{"id":973,"date":"2025-06-11T22:04:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T22:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/?p=973"},"modified":"2025-06-12T14:56:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T14:56:59","slug":"i-took-my-first-trip-to-nashville-fell-in-love-with-country-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/11\/i-took-my-first-trip-to-nashville-fell-in-love-with-country-music\/","title":{"rendered":"I Took My First Trip To Nashville & Fell In Love With Country Music"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I never thought I\u2019d be two-stepping in Nashville<\/a> with cowboy boots<\/a> on, singing along to country music<\/a>, but last weekend, there I was. After spending a few days at CMA Fest<\/a> with SoFi<\/a>, let me tell you, I get the hype now.<\/p>\n

As a native New Yorker, this was my first time in Nashville and my first country music festival. The best part? I got to experience it all with my boyfriend. It was his first time in Nashville too, which made it even more special. He went full<\/em> rancher mode the moment we landed. I\u2019m talking boots, hats, and attitude. I was calling him \u201cCowboy Johnny\u201d all weekend because he was really committed to the role. His cowboy alter ego was activated.<\/p>\n

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Like so many millennial Black folks, I\u2019ve never been a big country music fan (outside of Shania Twain, obviously) but since Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s Cowboy Carter<\/em><\/a> (which deserves its own Grammy category, let\u2019s be real) which gave us a whole history lesson on the Black roots of country music<\/a>, I\u2019ve been dabbling more into the genre. And after Day 1 of CMA Fest, I was like\u2026 ohhh, this is kinda fire!<\/em> There\u2019s something about the storytelling, the vocals, the vibes \u2014 it just takes you to a place of peace.<\/p>\n

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Going with SoFi made the whole experience even more memorable. I\u2019ve always known SoFi as the financial company helping people reach their money goals but I didn\u2019t realize how much they\u2019ve expanded into lifestyle spaces. What really stood out to me was how SoFi is bridging financial wellness with culture. Their SoFi Plus<\/a> membership doesn\u2019t just offer banking perks, it includes exclusive invites to VIP events & experiences nationwide, which is how I got the opportunity to attend CMA Fest with them. In addition to perks, they teamed up with country star Kelsea Ballerini<\/a> to launch their Rising Star Program<\/strong><\/a>, offering grants to students and helping the next generation achieve financial independence. It\u2019s one thing to talk about empowering people, it\u2019s another to put action behind it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shaboozey performs at Nissan Stadium on Friday, June 6, 2025, during CMA Fest presented by SoFi in downtown Nashville.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As for the music? A vibe. Watching Darius Rucker hit the main stage on Night 1 was surreal. I grew up knowing him from Hootie & The Blowfish, so seeing him take command of a country music festival was a full-circle moment. Black artists have always had a hand in shaping country music, legends like DeFord Bailey and Charley Pride paved the way but we haven\u2019t always been centered in the conversation. So to see artists like, Shaboozey, Tiera Kennedy<\/a>, and Kashus Culpepper take the stage and bring their full selves? That meant something. They\u2019re part of a new generation redefining what country music looks and sounds like and I\u2019m so here for it.<\/p>\n

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Oh, and let\u2019s not forget the fashion. I knew I couldn\u2019t pull up to Nashville without proper fits. I found the cutest<\/em> denim cowboy boots, paired them with matching hats, layered belts and chains, and added mini bags to complete the fits. It was giving Southern charm meets city girl aesthetic.<\/p>\n

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If I had to rate this trip, I\u2019d give it a 10\/10. I came for the vibes, stayed for the music, and left with a new playlist, a SoFi membership, and memories I\u2019ll never forget. Don\u2019t be surprised if my Spotify Wrapped is stacked with Kelsea Ballerini and Shaboozey.<\/p>\n

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Dreamville Festival 2025 Was The Perfect BFF Trip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I never thought I\u2019d be two-stepping in Nashville with cowboy boots on, singing along to country music, but last weekend, there I was. After spending a few days at CMA Fest with SoFi, let me tell you, I get the hype now. As a native New Yorker, this was my first time in Nashville and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=973"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":982,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973\/revisions\/982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}