Adeem The Artist wants to expand what’s possible in country music

Country music is a century-old tradition that tells real stories about real life. It belongs to anyone with a story, like Adeem The Artist, who grew up “a low-class white kid from rural North Carolina.”

Adeem’s a queer, non-binary artist, who, on their latest album White Trash Revelry, examines country music and its southern roots, while asking big questions about privilege, race and toxic masculinity. In this session, Adeem talks about the message of White Trash Revelry and how songwriters like John Prine helped rekindle their love of country music.