna happen or
(39:43):
that's not is.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
It because they didn't think you were serious.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
I just don't think they saw me as that.
Speaker 1 (39:50):
And we have to accept, you know, sometimes people don't
see your vision or God's walk for you. Sometimes people
don't see that. So I'm not angry with, you know,
people about that.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
But it was like.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
A thing where, oh, here she go again with this
country music.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Oh, my God. It was that.
Speaker 5 (40:12):
The Bobby cast. We'll be right back. This is the Bobbycast.
Speaker 3 (40:26):
So what do you want to happen from this record?
Speaker 1 (40:28):
I just want to get it out of me. I
want the success has already happened because... It's like I'm
being who I am. I can do what I want.
I can sing what I want. Everything that y'all said
I couldn't do, y'all said I couldn't even.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
I'm not y'all, by the way.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Not y'all. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not y'all. Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
I just want to make sure I'm not included in y'all.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
Some people in culture and just people overall. I just
think I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. And
I think that is what the album is about if
you listen to it.
Speaker 2 (41:03):
And it's about.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
You know, music is a universal language. And that's what
I was trying to give through this album, that it's universal.
Sometimes you just need to laugh. Sometimes you just need
to cry. Sometimes you need to be heartbroken. It's like
a buffet of emotions.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
Sometimes you need to yodel.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
Sometimes you need to yodel.
Speaker 1 (41:24):
Sometimes you need to, you know, get on a bar
and have a good time.
Speaker 2 (41:30):
Sometimes you need Jesus. Sometimes you need whiskey. I'm just saying.
And they both, you know, and I didn't even know
that was going to be controversial.
Speaker 3 (41:39):
That was controversial?
Speaker 2 (41:40):
Oh, my God. To who? You should see.
Speaker 3 (41:43):
To who?
Speaker 2 (41:43):
You should see the Christians in my comments. Oh, my God.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
You should see the Christians. Like, how dare she go
and shame Jesus and put whiskey with it? And I'm like,
the point of the song is I'm human.
Speaker 2 (42:01):
I am human.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
I will drink me some whiskey and go out with
my friends and I'm still going to get my butt
up and go to church on Sunday. That's just what
the sound, you know, that's just how I was raised.
I'm not perfect is what this song is saying. And
I still, you know, I still need my prayer. And
right now in my walk, I mean, you could say
(42:22):
it's wrong.
Speaker 2 (42:23):
I like whiskey.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
I'll I drink my whiskey. So I just wanted to overall.
And I did that record with Ernest, with Rocky Block. And,
you know, we sat there and it was just honest.
It wasn't a we got to make a record like this.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
It was just flowing.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
And that's how I know it's a special record, because
I think it speaks a lot to who I am
and where I'm at right now.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
It's odd that. People would be offended, especially the people
that I know that consume country music, because those are
two themes that are constant in country music.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
So I'm a little shocked by people being offended by that.
Speaker 2 (42:58):
Oh, the Christians, the Christians on both sides, white and black.
Speaker 1 (43:02):
There were, you know, you always have, you know how
people be like, hallelujah.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
And they'd be the biggest demons.
Speaker 4 (43:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:10):
He was a demon. And it's those kind.
Speaker 3 (43:14):
You know, I find in this town, there are people.
that are famous for proclaiming and professing their faith, and
they are the least, the absolute least faith-based, faithful. They
are the worst people. And they're the ones that scream
at the loudest. And they use that as a cover
for what they're actually doing.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
And what they feel and can't act on and things
like that. So I feel like you're going to always
have these holier-than-thou Christians that, you know, are judging people
when it's supposed to be come as you are, you know,
come to church as you are, come here as you are,
come everywhere. So that's like I did a record with
Christian and it's just saying like around here we don't judge.
(43:58):
Just just just come on. Blame Tennessee. You know, that's
the Tennessee in me. So that's really what it is.
Speaker 3 (44:05):
Were you born, raised all Memphis?
Speaker 2 (44:08):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (44:10):
What was your high school like? How many people did
you graduate with?
Speaker 1 (44:13):
I don't know the graduation number, but I went to
Overton High School's Performing Arts.
Speaker 2 (44:17):
It was kind of like fame.
Speaker 3 (44:18):
Oh, you went to a performing arts school?
Speaker 2 (44:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:21):
That's so cool. Yeah. Did you have to audition to
get in that?
Speaker 2 (44:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
How old were you when you auditioned to get in?
Speaker 2 (44:27):
Age-wise, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
But I know I got there in the ninth grade
with a lady who's legendary in Memphis called Lula Hedgeman.
And Lula is honored. And she would tell you in
front of your parents that you sucked. And I just
remember sitting.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
During the audition?
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Oh, yeah. In high school.
Speaker 3 (44:45):
So she was the original Simon Cowell when he was mean.
Speaker 2 (44:47):
Oh, baby. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
I always just smelled like flowers. But was you so
terrified of her? And I just remember sitting with my
mom in the audition.
Speaker 2 (44:57):
And the lady and her daughter.
Speaker 1 (44:59):
And the lady's like, I put my daughter in voice lessons.
Speaker 2 (45:03):
And Lula says, well, you should get your money back.
Speaker 1 (45:07):
I sat there and watched her and I was like, mom,
oh my God, what.
Speaker 2 (45:11):
Are we doing here? What is going on? And my
mother was like, no, you got it.
Speaker 1 (45:17):
And I sang and Lula loved me, taught me how
to sight sing, taught me everything about music. At a
young age, so I would have to take my math
classes and different things in the summer. I was even
doing some ballet with these knock knees.
Speaker 2 (45:33):
I thought I was in fame.
Speaker 1 (45:34):
I was doing all of that. I was singing all day.
I had concert choir. I had this. And then I
wanted to be a cheerleader. And Lula was like, if
you're a cheerleader, you can't be in this choir.
Speaker 2 (45:47):
Why?
Speaker 1 (45:48):
She said voice and all of that. It was too much.
So me being a rebel, I'm like... I'm going to
be a cheerleader. So like my last year I was cheerleading,
but I would always go check on her. And she
really impacted me, you know, being like music.
Speaker 2 (46:09):
It's one thing to sing.
Speaker 1 (46:11):
It's another thing to like, you know, sight read and
no music and all of that.
Speaker 2 (46:17):
And that's what I took.
Speaker 3 (46:19):
Whenever you get to college and, Did you come into
another class of performers? Meaning, was everybody a lot better?
Speaker 2 (46:27):
No, I was just great.
Speaker 3 (46:28):
You were still the best?
Speaker 2 (46:29):
I'm not being... I was a little different.
Speaker 3 (46:33):
But their athletes did the same thing. They got to
college and they said, I was still the best.
Speaker 2 (46:37):
Yeah, it was a little different for me. It was
people that could sing.
Speaker 1 (46:40):
But as far as the drive and singing everywhere on campus,
I won Miss Freshman at Florida A & M University.
And I won Miss Family, Miss Florida A & M University.
And I would campaign through song. You know, it wasn't money.
I would go door to door. And I would sing
people songs for them to vote for me. So it
(47:03):
was always a little bit different there. I was always
known for singing.
Speaker 2 (47:07):
And they always said she was going to be an artist.
Speaker 3 (47:10):
Did you finish school?
Speaker 2 (47:11):
Yeah. I graduated with a baby, though, in four years. Still.
Speaker 3 (47:15):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (47:16):
I had two incompletes and 21 like credit hours.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
It was crazy.
Speaker 1 (47:21):
I got pregnant when I won the title. That was
my first big controversy.
Speaker 3 (47:25):
That you were pregnant when you won the title?
Speaker 2 (47:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:27):
I won the title and then found out I was
pregnant and kept my son. And I just remember walking
on campus and everyone was like staring at me.
Speaker 2 (47:34):
And I was like in the paper, Miss Fam, you
is pregnant.
Speaker 3 (47:38):
That was controversial?
Speaker 1 (47:39):
Yeah, because, you know, you miss fam, you on college,
you know, you're in college and you're pregnant and you're
not married or any of this.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
And I gave my title away. They didn't force me to.
