- We are back with Kelsey Asbille give it up y'all!
(audience applause)
- All right y'all earlier in lockdown
when I was doing the show from Montana
I met a young woman named Rachel who shared what
it's like to be Black and a country music fan.
So let's look back at that.
- So I, you know
took the time to write the post and to just speak
on the experiences that I have as a Black country music fan.
I have experienced a lot of microaggressions and there's
it's almost like there's two there's two Rachels, you know.
There's the one Rachel, that can go with her friends
and enjoy herself, have fun, sing, dance, you know
just have a great time.
And then there's the Rachel that is
by herself who kind of has to, you know, be cautious
know who's on her left, who's on her right,
who's behind her.
She has to just watch out for that.
(audience applauds)
- That is so sad.
That conversation inspired another woman
to start a movement that's bringing together
country artists and fans of color.
Plus it's helping Black country artists
launch their careers.
She's joining us now from the Black Opry.
Let's welcome Holly G., y'all.
(audience cheers)
(Kelly claps)
- Thank you so much.
- So, well first of all, meet Kelsey.
- Hi.
- So nice to meet you.
(Kelsey laughs)
- And, and I have to say so you are watching the show
and you saw Rachel and is this what
kind of inspired?
- I was watching Kellyoke on the treadmill.
- Yeah.
- During lockdown-
- Dude, I'm glad it gets someone running.
OK. I love it.
(April laughs)
- The, the suggestion popped up for that video
and I clicked on it and it was the first time
that I had seen another Black person talk about, like
I was like, oh my gosh.
She's like telling my story.
How, how does she know like what I'm going through?
But you know, Rachel's actually a lot braver than I am.
Cause she was going to concerts.
I was too scared to do it.
I had like bought tickets to see Miranda Lambert,
like five times.
I never went.
- Oh you never did?
- I never went
because I would like see like the rebel flags
and the other people that were going.
And I was like, I can't do that.
Cause I didn't have anybody to go with me.
So it was just kind of like, that's not safe
I'm not gonna do it.
But when I saw her, I was like, okay,
so I'm not the only one having this experience.
And I started looking around, I found Rissi Palmer
and it just kind of like snowballed into this idea.
I started the blog and then somehow ended up here with you.
(crowd applause)
- Oh my God.
- Crazy.
Well, first of all, you've gotta catch her show.
She's really talented.
- Well, I, we went to like the CMA invited us to the awards.
So I saw her at the awards show and she did
like the medley and I was like, oh this is perfect.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
Cause that's one my favorites. So yeah.
- So explain what the Black Opry is.
- Yeah. So it started out as a blog.
I was just trying to find
like other people to connect with, to talk about the music.
And then once I launched it
like artists started reaching out to me like,
hey I love country music and I make country music.
What can we do?
And so I started profiling and platforming
the artists and a couple months after we launched it
we did a show and it just kind of like randomly happened.
And then we got a booking agent and it went from one show
to now we have over 60 shows booked throughout the country.
We're booked all the way
(audience applause)
up into. . .
- [Kelly] Wow.
- Yeah. We're booked all the way up into 23, so yeah
(indistinct)
- Yeah, it made me so sad talking to Rachel.
Cause I was like, I love music so much.
And I love the experience of being like at a show and
like that energy and the fact that someone would be too
scared to go to enjoy themselves
and for good reasons, like that is just horrible to me.
- Yeah. It's weird.
Cause like I love all kinds of music
but country is like my favorite.
- Me too.
I love all kinds of music. Yeah.
- And if you think about like what you connect
with with music, it's like memories.
- Yeah.
- And before like I started this,
all of my memories with country music were like alone.
If you think about what you usually connect
with with music is usually with other people.
And so I'm really glad that now we get to like,
this'll be an experience now that I can connect with that.
Which is amazing.
(April laughs)
- Yeah. Oh my gosh.
So you're into country music.
I mean you're South Carolina.
You had to be around a little bit.
- Well, yeah natural.
(Kelsey laughs)
- So what what has your experience been like as a fan?
Like going to shows?
- Yeah, I think, I mean, I, I think what you do
is so wonderful cause country music is for everyone.
And I think that, you know, you, when you're growing up
you're trying to fit in, but then as you get older
you realize that you can make a space for yourself.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- [Holly] Yeah.
- No, it's really wonderful.
- Thank you.
- So in addition to all this, though,
you have a full time job.
You like jobs like me.
- Girl. I do not actually.
- You do not.
(April laughs)
- I'm doing these, I'm doing my daytime job cause I have to
but I'm a flight attendant during the day, so
- Oh. I love it!
(audience cheers)
- [Kelly] Got some flight attendants out here. Okay.
- [Holly] Yeah, so.
- I love it. Lookin' all cute with your scarf.
- You look good!
- Thank you.
- [Kelsey] That was so cute.
- But yeah, I'm all over the place and you know
it's really hard to balance, but you know,
I have to work that job because
the money that I make from that job
is what goes into Black Opry, so. . .
- Yeah.
- You know, I'm like literally hiding in the bathroom
while we're boarding the plane, like sending emails
to confirm shows.
- [Kelly] Oh my gosh.
(April laughs)
- Hope my job doesn't see that part, but. . .
(April laughs)
- [Kelly] No, I mean I'm totally working, the whole time.
- [Holly] Greeting passengers is what I'm gonna say.
- [Kelly] Yes. Yeah.
- But then like, you know, and then I get off
and you'll stay in like some random city
for like 18 hours. So I get off the plane,
go to the hotel room
and I'm like immediately on the laptop doing that, so.
- [Kelly] Oh wow.
- Yeah, it's a, it's a balance, but
- You're helping a lot of people though.