Rissi Palmer’s upcoming Apple Music podcast is a slice of Americana with a side of history. Sharing stories of unsung heroes of the country western genre, Color Me Country centers voices of the often underrepresented, always groundbreaking women contributing to the mix.

We sat down with Rissi to get the update on her premiere podcast platform.

Exciting times, Color Me Country Radio will be on Apple Music Country now! How did this partnership happen?

It was all thanks to Kelly McCartney. She is the host of Hangin' and Sangin', an NPR radio show and podcast, and now, Southern Craft Radio on Apple Music Country. We met over Twitter thanks to a fan and friend named Wil. I appeared on the show in June and we discussed the show, which was just a podcast at the time. Unbeknowst to me, she had spoken to Apple about the show and they reached out to me shortly after. I'm a huge podcast junkie, so I figured this would be the best medium to present this content. I have bigger plans in mind for the future of the show but this is perfect.

Who is your first interviewee?

The first episode is actually about me- an introduction for those who have no clue who I am. I wasn't comfortable with it at first, but the big bosses felt it was necessary to establish the show, the host, and then get into the full meat and potatoes.

What can we expect to learn about the women of Americana?

One of the most prevelant comments I see in threads pertaining to the lack of visibility for people of color in country or Americana is that "if they were talented enough they wouldn't have a problem." That's a flat out lie. The women I have spoken with are beautiful, charismatic, funny, and heartfelt artists with diverse and fully developed talents. The music is great- they're total packages. There's no reason that any of these artists aren't superstars or at least household names. I believe that listeners will come away feeling the same way and start asking the industry the hard questions as a result.

These are less interview, more conversation, because we are all artists and women of color, so the approach is different from your average interview.

Why does the country and western genre appear so homogeneous?

I know early on it was established that country music was going to be the white counterpart to what was called "race music" aka music made by black artists, in the early days of the recording industry, and the public just kind of accepted that framing. It's not true by any stretch...I mean, there are country artists in Japan, but perception is reality.

How did you get into music?

I have been singing professionally since I was 16 years old, but I've wanted to be a singer my entire life. I started out singing in church, school choir, and doing children's theater. I then graduated to singing with a professional touring group of performers sponsored by a television station in my native St. Louis when I was in high school. I knew for sure that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I met my first managers my senior year, and the summer before I started college, I recorded my first demo and started shopping for a record deal. The rest is history.

Why Country?

I consider what I do now to be Southern Soul, a mix of country, gospel, and soul music, but country music has always been the music I love. The stories, the singers, the power of the songs- these all attracted me early on in my life and just stuck with me.

From an industry insider's perspective, why is it so important to showcase more diverse stories?

There are so many reasons! For starters, representation matters. If you can see yourself as something, you can aspire to it. Next, I believe in having well-rounded and factual views of things. It's a lie to portray Country & Americana music as a genre untouched by the influence of people of color. Some of the most iconic artists of the genre were taught or influenced by black or brown people- it's time for that to be made common knowledge. If we as a country are going to REALLY reckon with our history, we have to be ready to accept some hard truths. I believe this is the moment.

Who is your dream come true interviewee?

I'd love to speak with Linda Martell who was the first black woman to play the Grand Ol' Opry. She released an album in 1970 named Color Me Country. Since she is the foremother for me, it seemed only fitting to name the show after her. She left the business after her first album and hasn't been interviewed very much since. To be able to chat with her would be an honor.

Can we expect any new songs specifically for the Color Me Country soundtrack?

I've recorded a theme song for the show called My Country Too and plan on releasing the full song soon.

Any surprises for season 2?

Well, I'm so deep into this first season I can't even let my mind go there yet [laughter]. But, I plan on opening the floor to men of color to tell their stories. I want to feature artists of all races, orientations, and creeds. Anyone who is considered an outlier, I want to amplify their voices.

So when can we hear the first episode?

The first episode premieres on Sunday, August 30 from 9-11pm Eastern! The show is bi-weekly and it’s free (i.e. you don’t have to be a subscriber to Apple Music) to hear it live, or on the replay dates. Just go to the homepage and listen on the airdate. Plus Apple Music subscribers are able to listen on demand.

Rissi Palmer’s Color Me Country Radio

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