Speaker 3 (47:52):
Oh, you gave it up.
Speaker 1 (47:53):
Yeah, to my sorority sister because she wanted it really bad.
Speaker 3 (47:56):
But you can just give it to somebody, anybody you want.
Speaker 2 (47:58):
Well, she was the runner up. Oh, okay.
Speaker 3 (48:00):
We didn't say that. You just made it sound like
you gave her a gift. Like, wake up.
Speaker 5 (48:04):
You're now missing. I do want it really bad.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
Yeah, so... I did.
Speaker 1 (48:09):
I was like, gave it to the runner up and
I wanted to focus on my child and graduating because,
you know, that was my last year. And I had
my baby and I still I remember I walked across
that stage. My hair was horrible.
Speaker 2 (48:23):
I didn't care. I was so beat down.
Speaker 4 (48:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
And I had my baby. And I still was going
to get out of there in four years. And I did.
Speaker 3 (48:33):
Congratulations.
Speaker 2 (48:34):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (48:34):
I know it's been a long time, but still, congratulations
on that. Thank you.
Speaker 4 (48:38):
Let's take a quick pause for a message from our sponsor.
And we're back on the Bobby cast.
Speaker 3 (48:53):
What do your friends call you? What name?
Speaker 2 (48:55):
My family calls me Putin, and my friends just call
me K.
Speaker 3 (48:58):
They do call you K?
Speaker 4 (49:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
Mm-hmm. No one calls me Kimberly. Like, my mom will
kind of say it sometimes when I hear it. I
kind of get, like, you know, weirded out. My husband,
he'll be like, Kim. And that weirds me out. I'm like,
don't say that.
Speaker 3 (49:17):
I don't even.
Speaker 2 (49:19):
It doesn't trick. with me.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
I got two final questions for you. I just had
a baby six months ago. First baby.
Speaker 2 (49:24):
Okay. Crazy.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
What parenting advice do you give me?
Speaker 1 (49:30):
Oh, I would say enjoy every moment because they go
so quick. It's like so quick. And then you look
up and they're 16. That is the scariest thing ever.
And then for you, what you do, you know, you're
doing this and that and moving around so fast.
Speaker 2 (49:51):
Yeah. Enjoy every single moment. It's easier said than done.
Speaker 1 (49:55):
When you're like working in life, you start taking it
for granted.
Speaker 2 (49:59):
And then one day you're.
Speaker 1 (50:00):
Like you're 16 and you need a car. That's that
car thing is when it starts to get real.
Speaker 3 (50:07):
It feels like it was just yesterday.
Speaker 2 (50:10):
Yeah. My child graduated from college now. Wow. He graduated
from college 3.8. He's in D.C.
Speaker 1 (50:18):
Working and he got into Berkeley and he wants to
be a politician.
Speaker 3 (50:24):
Well, I was going to say, are you so proud?
But then you said politician. So I don't know what
I don't know what you think.
Speaker 2 (50:29):
I don't want this child to be a politician. But
it seems like when you tell them. Like he wanted
to take off to Prague. And I was like, why
are you going to Prague? I want to go to Prague.
Speaker 1 (50:41):
I was like, OK, well, can we just see who's
going with you, this and that? Anything I say, he
has to do the opposite. College was set up. Me
and his father went to Florida A & M. He
had to go somewhere else. His father pledged this. He
had to pledge something else. So, you know, hopefully this
Obama spirit will leave him.
Speaker 3 (51:02):
Is it crazy to him that his mom's on Real Housewives?
Speaker 2 (51:06):
No, he completely ignores it. He is so far removed
to the point.
Speaker 1 (51:13):
Me and my child got into this big old fight
because he took his, I had bought him a Benz.
He took the Benz and he Ubered. And people know
you're my child in the city. You know, Memphis ain't safe.
Speaker 2 (51:26):
It ain't a safe place. And you're going to go Uber.
Why are you Ubering? You just could have asked me
for that. But he going to be a man. So
I done took the keys. We got into it real bad.
Speaker 1 (51:37):
And then his, like my mother, his grandmama told me,
and she like whispering because she don't want to be
the bad guy.
Speaker 2 (51:44):
Well, you know, he out there Ubering. So it's just
like parenting. I'm going to tell you, Bobbi. You just
got to laugh.
Speaker 1 (51:56):
You got to, like, every moment, like, when you get
to see their little face, like, right now, like, just, oh,
because it's going to go so quick.
Speaker 3 (52:04):
The record comes out October 16th.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (52:07):
And I know you're doing the New Orleans, Dallas, Houston,
all those shows together. Like that Jesus and Whiskey Weekend.
Speaker 2 (52:12):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (52:15):
Will you do songs from your whole, from everything?
Speaker 5 (52:19):
Yes, I have to.
Speaker 2 (52:20):
Will you do, yeah. I will always do that. Like,
people come to see... K.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
Michelle, you know, we can celebrate, you know, the album,
but I'm going to do every song so they get
their money's worth and a full experience.
Speaker 3 (52:37):
Last, last question. Who's somebody famous that you met that
you kind of geeked out on a little bit or
you were overwhelmed that you finally got to meet them? Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
The artist. OK, it's two. Felicia Rashad, you know.
Speaker 5 (52:51):
I'm flexible.
Speaker 2 (52:52):
Oh, my God.
Speaker 1 (52:53):
I saw her and I just bust out crying because
she's like everybody's mama.
Speaker 2 (52:58):
And she's so regal. And I love that.
Speaker 3 (53:01):
Was she nice to you?
Speaker 2 (53:02):
Oh, yes.
Speaker 3 (53:03):
Oh, she was so nice.
Speaker 1 (53:04):
It's like a picture of her like grabbing my face,
talking to me.
Speaker 2 (53:08):
I absolutely love her.
Speaker 1 (53:11):
And I would say next is Wynonna because they had
a sharing a dressing room at the CMA.
Speaker 2 (53:17):
So I walked in. And I walked. There was a bathroom.
Speaker 1 (53:20):
And all I saw was this red hair and this black,
long thing. And it was, like, in slow motion, it
felt like.
Speaker 2 (53:26):
And she turned around like that. And I ran out
the room. And I was like, oh, my God, it's
my daughter. And her manager was like, what the fuck.
Speaker 3 (53:36):
Is wrong with her?
Speaker 2 (53:37):
I was like, why is she out here like this?
Speaker 1 (53:39):
But that was a moment. And she was amazing and
so nice.
Speaker 2 (53:43):
Oh, yeah. All right.
Speaker 3 (53:45):
You're so fun to talk to. I really appreciate you
coming by.
Speaker 2 (53:48):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (53:49):
Thank you for putting eyes on my song. Like, I
really do appreciate you. You don't have to do that.
Speaker 2 (53:55):
And I do. I really appreciate you. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (53:58):
No, you're welcome. And when people that you care about
care about people, then you care about those people. And
that's what happened here. So I'm super grateful that my
friend introduced us because... I don't know. I like you.
And I like your angel. Shout out again.
Speaker 2 (54:11):
Game show Barbie on the way. Yeah, tell them.
Speaker 3 (54:14):
Again, the record comes out October 16th. Man, that's coming
up so quick.
Speaker 2 (54:18):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (54:19):
That's coming up so quick.
Speaker 2 (54:20):
I'm trying not to think about it.
Speaker 3 (54:21):
And then the shows are the 16th, 17th, and 18th
in Dallas and New Orleans, Houston. I think it's not
that order, but thank you. Much success.
Speaker 2 (54:30):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (54:31):
I hope in a year or less when we're talking
that you look at this and go, man, that's right
before it all started happening. I hope it all happens
for you.
Speaker 2 (54:38):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (54:39):
Thank you for the time. And at KMichelleMusic. And again,
the record comes out October 16th.
Speaker 5 (54:45):
Thanks for listening to a BobbyCast production.
