10 Questions with ... Priscilla Block

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Raleigh, NC, native Priscilla Block moved to Nashville to pursue music shortly after high school. Early in the pandemic, she was struggling to make ends meet after losing her job and her apartment. Unable to get out and play in person due to Covid-19, she began experimenting on TikTok and quickly developed a fan base with songs like “Thick Thighs,” “PMS” and “Just About Over You.” 

Fans rallied together to independently fund her recording of the latter song, which attracted the attention of Universal Music Group Nashville, whose Mercury promotion team took the song Top 15. The label is currently working follow-up single “My Bar” from her major label debut album, “Welcome To The Block Party,” released in February.

She recently announced a string a new fall dates for her headlining “Welcome To The Block Party Tour.” Her newest song, “Off The Deep End,” drops on Friday (8/5).

1. You launched the radio part of your career during the pandemic and didn’t get to go on a traditional radio tour. What was that experience like trying to get to know radio programmers virtually during that time, and now that you’ve been out touring, have you been able to work in time to meet some of them in person?

I was honestly pretty sad that I wasn’t able to go out and do a radio tour during the pandemic. I just wanted to meet everyone. We were able to do a lot of virtual stuff, but I’m a people person. So when the world opened back up, I kind of started doing it all. I was headlining shows, playing radio shows, and kind of doing a radio tour at the same time. I’ve been able to hug so many people’s necks at these stations and thank them for the support since the start. 

2. Speaking of touring, as you’ve been headlining your “Welcome To The Block Party” tour, what have been the biggest surprises or adjustments for you about road life? And has performing for increasingly larger (and sold out) crowds changed anything about the way you perform and entertain?

The shows have been absolutely unbelievable. It blows my mind every single night seeing the fans show up in their handmade “Block Party” t-shirts, hoops on, hair up high, singing every single song. You know, as a new artist you expect them to maybe know one or two songs, but every night I am blown away by how many songs of mine they know.

Not a whole lot has changed. I mean, I played in the bars for years and absolutely loved performing from the start. I guess the biggest change is now I get to sing my own songs versus two hours of covers, which is pretty dang cool. 

3. You’ve got five dates in the U.K. and Ireland coming up in August. Why is it important for you to build your fan base internationally at this stage of your career? And what are you most looking forward to about performing abroad?

This past year I was able to play the C2C Festival, and it was one of the best weeks of my life. I have always wanted to take this thing international. I mean, why wouldn’t I? There are people all over the world that believe in me and have since the beginning. So, if we can get anywhere, I want to go! The fans out there are just so special. I literally cannot wait to go back. 

4. Your first single, “Just About Over You,” went top 15 at radio and was certified gold. I’m sure you heard the cautionary tales when you signed your record deal that breaking through at Country radio — especially for a woman — is hard. So, were you surprised your radio debut did that well, or did you believe in it enough to dare to dream that it could?

I think breaking out as a new artist is hard in general. The fact that “Just About Over You” broke the Top 15 is a huge achievement. I mean, just being on the radio is a huge achievement … but that’s crazy! Since the day that I wrote that song I knew that it was special and I really believed in it. I still do. 

5. You’ve had quite a few fun “firsts” this year, including being one of the red carpet hosts for the ACM Awards, and performing at Nissan Stadium during CMA Fest. How did you enjoy being on the other side of the microphone interviewing fellow stars for the ACM carpet? What’s was the biggest surprise or takeaway from that experience?

I absolutely loved being on the other side of the microphone. It was honestly a day that I will never forget, and I hope that I get to do it again and again. It was super cool getting to interview artists that I admire and have been a fan of for so long.

I love growing and challenging myself, and this experience was definitely one for the books. I have a newfound respect for anybody in the entertainment space because there is a lot that you have to juggle, from being star struck, to remembering the questions that you need to ask, to staying on time because it’s live, etc. You can’t go over. Lots of pressure, but it was so much fun!

6. You got emotional at your Nissan Stadium performance. What was going through your head as you looked out at that massive crowd?

Playing Nissan Stadium was definitely one of the highlights of my career thus far. I could barely hold it together because I remember years and years standing outside of the stadium as a fan watching my favorite artists play up on that stage. I’ve always dreamed of playing the stadium, and I continue to dream of headlining there one day. Little Priscilla wouldn’t believe it.

7. You have a new single coming out this week. What can you tell us about it?

“Off The Deep End” is the next song that we’re putting out. I’m super excited for this song! I feel like it’s a perfect summer, feel-good song.

I’m working on a lot of new stuff now, so we will have to see what the next radio song will be. Right now, my radio focus is on “My Bar,” which we are Top 40! 

8. I know you only just released your debut album in February, but are you already writing for/planning/plotting or dreaming about album #2? If so, what can fans expect from that creative brain of yours?

Oh honey! I’m always trying to stay an album ahead. This life gets busy, so I try to write whenever I can. New music will definitely be coming soon!

9. There’s a tendency in some industry circles to lump “TikTok” artists into a group, as though they are all one entity. What do people get wrong or not understand about breaking though initially from TikTok exposure?

You know, I think it was easy for people to call artists “TikTok artists” for a long time because it was so new and it seemed like such a foreign way, but now you have every artist using it to promote their music. I think that title has lessened, and lessened for me. I’m not only a TikTok artist, I’m a Country artist who used that platform (along with any other way to try and make it), and it’s worked.

10. How important is social media now to your overall strategy for introducing new projects and continuing to build your fan base, and do you feel like you need to walk a line between sharing yourself with fans and still maintaining a private life?

I think social media is incredibly important, especially at this stage of my career. People all over the world made this happen for me so I try and stay as open as I can online. I show the highs, I show the lows. 

What advice would you give other Country artists still grinding away in Nashville trying to catch their first break?

I’d say to just keep being you. Write songs about your life and surround yourself with people that you believe in and believe in you. You don’t have to be a part of the cool kids. Don’t say no to any opportunity that may get you one step closer.