K Michelle on performing with ‘Brother’ Jelly Roll at the 2023 CMA Awards
KMichelle is ready for her country close-up. The former R&B artist and reality star leans into her Southern roots with a new album, a new name and a CMA Awards collaboration with the night’s Best New Artist winner Jelly roll.
Under the alias Puddin, the Memphis native has released her first country song, “Tennessee.” It’s the debut single from her upcoming country album – a move that feels completely natural for the star.
“It’s part of who I am,” the 41-year-old singer said exclusively We weekly ahead of the 2023 CMA Awards on Wednesday, November 8. “It’s so crazy when I talk to people and they say, ‘How is this transition going?’ There is no transition, let’s be honest. This is who I am. This is how I was born; that’s how I was raised.”
K Michelle (real name Kimberly Michelle Pate) made her Music City debut on country music’s biggest stage Wednesday night when she joined Jelly Roll for a moving performance of The Judds’ “Love Can Build a Bridge.” It was a full-circle moment for the musician, who also performs the song alongside Jelly and the Fisk Jubilee Singers on the recently released album A tribute to the Judds.
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“The first country I got into was The Judds,” she said. “The first tape I ever got was The Judds and it was ‘Love Can Build a Bridge.'”
As for sharing the stage with Jelly Roll, that’s all in K Michelle’s musical family.
“That’s my outlaw brother. I understand him,” she said. “We are unusual suspects in country music. I know his whole journey, his struggle. We are open books. We have the upper hand, we do what we want to do, but most importantly, we love the music. The best thing is that we have mutual respect for each other, and [this pairing] was a match made in Heaven.”
The performance was a beautiful tribute to musical matriarch Naomi Judd, who passed away in 2022. Among the audience, which included Judd’s daughter and bandmate Wynonna, K Michelle joined Jelly Roll to sing her way through one of The Judd’s most memorable hits.
As he took the stage in feathers and rhinestones, it was easy to imagine the former R&B artist as a true country star. Her powerful adlibs brought the audience to their feet for a standing ovation before the performance had even ended. It was a moment full of emotions for both the artists and the audience.
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“For me, country music has always been about storytelling and the feeling of it. What it feels like,” she says, adding, “I am so blessed and so excited to honor Naomi.”
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