Tanner Adell is an independent young artist who has consistently released music since 2021. Her latest track "Whiskey Blues" has continued to blow up online, resulting in astonishing chart placements, especially considering her status as an industry outsider. While Adell has steadily been building a buzz on her own for the last few years, most music fans became aware of her due to her landmark features on Beyoncé's latest album Cowboy Carter. Tanner Adell lent vocals to two tracks, "Ameriican Requiem" and "Blackbiird."
Given that Tanner Adell has begun to reach some major success in recent months, it's only fitting that we dive into the history and background of the exciting up-and-comer, and look to the future for her latest upcoming projects. Here's everything you need to know about the rising country-pop star.
Tanner Adell's first tracks available on major streaming platforms include "Honky Tonk Heartbreak" and "Country Girl Commandments," released in 2021. As she continued to pick up steam in the underground circuit, Adell signed a distribution deal with Columbia Records, which allowed her to release her first full-length LP Buckle Bunny in 2023. The album, whose title refers to promiscuous women with a specific interest in courting cowboys, contains 8 tracks, including such creatively-titled songs as "FU-150," "Trailer Park Barbie," and "I Hate Texas."
Unlike many country stars, Tanner Adell didn't grow up bumping Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton on a ranch south of the Mason-Dixon line. The singer, who lists Beyoncé as one of her biggest musical inspirations, had a unique childhood, which saw her splitting her time between her home in Manhattan Beach, California and Star Valley, Wyoming. Adell was initially born in Lexington, Kentucky, before being adopted and raised by Mormons from California.
While she didn't grow up alongside her biological parents, Tanner Adell has met her biological father, and described him as an Atlanta rapper. She has not publicly elucidated on whether or not the rapper is of mainstream notoriety. Tanner's fixation with country music began in her teenage years, as she taught herself how to play music while attending rodeo events where her mother served as a rodeo queen. Tanner Adell's unique perspective is heavily infused into her music, making her records unapologetically true to herself, and endlessly fascinating.
While Tanner Adell no longer identifies as a Mormon, she maintains a close personal relationship with God, which she explores in her country tunes. On Buckle Bunny, Adell dives into her faith through the track "See You in Church," which contains the lyrics "Sunday, yеah, the Lord comes first/ If I missed you last night, mm then I'll see you in church.” Despite having parted ways with her strict Mormon faith, Adell claims that her belief in a higher power has been integral to her success, and helped her to progress when life becomes stressful.
Tanner Adell's success makes it clear that her efforts to carve out a path within the music industry have been worth it, as she continues growing her brand each day. Currently, the budding country icon touts a following of over 9 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone, with more sure to come as she prepares to launch her sophomore effort. Be sure to remain on the lookout for Tanner Adell, especially if you're a fan of Cowboy Carter.
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Benzino knows how to drum up controversy. The former editor of The Source Magazine has made a career out of it. Few people would know he was a rapper were it not for his highly-publicized beef with Eminem during the 2000s. Unfortunately, Benzino's knack for making bold statements has come back to bite him. He recently went on the We In Miami podcast, where he declared that R Kelly should be given a second chance despite his heinous crimes. This proved to be the last straw for Benzino's daughter, Coi Leray, who publicly denounced their relationship.
Leray posted an X (formerly Twitter) thread on May 1 to clarify her stance on Benzino's comments. She did not mention R. Kelly by name, but it was obvious she did not agree with her father. "I want everybody to know I want nothing to do with anything my father has going on," she wrote. "I haven’t spoken to him in over a year and I don’t condone or respect any of them interviews he got going on." The rapper went on to explain that she does even want to be associated with Benzino in the future. "I don’t respect his decisions," she added. "I want nothing to do with him please don't even think of me when you see him."
Coi Leray doubled down on her feelings towards her father in a second tweet. "Sharing the same DNA and blood doesn't make us family," she noted. "Loyalty, boundaries, respect, teaching, guidance, love, patience, encouragement makes us family... Keep me away from people who try to 'get their lick back' please." The rapper then told followers that she looks forward to having a child of her own so that she could put what she's learned into practice. "I can’t wait to have a kid one day," she concluded. "I can’t wait to look her/him in the eye and tell them how much I love them."
As sad as this exchange is, Benzino and Coi Leray's estrangement is not surprising. The father and daughter have gone through a very public cycle of beefing and then making up over the years. Leray criticized Benzino for harassing her mother back in 2022, and went against her father when he tried to revive his beef with Eminem the same year. "Let’s build bridges and get over them before you burn the bridge and burn with it," she said at the time. Unfortunately, the time for building bridges with Benzino seems to have come to an end.