I would still do my R & B songs, but
in the middle, I was going to sing a Dolly
or Judd's record. And people would laugh. I mean, like,
outright laugh.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Like, in my face. Like, that's not gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hey, everybody. We're going to talk to K. Michelle in
just a second. You may know her from Real Housewives
of Atlanta or Love & Hip Hop from back in
the day. She's always loved country music, and she is
putting out her debut country album, Jesus & Whiskey, on
October 16th. She's got a new song out called Yodel,
and we'll talk about that, and we'll talk about music,
(00:45):
and we have mutual friends. And I didn't know her
before this interview. A lot of times I have a
relationship already with people that come in, And so I
don't know what to expect, but I'm going to tell you,
I loved it. She's amazing. I would like to introduce
you guys, if you don't know her yet, to K.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Michelle.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
It is so good to meet you.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Thank you. It's great to meet you.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
So I got a lot of places that I would
like to start. Okay, let's start with this. Why did
you do Real Housewives?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Because I always said when I got a certain age,
I would do that because that is a franchise where
you can do other things. You know, it's not looked
down upon. Like, you know, people tend to look at
love and hip hop. Real Housewives has always been a
brand where you can, you know, work with other companies,
(01:34):
do other things. You know, it's that type of shade.
It's funny, but it's still something. I'm really good at reality.
I enjoy it. And I said, I told, I would
tell everybody when I get to be a certain age
and when I go back to reality, I'm going to housewife.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
What has been your experience with it after a season?
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Woo. It is.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Really?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Oh, my God.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
More intense than you thought?
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Oh, yes. More intense. Even if, like, you got to
play the game right. Like, you got to play the
game right. It's not all this and it's a different,
it's a different beast.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
And I came in it like looking like really open
to like friendship.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
You didn't finish it being open to friendship? No, no, no.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Honestly, no one would believe.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Everyone's so shocked now that I'm the one who is
cool with everybody.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
You know, I have like one. I just don't. But
other than that, I've made.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
It a point to talk to every last one of
these women off camera, you know, several times and get
to know them and their stories. And I think that's
just me being a writer, you know, and I can
pop off really bad, but I have to be provoked.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Would you ever do Dancing with the Stars?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Absolutely. I would dance. I would definitely do it.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
I think you'd be good on that show.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
I would love to do that. Phaedra, you know, did that.
I would love that. I think I would do really good.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
How did you get Real Housewives? Did you have somebody that, like, submitted?
Same thing with Dancing with the Stars, right? You just
got to get to the right people.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Everything that I....
Speaker 1 (03:17):
It comes true. It's the scariest thing ever. Like, okay,
singing at the CMAs with Jelly Roll. Like, I love
the Judds. I have Judds pictures all over my house,
and my fans knew that. So when Naomi died, you know,
it was a thing. I had them up, Dolly up,
(03:37):
Whitney up, but I had a lot of pictures of
these women in my home.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
And when she died, I never got to meet her.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
So I just was like, you know, I didn't get
to meet her people like, you know, it's OK. You know,
she impacted you. So with that, I didn't call anybody
or anything. They call me, her producers, their producers call
me and said, we want you to sing on the
tribute album.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
And I was like, wow.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
And I wouldn't dare ask for a specific record.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
And it was a record I wanted to sing. It
was Love Can Build a Bridge. I was like, what
are the chances?
Speaker 3 (04:17):
That might be their greatest song, too. I mean, that's
the one that my mom and my grandma would sing.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
What would be the chances, Bobby, that they would give
me that song and I'm singing it with the people
that produced the record?
Speaker 2 (04:33):
And that's where I met John Loba.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
And the president of my label, that's where all of
that started, manifested that. Just a lot of things, country music,
all of that, and getting a deal doing that, just
manifested that. And I had said for so long to producers,
I'm going to be on Real Housewives when I get
to be a certain age. I had even sent Andy
(04:56):
a DM like two years prior, and I said, I'm.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Going to be a housewife. And he didn't see it
or anything.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And- One of the producers on the show I had did,
she is the main producer.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
And, yeah, she was like, you should be a housewife.
When I said, yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Can you manifest thanks for other people?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
I could try, but you won't.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
I'm trying to get a game show at this point,
you know? What? No game show, Bobby. I mean, I
won Dancing with the Stars. There's my mirror ball right there.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
So I got that done. I played the game, but
I'm trying to host a game show.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I'm pretty sure you're going to be doing this.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Okay. From your mouth, God's ears.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
I'm pretty sure.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Do you feel like you're psychic at all?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
I don't even want to scare you.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
I would love to be scared. Okay. Do you feel
like you have something about you that is extra?
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Yeah. So don't laugh.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Okay. I know I got a lot of Oprah stories.
That's a little girl. My mama would just watch Oprah.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
So it was this lady on Oprah and she was
talking about if you ask your angel for help, the
angel will help you. And she was on a plane
and the plane split and she didn't die.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
I was just a little girl watching. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
She said the plane broke and she didn't die. She
said she started asking her angel for help and the
angel would do things.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
I promise.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I was young and I was saying, angel, help me
like do things.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
It was like weird things.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Like I remember I said, angel, help me find my slip,
my slip for church. And I had opened up all
the drawers and it wasn't there.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
It was not there. And I said, angel, help me
find my slip. And it was there. So I started
screaming to my mom and dad. Like the angel, I'm
telling you that the angel. And I kept asking for stuff.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
So my mama come find her resume and she had
torn up the trunk for her resume. And I said,
she said, watch out your angel to help me find
my resume. And I said, angel, help my mama find
her resume. I promise she opened up that trunk and
found that resume. And she was like, girl, you need
to stop doing that. And so my very first Bible,
(07:09):
I had wrote down my first record deal and I
put a man name in it.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
I wrote it down.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
And I wanted that man. I wanted that record deal.
Those were the worst decisions of my life. And it
was a blue Bible. I had it through college. I
got rid of the Bible. I got rid of it.
And I said, Mama, I never, I never want a Bible.
And the Bible I got now, I've only had it
two years. And she gave it to me on Christmas.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Two years ago.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
And I've been writing stuff again in that Bible. Because
the other one scared me so bad. Everything that I
asked for, even if I didn't need it, You still
got it? I still got it. I was like, no,
I'm not with that at all. This is crazy. So
I was scared. And I was like, nope, I'm not
doing it. And then when my granddad died, I was
(07:57):
so mad at God. I was so mad.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
I mean, like mad. I know people's like, oh, I'm mad.
But I was really mad.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Why were you mad? Why that emotion?
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Because I was like, he just turned everybody. He lived
a good life. He was 92. I don't want to
hear that. Okay.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
It was at a time I'm like, you could have
just waited. We just had celebrated his birthday and it
was out of nowhere. And my mom was born on Christmas.
So he died right before Christmas. So every time Christmas
comes around, it's this feeling.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
And that's my favorite holiday.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
And I'd be like, you just ruined this holiday for me.
and I was so angry, and I probably was taking
a whole lot of things out, and I just wouldn't pray.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
I wouldn't anything. I really didn't want a Bible.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
I had already gotten rid of that Bible, and so
I think I just really started to heal and kind
of talk to my grandfather and all of that, and
I said, maybe I'll get a Bible. And my mama
gave me the Bible I got now at Christmas.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
It was aesthetically pleasing. You know, it was like the
little tan color that I liked. And now I carry it.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
And, you know, people carry whatever weapons they need. For me,
I'm not entering. I'm not going nowhere without their Bible.
Their Bible's probably over there on the front seat. I'm
not going nowhere. It has to be around. And maybe
that's a crutch. If I have like anxiety and stuff
just go real bad, I do this.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Maybe that is wrong. Maybe you're going crazy, girl. But
I always reach it and rub it and say it's okay.
It's going to be okay. So I don't know if
I'm psychic or just.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Well, ask your angel if I can get a game show.
I'll ask mine too.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Angel. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
Help my friend Bobby to get a game show and
the Desires of of his heart, because if he brought
this up, he really won't fit.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Yeah, I've been trying. I've been trying for a long time.
I got real close a couple times.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Why you don't get it by now?
