Tanner Adell Glows and Bares All in New Music
Gracing this week’s NME: The Cover is Tanner Adell, best known for reclaiming a sexist slur in her TikTok viral hit, “Buckle Bunny,” and her Beyoncé cosign. But with her latest release, “Going Blonde,” Adell is opening up to her fans about her background and how it’s shaped her into the pop-country superstar she intends to be.
The artist moved to Nashville in 2021 to become the next big country star. At only 24 years old, her unique blend of hip hop, country, and pop makes her an artist to watch. Leading up to and following the release of her debut album, Buckle Bunny, she regularly posted to TikTok, developing a core following on the app that translated into streams. The album’s title track refers to a sexist slur used in the South to describe women who “chase” cowboys.
stream Buckle Bunny pic.twitter.com/1ZpX36tir3
— Tanner Adell (@tanneradell) March 5, 2024
The hip-hop influence is embedded in other tracks like “Trailer Park Barbie,” where she raps and sings over a trap-inspired beat: “You laugh behind the scenes, but this look ain’t cheap, and when you see me in the streets, you’ll wish you’re country like me.”
In her NME interview, the “Whiskey Blues” singer commented on her chosen lane, “Paving my own path, especially sound-wise in my music, makes it harder, but I think it’s going to pay off in the long run.”
She also highlighted that the country music genre tends to be a little more resistant to change, specifically for Black artists. As a biracial woman, she elaborated, “Although the banjo has its origins in Africa, Black people weren’t necessarily involved in conversations surrounding country music.”
She continued, “But I do feel like if Black people had been more involved in the country scene, we might have a completely separate country genre by this point. I think it would have evolved into a sound very similar to what I’m making now.”
On Cowboy Carter, Adell is featured on the songs “American Requiem” and “Blackbird,” a cover of The Beatles. The song also includes fellow upcoming artists Reyna Roberts, Tiera Kennedy, and Brittney Spencer. The four of them got matching blackbird tattoos to commemorate the collaboration.
Recently, in between teasers of upcoming songs like “Strawberry Crush” and photos of her striking look, which she has dubbed “glam country,” the singer connected with her fans by sharing her personal story with adoption, and growing up queer in a Mormon household.
In promotion for the song, “Going Blonde,” Adell posted an acoustic snippet, captioning it with, “I promised I would tell you my story, and I want to start with this.”
She then shared her adoption story on her Instagram and TikTok, where she received many messages of support from fans and celebrities alike. In a three-part series, she revealed that her birth mother gave her up for adoption, thinking the singer was the product of an affair.
Years later, her birth brother found her on Ancestry.com. When the pair conducted a DNA test, however, they discovered they were in fact full siblings, meaning she never needed to be adopted in the first place. To top it off, her mother passed away, likely before she knew of the results.
For Adell, the story is painful, but the responses were worth sharing her vulnerability. One user commented on X, “Tanner Adell’s adoption story is honestly so mind blowing. praying for her healing.”
Another user replied writing, “Thank you for being so open. As much as a stranger on the Internet can give, I sympathize, and empathize a tiny bit on how chaotic blood family can be. You are inspiring.”
She later commented on the outpouring of support for her story in an Instagram post. Alongside an acoustic second version of “Going Blonde,” she captioned in part, “I know I keep saying thank you but I really can’t thank you all enough for giving me such a soft place to land. I hope this will bring more light to the adoption/foster care conversation and I hope more people will be inspired to share their own stories.”
Tearfully, she explained that the reason she keeps her hair blonde is in memory of her mother. “I just asked for pictures, and he sent me this picture and my jaw dropped at how beautiful she was. I immediately said, ‘She looks like Dolly Parton.’… he said ‘She got that all the time.'”
In her third post, she continued, “I started to realize how blonde hair felt like protection from my mom. It felt like she’s there with me.”
Going Blonde is out now. Thank you for listening to my story. https://t.co/DlzA5KyhUC pic.twitter.com/XTOAEtX1JR
— Tanner Adell (@tanneradell) March 28, 2025
A full-length album is coming soon, however, specific details remain to be revealed. For now, you can listen to the heartfelt track and watch the music video below.
