Leah Turner, a trailblazer in the country music scene, is challenging stereotypes and redefining the genre with her well-crafted blend of modern country and her Hispanic roots. Her latest single 'T-Shirt' premiering today only on Wide Open Country, is a tribute to vulnerability, strength and authenticity to oneself. Turner recently joined Wide Open Country for an exclusive interview about her new song, her soon-to-be-announced debut EP, and her ambitions of bridging the cultural gap between country music and the "love affair" it's always had with Hispanic culture.
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"It's a vulnerable song," Turner tells Wide Open Country. "[You're] admitting that you kind of want to go back [to a bad relationship] and you want to end up in his T-shirt, but there's also [this] strength in saying, 'I'm not going to.' It's admitting that back and forth, that war with emotions- when you let your heart go over your mind."
The new single effortlessly navigates the delicate balance of emotions vs. rationality. 'T-Shirt' is ripe with Latinx influences - from the instrumentation to the occasional interwoven Spanish word- there's a layer of misconstrued romance that derives from Turner's cultural background.
"I thought it would be really awesome to be able to embrace both sides of who I am and show Latinx's that there is a place for them in country music. It's no longer just people having a love affair with the culture- there's actually somebody whose culture it really is."
Turner is a second-generation Mexican-American. Her mother hails from Mexico, while her father, a 15-time team roper rodeo champion, was born in the United States.
"A lot of people don't know or are learning that I am half Mexican, and I'm also half cowgirl," Turner jokes. "I like to say that because my father is a real cowboy. It's just who I am - literally in my blood and in my veins. [I] wanted to really be able to embrace both sides of me."
Her interest in music started at an early age, after discovering piano in her toddler years. Her parents, who were enmeshed in a creative lifestyle, were significant in molding her interests and laying the foundation for her work ethic.
"They wanted to really grow and develop the musical gifts and the creativity that was inside of me," Turner says. "Guitar lessons, piano lessons, voice lessons, dance lessons... I come from a very creative background- everybody [in my family] can sing. So growing up in a multicultural household, a diverse household, was [a] blessing."
Turner's musical influences cover a broad spectrum. From Tupac to Linda Ronstadt to George Strait, her upbringing plays a vital role in defining her voice and presence.
"Country music has always had this love affair with the Hispanic and Latin[x] culture, right? They're always down in Mexico, they're always talking about tequila and lime and salt and senoritas," Turner says. "It's just embedded in country music culture. And for me, to be able to actually have the sangre (blood) in my veins, and to be out there representing not only a genre that I love so much, but a culture that is part of me on both sides, and to also represent women in country music- I think it's a blessing... really bringing awareness and diversity to country music."
Turner is set to release her debut EP sometime in the spring of this year. Several singles have already been released, including "Noche Buena" and "South of the Border" ft. Jerrod Niemann. Turner promises a work that is authentic to her diverse roots and embraces vulnerability, just like her new single.
"I just speak from the heart," she says. "That's really where the best songs come. When you're honest and real about it, I feel that people can also put themselves in that exact position, because we've all been through the emotions of not wanting to be vulnerable, being vulnerable, not happy, happy... people can hang their hat on it and say, 'Oh, I've been there."
Being the highest-charted Latina in country music, Turner strives to bring more Hispanic representation to the genre. Her goal is to foster more awareness and education as her fans follow her into making more country music history.
"There hasn't been somebody on the charts that is actually making it since Freddy Fender, and so to be able to kind of take that baton and run with it- it's been incredible, and an honor," she says. "My grandparents came from Mexico for a better life and to be a part of the American dream. To honor that fight, to be able to be standing [here] and making history, it makes me proud. I wouldn't be here without their fight. It really shows that the American Dream is a real thing."
Looking ahead, Turner has received the blessing from Fender's family to work on tribute material sometime later this year.
"He was the first to do it and the most recognizable," she says. "I wouldn't be able to be blazing this trail, if he [hadn't] already set some fire to it."
As for 'T-Shirt,' Turner is hoping her fans will connect to it in a way that makes them feel like they know who she is at her core, and that they are not alone in their experience.
"[It's] embracing that fun, embracing that strength, embracing that vulnerability, embracing that Mexican side and [that] cowgirl side. It's welcoming everybody to Tequila country, where it's not just about tequila."
For more from Leah Turner, check out her social media here.