Speaker 3 (10:09):
I don't know. It's like the one thing that's out
of my grasp.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
It's not out of your grasp.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Well, I haven't got it yet. I've gotten close on
some big ones a couple times. But they always end
up hiring somebody way more famous than me. Because it's
not a skill set thing. And then also like massive
celebrities want to be game show hosts now. So it's
kind of taken that.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Yeah, but you got to know your gift.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Like I want to be a judge on The Voice
and I'm going to manifest it. Now that I'm over
in the NBC circle, I'm going to manifest.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Being a judge. I believe you. And you're going to manifest.
You're going to manifest that. You're going to.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
No, you're going to manifest it for me. And then
I'm going to call you and go, thank you so much. Like,
send your angel a Uber Eats gift card from me
because that was so nice of your angel to do that.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
You're going to get it.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Where do you live now?
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I'm in Georgia.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
You live in Atlanta?
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Yeah, in Beaufort.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Is that a suburb?
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Yes, it's kind of far, but it's like a whole
little world and community.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
I love it. I would like to talk about your
music scholarship, if that's okay.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Because, first of all, shout out you for getting a
music scholarship. That's pretty legit.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Was it for singing?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Yes, for singing.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Now, I read, though, that there was some yodeling involved.
And I have heard the new song, too. Well, you
actually know how to yodel.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
I yodeled to impress them. I had this vocal coach
named Bob Westbrook. And he did like Britney Spears. He
did Justin Timberlake. And my mom took me to him
and he said, well, I want to just teach her to,
you know, listen to other things. She has this big voice.
And everyone's going to expect her to sing Whitney Houston.
(11:48):
So I want to teach her about yodeling and, you know,
country music. And the first country group was the Judds
for me. That was like a thing for me. So
when I went to college, I did like opera, Ave Maria.
I did Little Cowboy Sweetheart. I sang Unchained Melody. I
(12:08):
just sang all of these songs and they gave me
a scholarship for it because they thought I was a
little weird. You know, it was a HBCU. So they
weren't used to anybody coming and just singing all these songs.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Did you learn to yodel from your coach?
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Like he taught me about yodeling and, you know, my
one little star song was Cowboy Sweetheart.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
And people were so impressed by it.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Even when I pledged, I pledged Delta and they would
like make me like do it with this fake horse.
That was like my hazing.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Okay. So I would do that and sing country music
and all of that. So it was like a little
hazing situation for me, but it was a good one.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
Who in your house listened to country music?
Speaker 5 (12:58):
Nobody.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
So how were you exposed to it then?
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Well, he wanted me to know about it.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
And I remember one day I was watching Oprah and
the judge came on.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
And I was like, oh, my.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
God, I had like this hair, this fire red hair.
And the first tape I ever got in my whole
life was Love Can Build a Bridge. And my parents,
I knew it was Christmas coming. And for Christmas, I
could get anything I wanted.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
And I wanted that tape. And show you my age.
I wanted a cassette tape.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
Well, we're about the same age. So you're preaching to
the choir.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
And so you burned that tape up?
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
And it was like, I love like my favorite songs,
like romping, stomping, bad news blues. And my family just like, well,
she just loves to sing. And I remember they like
gave me the biggest closet so they could close the door.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
So you could sing.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
In the closet. Did you sing as a kid a lot?
Speaker 2 (13:58):
All the time. I wouldn't shut up.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Did you sing as a kid in front of people?
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
Anytime somebody would walk in, I would get to go on.
And they tried to put me in swimming, but I
still can't swim.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
Like I sang in church, but I was not a
good singer in church. I went to a Baptist church.
So I'm not a good singer. I sing for comedy purposes,
but I'm not a good singer. But they let anybody
sing in church. Because you can't say no in church.
But so many of my friends that are singers now,
they really started singing in church in front of people.
Did you sing as a kid in church?
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Yes, I sang as a kid.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I remember singing this song, Now Behold the Lamb.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
And Available to You.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
And I was singing, I was ready for every Sunday.
Like it was like star search.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Did your parents sing at all?
Speaker 2 (14:45):
No.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
So no music at all really in the house?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
My grandparents were like singers, singers. And it skipped my
parents and came to me.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
What do you mean singer, singers? Singers.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Oh, I mean like down home singing Lexington, Mississippi. The
Pate family, everybody there was related. And I mean like
down home church singing to the ground. My grandfather, until
he died, sang in church on my mom's side. So
both sides of my grandparents were real like deep soul singers.
Speaker 3 (15:22):
Growing up. I lived in a town and the town
is still segregated by a railroad track. And so there's
the white quarters and the black quarters. And about once
out of every four weekends, I would just go to
the black church. And for me, I love black church
because the food is better.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
But church also lasts six or seven hours.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Yeah, that could be the bad part, but you do
have a big concert going on.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
Yeah, it was by far the most fun. And I
feel lucky to have been in a town that just
wasn't a bunch of white people, honestly, because I feel
like I, there was just a difference. Like I was
like a skinny white dude singing Rock of Ages at church.
And then I got to go, you know, two blocks over.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
And have a concert.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
And have like, not just that, like emotion thing.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
See, because when I got, when I first moved to Atlanta,
I went to a white church because It was on time.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
And it was.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
You start when it was on time?
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Yeah, and then they had different services. They had like
a 7 p.m. I was like, wow, y'all got three
different services.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
So me waking up late and all of that, I
would go at like a 7 o'clock service.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
It would last an hour.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
And it ended in an hour.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
And for me, that was good to talk to God
and get that in.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
And then, you know.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Yeah, I didn't have to sit there all day, but
it is a major difference. And I think it's the music, like,
that's the difference for me.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Yeah, I feel like what I enjoyed most was, like,
I felt it in my guts more.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
If that makes sense. Because I just, I did, it
was more of a.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Not produced.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
No, I just felt, it was more of, like, just
an overwhelming overall feeling because I felt like everybody was outward,
was very much... It was more outward.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
There for therapy, there to release, there in belief. Whereas
when I went to a white church, it.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Was like, I was like, oh, God, y'all got screens
and stuff up here. It was all type of screens.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Popping up and it was words and everybody was uniformed.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
I was like, OK, don't let me get to shout.
Let me just, you know, it was more of this
than that.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Let me come in and be free and feel everybody
around me and what they're going through. It was more
of Sundays is a time to make it through the.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Rest of the week.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
So growing up, my grandma adopted me for a long time,
a part of my life, and she was Pentecostal. You
ever been to Pentecostal church? No. They just are speaking
in tongues. It's wild. I didn't know any better. I
was like eight. Because I grew up mostly in a
Baptist church.
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
Both churches I went to at Mountain Pine were Baptist churches.
But my grandma, when she was raising me, we went
to a Pentecostal church. And she never knew how to
play guitar, but she taught herself how to play guitar.
And then they would just speak in tongues. And that
was visceral. That was like... But I never could quite
get on with it. I couldn't, like, understand. Like, the
spirit never got me through tongues.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
It never made me go to tongues. I'm telling you, Bobby.
It never done that to me. Like, when people do that,
I'm still, like, on the line.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
I know I say things and people kind of get mad,
but I just kind of say the truth. It still
kind of bothers me because, like, there's a girl online.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
I'm not going to say her name.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
And she is a reality star and she like harasses everybody.
And then she like screams God and then she starts
talking in tongue after she just threatened people.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
And so I don't know. It doesn't to me. I
don't know if it's sincere.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
So in my worship, that's something that is still kind
of makes me uncomfortable.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
I was looking at some of the writing credits on
your record, and you wrote a bunch. And I would
see like Ernest.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
And like my friend Christian Bush.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Yes, he did my whole album.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
And that's like, I wrote a bunch of songs with Christian.
I love Christian. He's one half of Sugar Land for
those of you guys that are watching or listening. But
also like a great producer, produced all Megan Maroney's stuff.
How did you start working with those guys?
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Well, Christian Bush actually came on Love.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
& Hip Hop. What? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
10 years ago, Christian Bush uh got a call and
I love Sugarland I was talking about him and Mona
Scott Young gave him a call and he actually came
and you can like watch the clip of me and
him talking about country music and you know what I
was feeling and what I was thinking and we like
(20:04):
wrote a song on tv on the spot so for
10 years we kept in touch And he was like,
what are you doing?
