Radical Joy: Reflecting on Two Decades of Making Music and Making Space
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1h 19m
Recording artist Rissi Palmer joins music journalist Jewly Hight to discuss Palmer’s two-decade journey in country and roots music. This live interview and performance, presented in partnership with the Americana Music Association during AmericanaFest 2025, was recorded on September 13, 2025.
The program opens with a discussion of Palmer’s musical beginnings—performing in church as a child—and her transition into a bold and resilient up-and-coming singer and visionary. Hight touches on the importance of making a strong first impression as an artist and how Palmer did so with her defining debut single, “Country Girl,” and its music video. Now a music industry veteran, Palmer describes her experience as a Black woman within country music and explains how she holds dear her relationships with fellow Black country artists, including singer Miko Marks, who welcomed her into the genre.
Palmer has been instrumental in the movement to reclaim the Black roots of country and folk music and is an advocate for fellow artists. Hight and Palmer touch on the many forms her advocacy takes, including her podcast, “Color Me Country Radio with Rissi Palmer” on Apple Music; curating Color Me Country stages at various music festivals; and the Color Me Country Artist Grant Fund.
The conversation concludes with Palmer’s perspective on becoming an independent artist and how doing so resulted in greater creative freedom. Additional topics of discussion include Palmer’s forthcoming music, winning the 2025 ACM Lift Every Voice Award at the Academy of Country Music Honors, and how she defines success as a musical artist today. Throughout the program, Palmer performs songs from across her catalog, including “Old Black Southern Woman,” “Still Here,” and “Survivor’s Joy.”
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