Despite what the title of her Diplo collaboration "Sad in the Summer" might suggest, Lily Rose is having one incredible summer. The Atlanta-raised country singer-songwriter shut down California's Stagecoach Festival alongside Diplo (the pair later performed their smash song of the summer on the American Idol finale); she played the Chevy Riverfront Stage at Music City's massive CMA Fest; and she's gearing up to join Shania Twain on the country icon's Queen of Me tour.
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Three years ago, Rose's career looked very different. Though she'd built a study following — and played sold-out shows in her college town of Athens, Ga. — getting the attention of record labels was an uphill battle. In late 2020, she made a decision that would change everything. She uploaded a short clip of her song "Villain" — a slow-burning tune about being painted as the "bad guy" by an ex — to TikTok.
Thousands of followers and millions of streams later, Rose began to receive well-deserved recognition from Nashville, scoring a record deal with Big Loud Records and Republic Records.
"During that first year of COVID, we were all trying to navigate — for me — how to get a record deal and a publishing deal and get people's attention, and TikTok just turned into the vessel of getting your voice out there and getting your songs out there," Rose tells Wide Open Country. "The record labels all started paying attention. I'm grateful for it."
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Rose, the first LGBTQ+ female country artist to win Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist at the GLAAD Media Awards, says she credits tour mate Twain with teaching her a valuable lesson early on: "Unapologetically be yourself."
"There is space for people who might look and sound different," Rose says. "She's one the driving forces of integrating pop into country music, and I love that aspect. She's truly a 'just be yourself' kind of person."
For upcoming Lily Rose tour dates, visit here.