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Like, you got to believe in yourself. What are you doing?
Speaker 1 (20:14):
So when I came here to just start writing and
all of that, and I got the deal, and I
said I want Christian to be a part of it.
So it was such a thing. He's such a genius
in what he does. And so, like, that was the hardest.
I always say Christian Bush was the hardest writing session that.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
I have ever had in my life.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
Because?
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Because he's down to the T. And he is very
passionate about it.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
And I'm like, that's Jessup. Come on. And he's like, no, no, no.
But it did. It was challenging for me because I'm
so used to doing what I want to do in writing.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
But he was my first, like, real, like, co-write to
really do that. And I wanted him to be a
part of my album because he understood me. And I
like somebody to tell it like it is. I don't
like any sugar cone. He going to say whatever comes
out of his mouth and whatever he thinks. And I
appreciate that. So I wanted him to come in and
(21:11):
I was able to combine him and some of the
best R & B writers in the game and to
watch them come together and really respect.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
Each other and really make it a thing. That was
a big thing for me.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
Let's take a quick pause for a message from our sponsor.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
And we're back on the Bobby cast.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
So did you just start coming to town and writing,
or did you come to town going, I have a deal,
I'm now going to go to town and write?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
No, I came to town just writing.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
And I picked up everything and said, I'm going to
follow my dreams. So I came to Nashville, and I
was just writing for years with everyone.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
And I remember when Morgan had a number one album, and.
I was like, oh, I was looking at the writers.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
I was like, oh, you know, Ernest, this Ernest guy.
And I had told my manager at that time. And
I just woke up one morning because I had a
studio downstairs. And she said, that writer you like, you know,
is downstairs.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
And I went down there and Ernest was there. And,
you know, we just became very cool. And, you know,
he's a great rapper. Yeah. He's a great rapper.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
That's a different life he lived. But for sure, that
version of Ernest, he was really good. He's really, really good.
I should say he is really good. He's just not
doing a lot of that now.
Speaker 5 (22:44):
But yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Yeah. And I just like really loved his energy.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
And he told me he had worked in a studio
with me while I was making one of my R &
B albums.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
And I didn't even know.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
But his energy and how he wrote and everything. So
we would have these jam sessions. And I don't like
to do writing sessions that are like quick. I like
to have like a chef, like cook some good food.
Like everyone comes and we just get to jamming.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
It's not this. I got to write this right now
and do that. I never do well in those.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
So everyone always met Erica and she would cook for
them and we would all just eat. And we would
drink Jack Daniels and eat and just kind of chill.
And that's where the best records have come from with me.
Speaker 5 (23:29):
Which is amazing.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
A bit different than how this town does writing. Cause
this is a business, this town, this is a, the
business of writing and you go in, you start at nine,
you finish around three, you set up your rights.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
That's tough for you.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
It's so tough.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
And like, I just say, no, now I'm just on
a no, because I know that the best product doesn't
come out of me like that. So all the songs
that I did, you know, all these songs that I
did were made in my home on my album and,
And it was always a vibe. So I don't even
play the games like they're like, I got two sessions.
I'm like, well, don't come because I really need to,
(24:06):
you know, know you and the situation and feel comfortable.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
And that's how it's been.
Speaker 3 (24:12):
How are you writing personal songs with folks maybe that
you haven't spent a lot of time with? Because it's
a very personal thing to write a personal song.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
I think I'm good once I like warm up to you.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Once I like, you know, I like food and liquor.
And once I do, like, I'm sorry. I just do.
I like food and liquor and good vibes.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
So once the vibe is set and everyone, I say
everything we say stays here. And I want everyone to
be comfortable. So even the things they're going through comes out,
I try to really set.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
I don't think anyone would tell you.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
That they haven't come to my home and writing with me,
and they haven't had a vibe.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I don't really go to anybody else's house to write.
Speaker 3 (24:56):
Do you have a song on this album that's coming
out that you feel, of all the songs that you've
recorded for this record, is the most personal song?
Speaker 1 (25:06):
It's crazy because it's the most personal song, but I
didn't write it.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Justin Wilson wrote it.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
And he was going through, he tells a story, he
was going through a cocaine binge.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
And he was like to his wit's end.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
And then he the next day, he really like went
to church and, you know, he's wrote all these big records.
And he went to church and he really, you know,
was like, I got to get clean and I got to,
you know, get my life together. So it's a record
called There's a War Going On and the Devil's About
to Lose Him a Damn Good Friend.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
And that's the name of the song.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Yeah, Damn Good Friend.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
And when they told him I wanted to sing it,
he was like, oh, girl gonna sing that? And she
not scared to, you know, to really go at the
devil and really sing that. And I sang it and
it's so personal and it's his personal story, but it's
also my personal story. And I feel like ever since
(26:06):
I did that record, I've been a bit under attack.
And I just, I believe that. I feel like I
carry my Bible everywhere with me. I write these letters
and I open my Bible and they come true. It's
kind of scary. But I feel like after I did
that record, I carry my Bible with me like a
gun everywhere.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
It's with me with letters in it everywhere.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
One of my best friends wrote that song with him, George.
Speaker 4 (26:34):
Really?
Speaker 3 (26:35):
And so, yeah, they wrote that song, obviously. He had
a day and they wrote it and now you've recorded it.
And it's funny that that's the most personal song to you.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
And it made it to you.
Speaker 4 (26:47):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
A song always will find its home.
Speaker 3 (26:51):
You believe that?
Speaker 2 (26:52):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Just because a song is the number one on the
chart doesn't mean it ain't did its job.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
You feel like that song did its job with you?
Speaker 2 (27:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Do you feel like you did your job with it?
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Absolutely. I sang that song. That was a church. That
song is like it's like chills.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Like I just know like Christian and like just seeing
his face and the recordings.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
And I have some some snippets of it. I'm about
to like start posting.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
And it was just such a moment and feel of
that song. And I just feel like it's going to
touch a lot of people and it will upset a
lot of demons.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
I know that.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
Do you feel like some people might be confused with
you doing love and hip hop and also with you
on Real Housewives that you're doing a country record?
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Oh, yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
They are so confused. Like, I don't know what the
hell is going on. But like my true fans that
know me, they know I've.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
Been this like.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
I feel like they want to box artists and people
and say, this is who you are and this is
how it should be. And I never strayed from country.
When I got to Atlantic Records, I said, I want
to do country music. And people don't understand, they saw
me as a rapper. So I make music and country
(28:15):
is the first music that I got a hold to.
And it's what I love, and they kept telling me
I couldn't do it because I was black. So I
was like, okay, well, I can write, I can sing,
I can do it all. And even in my R & B,
people will say she sound like a country singer.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
And loving hip-hop is, you know, people talk about it.
Speaker 1 (28:34):
And I hate that so bad because there's not a
lot of black reality shows even left.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
And it was....
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Something for me that I needed. It was, you know,
I went through my abuse on TV. These people have
watched me grow. I can watch my life back for
over 10 years. You know, I did that. Then I
had my own show, K Michelle, my life for three
years and country has always been a thing. There's never
not a time where I didn't talk about it in
(29:07):
any TV show or wasn't fighting. And I've been fighting
and I've been, paying my dues in respect to, you know,
a genre that's important to me. So it's been a thing.
So I'm like, I am that girl. Like, I am
the girl next door.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
I am the girl that is, you know, will used
to slap you. You know, now I just kind of...
Not anymore? Yeah, you know. No, I don't. But that
don't mean I don't want to.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
But... I kind of, yeah, I've absolutely had to calm.
And I think that's what age. If you don't calm
and grow, then what are you doing?
Speaker 2 (29:49):
You're just here. So I still, you know, will let
you have it. But not as often. I will give
you your grace.
Speaker 3 (29:58):
What did you learn about yourself? From doing love and hip-hop.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
Oh, that I was resilient. And I learned that... I
learned that.
I learned that the world has really mean people. Mm-hmm.
