Beautiful melodies, painted with retro 80’s and 90’s country hues sprinkled with a little bit of soul creates a new sound that is distinctly Denitia‘s. The WXPN Black Opry Resident is also named CMT Next Women of Country class of 2024. Her new album Sunset Drive is on the rise and with those amazing songwriting chops, Denitia is an Artist You Should Know. Here’s our interview with her.

Where did you grow up and where do you call home now?

I grew up about an hour east of Houston. I went to college in Nashville, lived there for a few years after graduation, lived in Brooklyn and Queens for a while and am back in Nashville now, which I call home.

How have the life experiences of where you lived affected your songwriting or the songs you choose to record?

As my life has unfolded in different phases and cities, my relationships have changed – friends, family, romances. So all of those threads definitely show up in my records.

What artists/songwriters have impacted or influenced your work the most?

I love music so much, there have been plenty of artists who have shaped and influenced my voice through the years – I’ll go for the widest net here – Patty Griffin, Sade, Joni Mitchell, George Strait, Cocteau Twins, Neil Young, Eagles, Al Green, Dolly Parton, Fleetwood Mac, Roberta Flack

When you perform, what do you hope is your audience’s biggest takeaway?

I hope people can see themselves somewhere in the music. I want to hold up a mirror and allow people to have their own personal experience with the songs. And if it’s something they don’t relate to directly, hopefully it creates empathy. I just want to make music that moves people, while being myself.

Tell me a little bit about your latest project?

Sunset Drive is a story of moving towards a new beginning. Moving through the bittersweet taste of what was, what could have been, and what might be. The sun setting ahead is a comforting blur of color and memories to wrap ourselves in as we barrel into the beautiful uncertainty of night. Highways represented a different type of journey – reflective, introspective, and a return to home – finding that place within that feels like it’s where I’m supposed to be and where I can start again. But once I’ve decided which direction to point, the emotion of moving forward starts to settle in. Do I stop moving and stay, or move forward into the unknown? There’s a tension between the old life and the new life. The old life is familiar, it’s all I’ve ever known, but maybe it’s not the right fit anymore. The new life is so intriguing, on one hand, I want to risk it all to get there, and on the other hand, I balk at the idea of losing control, losing a sense of predictability. This record is a snapshot in time of experiencing all these conflicting, and sometimes complimentary emotions at once.

Skinny lanes will take me right back through the country

City streets will make me miss the mountain view

Trails are carving through the pines

But they won’t take you off my mind

When every road will take me right on back to you.

“Back to You” song by Denitia

What was different or unique about your approach to this last project as compared to previous ones?

I am passionate about staying grounded in the things I love about classic country music – pedal steel, poetic songs, acoustic guitar – but for this record, I wanted to see what would happen if I stayed anchored there and pushed into some different colors and allow some of my other influences to shine through.

Was there ever a time you felt like you wanted to quit making music?

Being an independent artist is glorious in so many ways because I have the freedom to shape and navigate my career the way I want to. But it can also be tough to take on so many roles on my own. It can be taxing, so I have definitely had my moments of considering pivoting to other career directions. I do have other interests and abilities so it’s been tempting at times to call it quits on this. In the last couple years, I’ve had to really get clear on my ‘why.’ And that has led me to understand that all I really want to do is make music I love that resonates with people, not just for music or ego’s sake, but to add something of value to the world, to contribute to the art in people’s lives that makes them feel seen, more human, more known. And right now, my best tool for that is music. So I keep going.

What is your funniest or favorite “on the road” story when touring?

So many years ago, when I was super young and green, I was invited on a tour with some other songwriters in Europe. All super DIY. I got all my stuff together and had a flight booked on Virgin Airlines, I took the New York subway from Brooklyn to JFK to catch my flight and I don’t think I realized you had to be in the airport 1 hour or 2 hours before flying international – or whatever time frame it was. I missed that flight and caught the next one but that made me late for my connecting flight to Italy. I got to London Heathrow airport and had no options of getting to Turin (or some place) on time to meet up with my tour mates. I slept in the Heathrow airport for a couple nights and lived off of these delicious cheddar sandwiches and other little English treats at the airport grocery store. I finally was able to fly into Switzerland and meet up with the tour but I missed the first couple dates. It was an adventure, to say the least. Real rookie stuff lol but I’m pretty serious about getting to the airport on time now haha

Who or what keeps you grounded the most?

Staying in touch with my family and friends – people who have known me for so long – really keeps me feeling real. This lifestyle can be such a rollercoaster. I long for a certain steadiness and I get that from my community. I’m really grateful for that.

What advice would you give artists just starting out?

Above everything else, figure out what you want to say. Focus on the art the most, and less on external factors.

Check out our Podcast with more Artists You Should Know on all Your Favorite Podcast Platforms.