Who Is Tanner Adell? 5 Things To Know About The Burgeoning Country Star

Adell Was Adopted And Raised Mormon

Before her success in the music industry, Adell had humble beginnings. The singer was born in Lexington, Kentucky, on June 27, 2000. Shortly after her birth, Adell was adopted and raised by a Mormon family.

Over the years, the "Love You a Little Bit" singer split her time between her family home in Manhattan Beach, California, and Star Valley, Wyoming, as she spent summers with her grandmother.

In an interview with BET, Adell revealed despite no longer identifying as a Mormon, her faith remained a pillar of strength and guided her through dark times.

"I've always had very strong faith in a higher power and the patience to understand that there's a plan and timing for everything, "she explained. "Having a spiritual foundation has gotten me through those really hard moments."

Adell Reveals That Her Biological Father Is An Atlanta Rapper And Shares How Her Unique Journey Influenced Her Music

Although there is limited information about the songstress' biological and adopted parents, Adell told BET that she met her biological father and described him as a "rapper in the nineties in Atlanta."

Adell has incorporated her unique journey with her biological and adoptive parents into her music. In a feature with Flaunt Magazine last year, Adell shared that her music is influenced by her experiences growing up as a mixed woman in California and Wyoming.

"I finally tried to fuse both sides of myself, and I've always been half and half. I'm half Black and half white," she said. "I was adopted, so it's like I have half of my biological family and half of my adoptive family. I've always been right in the middle, back and forth between California and Wyoming. I finally just kind of accepted that in myself. And I think you can hear that in my music."

Adell Joked About Becoming A Country Singer

The “Trailer Park Barbie” songstress shared during an interview with The Jennifer Hudson Showthat she began to take her craft more seriously after receiving a rave review from a friend for a song she wrote.

"It's definitely been a bit of a journey. But I kind of used to joke about it. I've always loved country music, and I'd say, you know, maybe I should do a country song, and then me and my friends would be like, 'me, no, I could never,'" she recounted.

"But it kind of just got to the point where I sat down and was like, I'm going to purposely write a country song, and I sent it to my best friend, and he was like, 'Why are you not making country music? You should be making country music.' And I said, 'I think you're right, and so I started making country music.'"

In addition to taking her songwriting abilities seriously, Adell shared that her career began to take off when she decided to move to Nashville.

"Got a call from a friend who lived in Nashville; I had never been. And he said, I think you should come out here and write with some people, and I just knew in my heart that was where I was supposed to be. Packed up all of my stuff in a couple days and sold everything I had to go to Nashville, and I guess the rest is history."

Adell’s  "Whiskey Blues"  Is Based On A True Story

In the same interview with Jennifer Hudson, Adell detailed how a real-life scenario inspired her song “Whiskey Blues” and highlights her “healing process” following a failed relationship.

“It’s a true story, the reason why I love country music so much is it’s real people with real stories, and I have a lot to say,” she said. “‘Whiskey Blues’ was a relationship that went south that I didn’t quite cope with the way that maybe I should have. I was born in Lexington, Kentucky so like bourbon and whiskey, it’s just in my blood. It gets to me sometimes. But that’s where it kind of comes from, is just my healing process.”

As for the “Whiskey Blues” video concept, Adell revealed that even though the rage room theme wasn’t the original idea, it all came together because she was able to add an emotional aspect to it.

“We shot a music video for it. I just wanted to go to a rage room,” she said. She later continued, “I just called up my girls, and I was like, ‘I had all these ideas for a music video, but I really just want to go break stuff, and so we headed on over to the rage room. The whole video is us smashing things.”

Adell Used To Suffer From Severe Social Anxiety

Over the years, as Adell worked diligently to make a name for herself, she also attempted to overcome anxiety. In a discussion with Utah Valley University, her alma mater, Adell, shared that she developed social anxiety at a young age despite the praise she received for her singing abilities.

"Although my singing performances and encores reverberated throughout the house, I was extremely shy," she said. "If a family member walked in on me playing the guitar or singing, I would clam up, fall silent, and stare at them until they left my room."

Adell credited enrolling in Utah Valley University's commercial music program and her vocal coach, Nancy, with giving her the confidence to pursue her dreams.

“Throughout the experience, I held on to what Nancy said in my first few voice lessons: A lot of famous singers suffered with performance anxiety, but as soon as they grew fully confident in their vocal ability, they rarely had any problems. I kept remembering her words with each performance, and eventually, my anxiety just faded away.”

She added, “[Utah Valley University's] commercial program is very special. It gave me a foundation to build my confidence and heighten my ability as a musician.”

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