I learned that. And I ain't even got no whiskey. Yeah,
I learned that. I learned that from, like, media. And
(30:28):
it was like a.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
I think it has affected, excuse me.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
I think it has affected even me putting out music.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
How so?
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Because it's calmer when I don't. It's calmer in silence
than when you put your art in front of the world.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
You guys can hand her a tissue or something if
you have one. Yeah, you're good.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Thank y'all.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
Yeah, help out out there.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
Yeah, it's calmer. It's a calmer situation.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
Like if I don't put out music, I can kind
of go under the radar and And, you know, people
leave me alone. But once I do like interviews and
I put out music.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Or I'm on TV. Thank you. I put I do TV.
Then I have to deal. And I find myself being like, oh,
here we go on this cycle. This cycle of.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
All eyes on you. So when all eyes are on you,
you have to deal in all criticisms. And even though
I've had to do it for so long, I can
feel I can feel it when it's rising.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
I can just feel it. Those moments, you know.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
So it just kind of taught me that those people,
people at home, there's a lot of people rooting for you.
There's a lot of people that are, you know, praying
against you for you to fall.
Speaker 3 (31:53):
And the people that are rooting for you aren't the
loud ones.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
No, at all. They might not even be on social media.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
And also the people that are rooting for you aren't
the ones that even stick out. Cause like, you know,
I've had that. I'm in a lot of therapy. I
have two therapists. I got my wife and I go
and I got my own.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
And so I'm constantly dealing with my own mental health
because I'm in a place where I have opinions every
single day. And I have like my, I got, I
have like three people that I trust that I can
talk to. I got two therapists and I have one
friend in the media, Charlemagne, that is, we've been friends
for a decade that I like know, understand, like I
(32:30):
know understands what I'm going through because he's doing the same.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
And so I have a very short circle and then
I just have to like put boundaries up on what
I do and when I do it because you're right.
The loud ones are the mean ones.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
Oh, my God. It's like waking up every day. And then,
you know, it got so bad.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
Like, at least I can say with like loving hip hop,
then social media wasn't. People weren't as, you know, it
was just kind of, you know, that. And like now
the audacity is. And they'll even make up. They'll just
make up something. Like, I'm like, you really just really
(33:10):
made that up in your head. So for me, I
do have these fans that I need to touch and
talk to. That's the big part of my career. It
is social media because I can touch people. It's the
gift and a curse. So, like, even with a therapist
with me, like, it's kind of a thing of.
(33:32):
Okay, well, you know what you're in. You've done this
for so long. Like, why do you continue to, I guess,
even try? That's how I feel. But there are some
people that really need me. I feel like on social
media that they is made because I say hello or
(33:53):
because I, you know, I ask them like how their
child is doing and things like that. And I feel like,
I can't just put it down or hand it over.
You know, I have to. I have to just fight
through all of it because there's people.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
That need me.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Whenever I heard about your music, it was Charlamagne who
called me.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
And he called. And he also knows that people come
to me all the time about everything, asking. They're just like,
hear this, hear this. It's so much to the point
where I don't hear or see anything unless somebody close
to me gives it to me.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
And so he called and he said, hey, I have
this friend. And she's putting out a country record. And
this is not fake to her. She's not doing it
to just, like, try country. Like, she legitimately is this.
And he said, you don't have to do anything with it,
but I'm just letting you know. And I was like,
I appreciate that. Because, again, that's how stuff gets to me.
My close people telling me. And then I saw you.
(34:48):
Did you perform on his show?
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Yeah, I performed.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
That was crazy.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
Yeah, the first one to perform on there, like, I
was so happy.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
How do you guys know each other?
Speaker 2 (34:58):
I know him from.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Starting out in the business and I would do like,
you know, his birthday parties and hostings and things like that.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
And we became really cool.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
And one of his co-hosts, I just, you know, whatever
that is, I just don't do her.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
So I don't.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
Jess?
Speaker 2 (35:18):
Oh, no, I love Jess. Okay. No, one of the
old ones.
Speaker 4 (35:21):
Angela?
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Yeah, I don't do that girl.
Speaker 3 (35:22):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
All right.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
I don't play them games with that girl. I don't
do that girl at all, honey. So we just kind
of grew apart from that, you know. And when we
saw each other again, when I went to sing, you know,
it was like an embrace. It was like, you know,
I missed you. And like I told him, I'm so
(35:43):
proud of you. And he's always tried to like encourage
me and do things to help me.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
I can never take that from him at all. So
he was like, you know, you really got to meet
Bobby again.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
Yeah, he called and said really nice things about you.
He said things that a friend would say to a friend.
Just it was like, hey, this is not BS. He's like,
you don't have to like it, but you should just
know it's not BS. And so that's all I need
to hear. Yeah. And so then I listened to it.
It's good.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (36:11):
You're good.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (36:14):
But I listened to it with the ear of, I
know this is not somebody that's just like coming to town,
trying this out. Like this is somebody who loves it
and appreciates it. Yes. And so, yeah, when your friend
tells you something. You definitely pay attention to it. And
you should just know that my friend did that also.
Now he's also your friend.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
And he told me and I called him and I
was like, you know, thank you so much. And even
when I leave now, I'm going to call and, you know,
talk to him. But, you know, like in in culture,
they can say a lot of things about me. Every
person in culture knows that. I love country music, and
that's who I am.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
And I've fought. I've fought with labels. I've done this
for years.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
When you say culture, do you mean black culture?
Speaker 2 (36:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
Okay, I'm white. You've got to be a little bit— you
have to break it down. Black culture.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Elementary.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
Okay, got it, got it, got it.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Black culture knows that that is such a thing for me.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
And I try so hard.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
And when Beyonce put out Cowboy Carter, I just remember again, like,
the hateful comments. And it was like, oh, I know K.
Michelle is crying. I know she's hurt. And actually, you know,
I knew the album was coming out. So when it did,
I was like, why are y'all giving me all of
this attention if y'all laughed and said I can't do it?
Speaker 2 (37:30):
Why am I trending? I didn't put out an album.
Why am I trending? Well, I said.
Speaker 1 (37:36):
I'm going to support Beyonce like I always do. And
I can't wait for her to do this amazing album.
And that doesn't take away that I am one of
the greatest country singers of our time. And when I
said that, it just went wild. And then I just
remember John Loba.
Speaker 2 (37:57):
I was in the middle of.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
About to start negotiating this deal. I knew that that's
where I wanted to go.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
Who's the head? Who's the head of the label?
Speaker 2 (38:05):
He's the head of everything.
Speaker 3 (38:07):
He's the head of the labels.
Speaker 2 (38:08):
The labels.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
I've known John for a long time.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
And I met with him and he said, you're all
on Daily Mail. Like, what's going on? I was like,
what is Daily Mail? Like, you know, I didn't know anything.
And I just knew I was supporting this woman and
I knew I was supporting myself. And it was such
a big to do. And I, you know, I wasn't
(38:31):
going to stop what I always been doing. And then
she sent me flowers. And I thought that was just
that was amazing.
Speaker 3 (38:37):
Beyonce did?
Speaker 2 (38:37):
Yes. Beyonce sent me flowers.
Speaker 3 (38:40):
Because?
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Just to say I see what you're doing in country music.
I think, you know, as a woman, you see people
coming at another woman just for trying. And she said,
I see what you're doing, you know, in country music.
And I look forward to meeting you and everything. And
I thought that was really stand up. I appreciated that.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
OK, so help me out. So it wasn't white people
saying you can't do country music.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
No, it was my own people. Yeah, it was my
own people. And I've said this a lot.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
It wasn't.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
My label would say it, you know, they were white people,
but it was black people with them.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
I got that. They had spent money on another lane
and to have to, you know, switch over business.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
But, you know, I would say it all the time
and sing it at every show. I would still do
my R & B songs, but in the middle, I
was going to sing a Dolly or Judd's record and
um people would laugh like I mean like outright laugh
like in my face like that's not gonna happen or
(39:43):
that's not is.
Speaker 3 (39:44):
It because they didn't think you were serious.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
I just don't think they saw me as that.
