Tanner Adell is bringing something new to the country music genre. She’s recently released ‘Buckle Bunny’, a debut mixtape via Columbia records, which is an 8 track blast of Country meets Pop, R&B and Hip Hop that truly defines the essence and soul of what a mixtape is meant to be about.
Growing up, Adell would often split time between the beaches of California and a rustic Wyoming ranch. This duality led her to be exposed to many different kinds of musical genres but she formed a deep appreciation for ‘90s country music early on, singing along to the greats like Shania Twain and Josh Turner. With the support of her adoptive mother, Adell built a confident foundation for her music at Utah Valley University before taking her talents to Nashville, building a strong and loyal fan base on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. She’s unapologetically bombastic and she’s bringing something fresh and interesting to a genre not known for its progressiveness. We were thrilled to talk to her all about it.
Thank you for your time today, Tanner, it’s lovely to speak to you. Let’s dig right into it shall we? Can you tell this English journalist about what the term ‘Buckle Bunny’ means because Google tells me it’s a derogatory term! (‘Buckle Bunny’ is the title of Tanner’s recently released mixtape)
(laughing) It has been a derogatory term in the past but I’m trying to use it in a different way. It’s a slur term people use to describe girls who throw themselves at rodeo riders, right? (laughing) I grew up between South Carolina and a ranch in Wyoming and the rodeo was really special to my family. The first time I was called a ‘buckle bunny’ I was, probably, about 16! (laughing) I was young! I had gotten all dressed up to go to rodeo, got my hair and nails done, you know? I was with my cousin and friend and I remember someone calling me a ‘buckle bunny’ but i was soooooo young, I was just dressed up to go to the rodeo!
A lot of people tend to look at me and look at my social media and think that I am on the more ‘glam Country’ side of things, which makes me a ‘buckle bunny’. My definition of the term is just a woman who is confident in wearing whatever she wants, getting dressed up and going the extra mile to look awesome! (laughing)
That’s the message of the song and there are so many messages of strength and empowerment across the whole mixtape.
Yes, absolutely! It was a really fun project to put together. Columbia helped to pick and shape the project alongside me and a couple of the songs I wrote this year too. 8 songs is the biggest project I’ve put out there yet and the first mixtape that I’ve seen in the Country genre. (Note – Kane Brown put out a mixtape in 2020 but that’s about all we could find so Tanner is in good company there!)
You are bringing something fresh to Country music. What’s your idea of what the definition of a mixtape is?
For me, I feel like a lot of artists are sounding the same right now. I grew up listening to a lot of disco which was always very different. Even artists like the Bee Gees sounded different across their songs and albums. Look at Jazz, no two songs sound the same. Even Beyonce has cross-pollinated genres multiple times and I wanted my mixtape to be like that: a mix of sounds, influences and ideas. It’s a mix of all my emotions too, both inside and outside! (laughing)
Do you worry that it might be too much for some people in Country music, which has shown itself to be not the most open-minded genre a number of times in recent years?
I’m not worried about the traditional Country listeners. I don’t think I’ve ever been minded to appease certain people or certain attitudes! I grew up in California and Wyoming and what’s more important to me is getting a sound that reflects who I am and that duality within me. I absolutely love lots of classic Country music, I grew up listening to Dolly Parton and Josh Turner but I want people who don’t normally listen to Country music to be, like, ‘Oh, I thought I hated Country music’ to get onboard with me and open them up to the best things about the genre!
I want to take this music to as many people that I can on a global level and not just a small segment of a geographical region. ‘See You in Church’ is a little more traditional Country but then tracks like ‘Buckle Bunny’ is a bit more Pop and Hip Hop infused.
You had a fascinating upbringing. You were adopted, your siblings were adopted, you got to live in these wonderful places and you acted and sang. When did you first realise you wanted to sing for a living?
The dream started at a really young age. I was maybe about 4 or 5 years old. It was in my freshman year at college, though, that things began to really get serious. I joined a band and that was when I realised that performing live was what I wanted to do, not just be studio based and write songs.
I moved to Nashville in 2021 and everything got a lot more serious then. I took it up another level and was, like, ‘OK, I’m really doing this.’
What’s the best and the worst things about living in Nashville that you’ve found in the last two years?
