Tiera Kennedy's new single "Jesus, My Mama, My Therapist" is a celebration of the support that fuels her music, and her journey toward a debut album that promises to be a true reflection of her musical journey so far.
The catchy song reveals a merging of creative minds. Kennedy's co-writer Emily Lannister sparked the initial idea with the word "therapist," a notion that instantly resonated with her.
"Immediately I was like, 'Yes, I don't know what that's about yet. But I love it," Kennedy tells Wide Open Country.
Throughout the song, Tiera explores the balance of who you can and can't trust, and which of those relationships are the most important.
"[It's] the reality of being in a small town," she says. "We [have] Bartender Betty, Pastor Pete... if you're from a small town, you can put a face to the name for all of those people. And people always say - if you go and tell your best friend, or your mom about something your boyfriend did, they're never gonna forgive it..."
The song playfully and melodically outlines Kennedy's very own 'Holy Trinity' of people in her inner circle when she sings the chorus, "Jesus, my mama, my therapist know all about you/ They listen, don't judge me, they love me with or without you/ This whole town talks way too much/ They're the only ones I can trust/ Jesus, my mama, my therapist know all about you, about you..."
When faced with a challenging period a few years ago, Kennedy embraced therapy, which ultimately served as inspiration behind the song.
"On a very real note, I got into therapy," she says. "I was going through a really, really hard time, and it just completely changed my life — just to have somebody to talk to, confide in, and to just validate my feelings."
The song's upbeat tempo and infectious melodies create a lighthearted take on the idea of having a therapist as someone you can trust just as much as other pillar people in your life.
"You don't have to go and tell everybody all your business," she says. "I think we all have that trust, that group of people that we go to whenever we want to talk and that we know [won't] go and tell anybody else. [It's] the fact that you can't really trust everybody with your business, even if you think you can... we wrote it from that very real perspective."
Growing up in Alabama, Kennedy's musical influences are as diverse as the landscapes that surround her. Her sound, shaped by a variety of genres including country, pop, R&B, and — as she says — "all the stuff you'd hear at a family reunion," embodies the melodies of her childhood.
"It all became a melting pot of all the things I grew up with," she says.
On her upcoming, unnamed debut album, Kennedy promises to share intimate stories, giving her biggest fans and new listeners a glimpse into her world.
"The songs that I've been writing for the album are really personal stories about my life," she says. "They're stories that people haven't really heard yet and that was my goal with this album — to show a different side of me that people haven't been introduced to... my hope is that they can go into this project and come out of it feeling like they know me a little bit better."
One song on the album resonates on a deeper level with Kennedy, a track called "Any Cowgirl."
"It's the most personal song on the record. I write a lot of songs with my producer Cameron Bedell and he's always trying to get me to dig deep and write about the hard stuff," she says. "Every single time he brought it up, I was like, 'Nope, we're not doing that today, I do not want to dig into those emotions,' but it just happened."
The song marks a moment of vulnerability that Kennedy found hard to delve into.
"It's sometimes hard to get up on stage and sing these happy songs and pretend that I'm happy all the time. Because I have really hard moments," she says. "Everybody has really hard moments, we all have our different struggles. And I really wanted to write about that. It's definitely my favorite moment on the record."
Kennedy's aspiration goes beyond creating music; she aims to be a pillar of strength for her fans.
"I really love getting to see people's stories. And just hear the struggles that they're getting through and knowing that my music has gotten them through those hard moments," she says. "Overall, that is the biggest goal for me, for my music to be a shoulder to lean on for anybody out there."
Kennedy also recently graced the cover of Nashville Lifestyles Most Beautiful People issue. Reflecting on this achievement, she found the recognition an honor and somewhat of a milestone.
"It's my first magazine cover, which is crazy... it's definitely something that's been on my bucket list," she says. "It's really cool to have that opportunity, now you can say I'm one of the most beautiful people in Nashville... it's so funny."
As the host of Apple Country's The Tiera Show, Kennedy actively engages with the country music community as she shares her love for fellow artists' work and the hardships of being in the music industry.
"I've fallen in love with it even more every year," she says. "Recently, we've been digging in more when I get to talk to artists, we've been talking about the realities of the music business and sharing our different perspectives. And I've really enjoyed it and love sharing [it] with the audience."
Opening for artists such as Kelsea Ballerini and Danielle Bradbery has been instrumental in Kennedy's growth as a performer. The stage, she believes, is where her songs "truly come alive."
"Sometimes we're just in this bubble as artists - we're in the writers room, it's just a couple of us, and you never really know how people are going to relate to a song. So to actually perform it in front of everybody is one of the coolest things ever. I always feel my inner 'Sasha Fierce' coming up."
For aspiring artists, Kennedy offers a valuable piece of advice: surround yourself with a supportive network.
"My family, my friends, and especially my husband are the reason that I'm still doing music, because it is hard, and there's more hard days than there are good days sometimes," she says. "And sometimes you need somebody there to remind you why you started doing it in the first place - to remind you who you are."
Kennedy hints about her debut album title and teases that the release is slated for the beginning of next year. Eager listeners can catch glimpses of the album's essence and join in on her viral dance for "Jesus, My Mama, My Therapist" through her social media here.
"Jesus, My Mama, My Therapist" Lyrics:
Bartender Betty's got a real big mouth
Sally at the beauty shop will tell every blonde in town
Pastor Pete'll pass some judgement like they pass the plate around
On Sunday and some days
I do my best to try and keep it to myself
But you're all over my mind and I need somebody to tell
When my heart is half-broke and I'm feeling like hell
They're my Holy Trinity
Jesus, my mama, my therapist know all about you
They listen, don't judge me, they love me with or without you
This whole town talks way too much
They're the only ones I can trust
Jesus, my mama, my therapist know all about you, about you
Yeah, they do
One's making bank, taking notes in a chair
One's looking down from heaven when I'm sending up a prayer
One's a call away when the others ain't there
Yeah, they get me through what you put me through
Jesus, my mama, my therapist know all about you
They listen, don't judge me, they love me with or without you
This whole town talks way too much
They're the only ones I can trust
Jesus, my mama, my therapist know all about you, about you
Yeah, they do
Jesus won't tell God, my mom won't tell my dad
And my therapist contractually can't talk about all that
Jesus, my mama, my therapist know all about you
They listen, don't judge me, they love me like you don't know how to, oh
This whole town talks way too much (this whole town, way too much)
They're the only ones I can trust (I know I can trust)
Jesus, my mama, my therapist know all about you, about you (oh, they know all about you)
Yeah, they do
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