Speaker 1 (39:50):
And we have to accept, you know, sometimes people don't
see your vision or God's walk for you. Sometimes people
don't see that. So I'm not angry with, you know,
people about that.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
But it was like.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
A thing where, oh, here she go again with this
country music.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Oh, my God. It was that.
Speaker 5 (40:12):
The Bobby cast. We'll be right back. This is the Bobbycast.
Speaker 3 (40:26):
So what do you want to happen from this record?
Speaker 1 (40:28):
I just want to get it out of me. I
want the success has already happened because... It's like I'm
being who I am. I can do what I want.
I can sing what I want. Everything that y'all said
I couldn't do, y'all said I couldn't even.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
I'm not y'all, by the way.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Not y'all. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not y'all. Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 3 (40:49):
I just want to make sure I'm not included in y'all.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
Some people in culture and just people overall. I just
think I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. And
I think that is what the album is about if
you listen to it.
Speaker 2 (41:03):
And it's about.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
You know, music is a universal language. And that's what
I was trying to give through this album, that it's universal.
Sometimes you just need to laugh. Sometimes you just need
to cry. Sometimes you need to be heartbroken. It's like
a buffet of emotions.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
Sometimes you need to yodel.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
Sometimes you need to yodel.
Speaker 1 (41:24):
Sometimes you need to, you know, get on a bar
and have a good time.
Speaker 2 (41:30):
Sometimes you need Jesus. Sometimes you need whiskey. I'm just saying.
And they both, you know, and I didn't even know
that was going to be controversial.
Speaker 3 (41:39):
That was controversial?
Speaker 2 (41:40):
Oh, my God. To who? You should see.
Speaker 3 (41:43):
To who?
Speaker 2 (41:43):
You should see the Christians in my comments. Oh, my God.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
You should see the Christians. Like, how dare she go
and shame Jesus and put whiskey with it? And I'm like,
the point of the song is I'm human.
Speaker 2 (42:01):
I am human.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
I will drink me some whiskey and go out with
my friends and I'm still going to get my butt
up and go to church on Sunday. That's just what
the sound, you know, that's just how I was raised.
I'm not perfect is what this song is saying. And
I still, you know, I still need my prayer. And
right now in my walk, I mean, you could say
(42:22):
it's wrong.
Speaker 2 (42:23):
I like whiskey.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
I'll I drink my whiskey. So I just wanted to overall.
And I did that record with Ernest, with Rocky Block. And,
you know, we sat there and it was just honest.
It wasn't a we got to make a record like this.
Speaker 2 (42:37):
It was just flowing.
Speaker 1 (42:39):
And that's how I know it's a special record, because
I think it speaks a lot to who I am
and where I'm at right now.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
It's odd that. People would be offended, especially the people
that I know that consume country music, because those are
two themes that are constant in country music.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:55):
So I'm a little shocked by people being offended by that.
Speaker 2 (42:58):
Oh, the Christians, the Christians on both sides, white and black.
Speaker 1 (43:02):
There were, you know, you always have, you know how
people be like, hallelujah.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
And they'd be the biggest demons.
Speaker 4 (43:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:10):
He was a demon. And it's those kind.
Speaker 3 (43:14):
You know, I find in this town, there are people.
that are famous for proclaiming and professing their faith, and
they are the least, the absolute least faith-based, faithful. They
are the worst people. And they're the ones that scream
at the loudest. And they use that as a cover
for what they're actually doing.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
And what they feel and can't act on and things
like that. So I feel like you're going to always
have these holier-than-thou Christians that, you know, are judging people
when it's supposed to be come as you are, you know,
come to church as you are, come here as you are,
come everywhere. So that's like I did a record with
Christian and it's just saying like around here we don't judge.
(43:58):
Just just just come on. Blame Tennessee. You know, that's
the Tennessee in me. So that's really what it is.
Speaker 3 (44:05):
Were you born, raised all Memphis?
Speaker 2 (44:08):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (44:10):
What was your high school like? How many people did
you graduate with?
Speaker 1 (44:13):
I don't know the graduation number, but I went to
Overton High School's Performing Arts.
Speaker 2 (44:17):
It was kind of like fame.
Speaker 3 (44:18):
Oh, you went to a performing arts school?
Speaker 2 (44:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:21):
That's so cool. Yeah. Did you have to audition to
get in that?
Speaker 2 (44:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
How old were you when you auditioned to get in?
Speaker 2 (44:27):
Age-wise, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
But I know I got there in the ninth grade
with a lady who's legendary in Memphis called Lula Hedgeman.
And Lula is honored. And she would tell you in
front of your parents that you sucked. And I just
remember sitting.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
During the audition?
Speaker 2 (44:44):
Oh, yeah. In high school.
Speaker 3 (44:45):
So she was the original Simon Cowell when he was mean.
Speaker 2 (44:47):
Oh, baby. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
I always just smelled like flowers. But was you so
terrified of her? And I just remember sitting with my
mom in the audition.
Speaker 2 (44:57):
And the lady and her daughter.
Speaker 1 (44:59):
And the lady's like, I put my daughter in voice lessons.
Speaker 2 (45:03):
And Lula says, well, you should get your money back.
Speaker 1 (45:07):
I sat there and watched her and I was like, mom,
oh my God, what.
Speaker 2 (45:11):
Are we doing here? What is going on? And my
mother was like, no, you got it.
Speaker 1 (45:17):
And I sang and Lula loved me, taught me how
to sight sing, taught me everything about music. At a
young age, so I would have to take my math
classes and different things in the summer. I was even
doing some ballet with these knock knees.
Speaker 2 (45:33):
I thought I was in fame.
Speaker 1 (45:34):
I was doing all of that. I was singing all day.
I had concert choir. I had this. And then I
wanted to be a cheerleader. And Lula was like, if
you're a cheerleader, you can't be in this choir.
Speaker 2 (45:47):
Why?
Speaker 1 (45:48):
She said voice and all of that. It was too much.
So me being a rebel, I'm like... I'm going to
be a cheerleader. So like my last year I was cheerleading,
but I would always go check on her. And she
really impacted me, you know, being like music.
Speaker 2 (46:09):
It's one thing to sing.
Speaker 1 (46:11):
It's another thing to like, you know, sight read and
no music and all of that.
Speaker 2 (46:17):
And that's what I took.
Speaker 3 (46:19):
Whenever you get to college and, Did you come into
another class of performers? Meaning, was everybody a lot better?
Speaker 2 (46:27):
No, I was just great.
Speaker 3 (46:28):
You were still the best?
Speaker 2 (46:29):
I'm not being... I was a little different.
Speaker 3 (46:33):
But their athletes did the same thing. They got to
college and they said, I was still the best.
Speaker 2 (46:37):
Yeah, it was a little different for me. It was
people that could sing.
Speaker 1 (46:40):
But as far as the drive and singing everywhere on campus,
I won Miss Freshman at Florida A & M University.
And I won Miss Family, Miss Florida A & M University.
And I would campaign through song. You know, it wasn't money.
I would go door to door. And I would sing
people songs for them to vote for me. So it
(47:03):
was always a little bit different there. I was always
known for singing.
Speaker 2 (47:07):
And they always said she was going to be an artist.
Speaker 3 (47:10):
Did you finish school?
Speaker 2 (47:11):
Yeah. I graduated with a baby, though, in four years. Still.
Speaker 3 (47:15):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (47:16):
I had two incompletes and 21 like credit hours.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
It was crazy.
Speaker 1 (47:21):
I got pregnant when I won the title. That was
my first big controversy.
Speaker 3 (47:25):
That you were pregnant when you won the title?
Speaker 2 (47:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:27):
I won the title and then found out I was
pregnant and kept my son. And I just remember walking
on campus and everyone was like staring at me.
Speaker 2 (47:34):
And I was like in the paper, Miss Fam, you
is pregnant.
Speaker 3 (47:38):
That was controversial?
Speaker 1 (47:39):
Yeah, because, you know, you miss fam, you on college,
you know, you're in college and you're pregnant and you're
not married or any of this.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
And I gave my title away. They didn't force me to.