The worst thing is definitely not being anywhere near a beach! (laughing) Growing up in Southern California I also had the pick of all the best places to eat Mexican food – tacos are my favourite food – and I miss that here. The best thing about living in Nashville is the ability you have to get both a city living style and the countryside too. I never wanted to just live in a city and here in Nashville you can live 15 minutes outside the city and be in the relative countryside. You feel like you are in nature but you can be in music city within 15 minutes.
Everyone in Nashville is very talented. Have you had to keep imposter syndrome at bay?
I think everyone, regardless of the industry they work in, has a little bit of imposter syndrome at different times of their lives. It is encouraging, on days when I feel that I am not enough, to get messages and comments on social media from people rooting for me and cheering me on. Imposter syndrome is very internal and everyone who supports me on a daily basis reminds me to turn outside of myself and I’ve found that that is the key for me: remembering that a lot of people want to hear what it is that I have to say and that I am changing a lot of people’s perspectives about Country music.
We’ve touched upon ‘See You in Church’ being the song most rooted in Country music on the mixtape. I hear a lot of Maren Morris in there. What other female artists inspire you?
I love that! Maren is a great songwriter and one of my favourite writers. I’m so basic (laughing): I love Doechii, I love Taylor Swift. I’m all over both those artists. I love Beyonce too and I love that Taylor and Beyonce are both out on tour at the same time and these tours are just so massive.
I look up to women who break boundaries and just go all the way, all in, with their music. Maren Morris is one of those artists that does that, for sure. I love what she achieved with ‘The Middle’. Coming out of Country music with that song is such a flex! Such a huge Pop song! (laughing)
Is ‘FU 150’ about one guy in particular or just about guys in general?
(laughing) Yes! It is a true story and very specific. I no longer have an F-150 but I wish that I did! (laughing)
There’s a cheeky reference to ‘6 inches’ in that song that I don’t think people pick up on, right?
(laughing) Playing that song live is really fun for people who haven’t heard it! (laughing) At one show someone on my team was standing next to this couple and the husband leaned over to the wife, dying with laughter, and was, like, ‘Did you hear what she just said? Are you listening to that lyric?’ There’s a little bit of shock factor with the lyric but maybe on the second or third chorus you are laughing at how savage a put down it is! (laughing)
I like to be witty with some of my lyrics. When the energy is really right in writing rooms you can let your sense of humour come out if it fits the song and it definitely worked well within that one!
Let’s talk about your sense of humour because I saw on Instagram that you said ‘Strawberry Crush’ sounds like a tampon commercial and that made me laugh.
(laughing) Doesn’t it?!!!!!!! I love K-Pop and K-Pop girl groups and ‘Strawberry Crush’ is my tribute to that sound. It starts out with a horrible sounding banjo and video-game type of sound before settling into something that is very Country music meets K-Pop! There are a lot of people in Korea, Japan and Brazil that are loving that song right now. It fell out of me in the writing room and I’m pleased so many people around the world are enjoying it too.
‘Trailer Park Barbie’ is a great song and great timing with the film coming out this year as well!
I’m actually going to see it tomorrow with my friend! I haven’t seen it yet because I actually stay inside most of the time! (laughing) I’m not a big ‘go to a movie’ type of person, that’s a lot of people! (laughing) I like the crowds to die down and then I’ll support the film in the third or fourth week, right? (laughing)
I wrote that song almost two years ago now. It was my first year in Nashville and I love it! It’s very true to who I am and we had planned to release it earlier in the year before even knowing that there was a Barbie film on the way! It was perfect timing though, right?
What’s the plan for the rest of the year and the plan to get the mixtape out to as many people as possible?
I’m playing a ton of shows! I’ve played all summer long and there are so many to go. I opened for Elle King recently and I’m opening for Easton Corbin in September. I’ve been on the road constantly! I wanted to release a song every three weeks this year and that’s been fun although it’s a lot to promote! I’m taking a break for a second, well, for six weeks until the next song comes out!
I rely on social media to get my music out and across to people so it’s lot of TikTok and lots of planes and shows! (laughing)
Will your next big project be another mixtape or will it be an album?
It will be an album. I’m planning on releasing a double album in the first six months of 2024. I’m going to film some acoustic live versions of my songs too, for people who love to listen to music in that way.
Go check out Tanner Adell and her new mixtape ‘Buckle Bunny’ right here.