Speaker 3 (47:52):
Oh, you gave it up.
Speaker 1 (47:53):
Yeah, to my sorority sister because she wanted it really bad.
Speaker 3 (47:56):
But you can just give it to somebody, anybody you want.
Speaker 2 (47:58):
Well, she was the runner up. Oh, okay.
Speaker 3 (48:00):
We didn't say that. You just made it sound like
you gave her a gift. Like, wake up.
Speaker 5 (48:04):
You're now missing. I do want it really bad.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
Yeah, so... I did.
Speaker 1 (48:09):
I was like, gave it to the runner up and
I wanted to focus on my child and graduating because,
you know, that was my last year. And I had
my baby and I still I remember I walked across
that stage. My hair was horrible.
Speaker 2 (48:23):
I didn't care. I was so beat down.
Speaker 4 (48:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
And I had my baby. And I still was going
to get out of there in four years. And I did.
Speaker 3 (48:33):
Congratulations.
Speaker 2 (48:34):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (48:34):
I know it's been a long time, but still, congratulations
on that. Thank you.
Speaker 4 (48:38):
Let's take a quick pause for a message from our sponsor.
And we're back on the Bobby cast.
Speaker 3 (48:53):
What do your friends call you? What name?
Speaker 2 (48:55):
My family calls me Putin, and my friends just call
me K.
Speaker 3 (48:58):
They do call you K?
Speaker 4 (49:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (49:01):
Mm-hmm. No one calls me Kimberly. Like, my mom will
kind of say it sometimes when I hear it. I
kind of get, like, you know, weirded out. My husband,
he'll be like, Kim. And that weirds me out. I'm like,
don't say that.
Speaker 3 (49:17):
I don't even.
Speaker 2 (49:19):
It doesn't trick. with me.
Speaker 3 (49:21):
I got two final questions for you. I just had
a baby six months ago. First baby.
Speaker 2 (49:24):
Okay. Crazy.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
What parenting advice do you give me?
Speaker 1 (49:30):
Oh, I would say enjoy every moment because they go
so quick. It's like so quick. And then you look
up and they're 16. That is the scariest thing ever.
And then for you, what you do, you know, you're
doing this and that and moving around so fast.
Speaker 2 (49:51):
Yeah. Enjoy every single moment. It's easier said than done.
Speaker 1 (49:55):
When you're like working in life, you start taking it
for granted.
Speaker 2 (49:59):
And then one day you're.
Speaker 1 (50:00):
Like you're 16 and you need a car. That's that
car thing is when it starts to get real.
Speaker 3 (50:07):
It feels like it was just yesterday.
Speaker 2 (50:10):
Yeah. My child graduated from college now. Wow. He graduated
from college 3.8. He's in D.C.
Speaker 1 (50:18):
Working and he got into Berkeley and he wants to
be a politician.
Speaker 3 (50:24):
Well, I was going to say, are you so proud?
But then you said politician. So I don't know what
I don't know what you think.
Speaker 2 (50:29):
I don't want this child to be a politician. But
it seems like when you tell them. Like he wanted
to take off to Prague. And I was like, why
are you going to Prague? I want to go to Prague.
Speaker 1 (50:41):
I was like, OK, well, can we just see who's
going with you, this and that? Anything I say, he
has to do the opposite. College was set up. Me
and his father went to Florida A & M. He
had to go somewhere else. His father pledged this. He
had to pledge something else. So, you know, hopefully this
Obama spirit will leave him.
Speaker 3 (51:02):
Is it crazy to him that his mom's on Real Housewives?
Speaker 2 (51:06):
No, he completely ignores it. He is so far removed
to the point.
Speaker 1 (51:13):
Me and my child got into this big old fight
because he took his, I had bought him a Benz.
He took the Benz and he Ubered. And people know
you're my child in the city. You know, Memphis ain't safe.
Speaker 2 (51:26):
It ain't a safe place. And you're going to go Uber.
Why are you Ubering? You just could have asked me
for that. But he going to be a man. So
I done took the keys. We got into it real bad.
Speaker 1 (51:37):
And then his, like my mother, his grandmama told me,
and she like whispering because she don't want to be
the bad guy.
Speaker 2 (51:44):
Well, you know, he out there Ubering. So it's just
like parenting. I'm going to tell you, Bobbi. You just
got to laugh.
Speaker 1 (51:56):
You got to, like, every moment, like, when you get
to see their little face, like, right now, like, just, oh,
because it's going to go so quick.
Speaker 3 (52:04):
The record comes out October 16th.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (52:07):
And I know you're doing the New Orleans, Dallas, Houston,
all those shows together. Like that Jesus and Whiskey Weekend.
Speaker 2 (52:12):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (52:15):
Will you do songs from your whole, from everything?
Speaker 5 (52:19):
Yes, I have to.
Speaker 2 (52:20):
Will you do, yeah. I will always do that. Like,
people come to see... K.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
Michelle, you know, we can celebrate, you know, the album,
but I'm going to do every song so they get
their money's worth and a full experience.
Speaker 3 (52:37):
Last, last question. Who's somebody famous that you met that
you kind of geeked out on a little bit or
you were overwhelmed that you finally got to meet them? Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
The artist. OK, it's two. Felicia Rashad, you know.
Speaker 5 (52:51):
I'm flexible.
Speaker 2 (52:52):
Oh, my God.
Speaker 1 (52:53):
I saw her and I just bust out crying because
she's like everybody's mama.
Speaker 2 (52:58):
And she's so regal. And I love that.
Speaker 3 (53:01):
Was she nice to you?
Speaker 2 (53:02):
Oh, yes.
Speaker 3 (53:03):
Oh, she was so nice.
Speaker 1 (53:04):
It's like a picture of her like grabbing my face,
talking to me.
Speaker 2 (53:08):
I absolutely love her.
Speaker 1 (53:11):
And I would say next is Wynonna because they had
a sharing a dressing room at the CMA.
Speaker 2 (53:17):
So I walked in. And I walked. There was a bathroom.
Speaker 1 (53:20):
And all I saw was this red hair and this black,
long thing. And it was, like, in slow motion, it
felt like.
Speaker 2 (53:26):
And she turned around like that. And I ran out
the room. And I was like, oh, my God, it's
my daughter. And her manager was like, what the fuck.
Speaker 3 (53:36):
Is wrong with her?
Speaker 2 (53:37):
I was like, why is she out here like this?
Speaker 1 (53:39):
But that was a moment. And she was amazing and
so nice.
Speaker 2 (53:43):
Oh, yeah. All right.
Speaker 3 (53:45):
You're so fun to talk to. I really appreciate you
coming by.
Speaker 2 (53:48):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (53:49):
Thank you for putting eyes on my song. Like, I
really do appreciate you. You don't have to do that.
Speaker 2 (53:55):
And I do. I really appreciate you. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (53:58):
No, you're welcome. And when people that you care about
care about people, then you care about those people. And
that's what happened here. So I'm super grateful that my
friend introduced us because... I don't know. I like you.
And I like your angel. Shout out again.
Speaker 2 (54:11):
Game show Barbie on the way. Yeah, tell them.
Speaker 3 (54:14):
Again, the record comes out October 16th. Man, that's coming
up so quick.
Speaker 2 (54:18):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (54:19):
That's coming up so quick.
Speaker 2 (54:20):
I'm trying not to think about it.
Speaker 3 (54:21):
And then the shows are the 16th, 17th, and 18th
in Dallas and New Orleans, Houston. I think it's not
that order, but thank you. Much success.
Speaker 2 (54:30):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (54:31):
I hope in a year or less when we're talking
that you look at this and go, man, that's right
before it all started happening. I hope it all happens
for you.
Speaker 2 (54:38):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (54:39):
Thank you for the time. And at KMichelleMusic. And again,
the record comes out October 16th.
Speaker 5 (54:45):
Thanks for listening to a BobbyCast production.
Hosts And Creators
Bobby Bones
Amy Brown
Lunchbox
Eddie Garcia
Raymundo
Mike D
Abby Anderson
Scuba Steve
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