Dumb Blonde - Tanner Adell: From Buckle Bunny to Going Blonde

Episode Date: March 31, 2025

Pop-country star Tanner Adell knows exactly who she is, and we love her for that. In her sit down with Bunnie, this stunning soul shares more about her journey as a biracial kid adopted into a Mormon family, navigating life between California and Wyoming, and the mind-blowing moment she discovered her birth family through a surprise DNA match.Tanner talks about going from writing songs in her closet to slaying the Super Bowl stage on Beyoncé’s halftime show and landing on Cowboy Carter. She shares what it was like moving to Nashville, finding her crew, and how her viral breakout Buckle Bunny gave her the confidence to take up space in country music. Tanner also opens up about the beautiful story behind her debut album Going Blonde and the deep connection it holds to her biological mother.Tanner Adell: YouTube | TikTok | IG Watch Full Episodes & More:www.dumbblondeunrated.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey guys, I need to ask you a question. I want to know why in the hell are you not on Patreon? I don't think you guys even realize how much content we have on Patreon. Let me break it down for you. We have the Bunny XO show. We have Meet the Deforts. We have propaganda. We have more shows that we're adding.

And not to mention we have the visuals of the podcast. Head over to www.patreon.com backslash dumb blonde podcast and sign up bunny xo I've got two of the coolest kids. I've got two of the coolest kids. I've got two of the coolest kids. I've got two of the coolest kids. I've got two of the coolest kids. I've got two of the coolest kids. I've got two of the coolest kids. I've got two of the coolest kids.

I've got two of the coolest kids. I've got two of the coolest kids. I've got two of the coolest kids. I've got two of the coolest kids. I've got two of the coolest kids. I've got two of the coolest kids. in the house, baby. Yay, hello. Hi, I feel like this has been a long time coming. For sure. Like, we've been talking about this for, I think, like a year and a half.

It's been a while, yeah. You have been so busy, and I'm so fucking proud of you, girl. We're gonna get into like the whole journey and everything, but I just wanted to tell you face to face, like I'm so excited for you. Thank you. Couldn't happen to a better human. Like, I'm just so excited for you. Thank you. Couldn't happen to a better human.

Like I'm just so excited for you. I appreciate that. It's like fun how mutual the feeling is and watching you just blossoming. I knew you before I knew Jelly Roll, but watching you guys, it's just, I mean, happy new year. Yeah, happy new year. But like last year was really amazing

for I feel like both of us. Yeah, yeah, no, it was crazy. My husband's so funny. He's like, tell Dan or I tell Tantan or I said, what up? And he's like, tell her to tell the jelly roll story. I'm like, nobody wants to talk about you. He, he saved me. You know, he's, he's such a good guy, but that he calls it. I got to start calling it that. Yeah. I was like, nobody wants to talk about you. He's like, stop bombarding my freaking interviews, dude.

I learned some really cool stuff about you that I got to research whenever I was looking you up that I didn't know. And you have like a really cool story. I always knew about the fashion, the hair, the makeup, the voice, you know, I knew about all that, but I didn't know, like, what made you you and where you came from.

And I think that that would be really cool to kind of dive into with you. Yeah, I mean, it's, um... I think it's a story that I've kind of... I've been careful to tell and telling little things here and there and kind of gauging the temperature of my audience and honestly how safe it is, like how willing I'm to be or how vulnerable I'm willing to be.

And I mean, what specifically are you... Talking about? Well, let's just take it all the way. So first of all, I just wanna let you know, my audience is so safe. They are the sweetest humans. They will just embrace you if they haven't, or if they're already not buckle bunnies,

you know what I'm saying? But here, people come here and they just tell their stories of like, you know, everything that's happened to them up to where they are. And I kind of take people on this journey to paint the picture of like the person behind the music. You know, of course your music speaks itself, because obviously, I mean, we just saw you on the halftime show with Beyonce.

So obviously you're doing your thug, those little, you know, but I want people to connect with you on a personal level. So you were adopted as a child. Yes. Can you take us on that journey and like kind of through your childhood? It is a very long and windy road as to how I ended up here. Yeah. But yes, I was adopted. I was a baby.

I was like a day old. You know, it was an agreement that my parents already knew that I was going to be born sometime soon so they were ready for it. But I am adopted. I have four siblings who are also all adopted. I'm the middle child. Are they all blood? Yes, all of us are biracial. None of us are like blood related at all. Okay. All from different families, but my parents couldn't have their own children. My mom had wanted to adopt for a really long time. She would say as a kid, like she always said,

I want to adopt her little brother's adopted. And so she had always wanted to adopt and then, you know, she's very religious. I was also raised Mormon. I was adopted into a Mormon family. And so she always says, she just feels like God was telling her when it was time to adopt after she found out she wouldn't be able to have children. So I grew up in a really unique kind of households with just that little bit. But on top of all of that, I grew up kind of between two places, I kind of had two homes and a lot of my, a lot of my friends in California had no idea that all of my family and my summer times

were spent in Wyoming. So my mom grew up with horses and she did rodeo, she was a rodeo queen and she would do a year of school in California in Santa Barbara and then a year of school in Wyoming, where my grandma's from and where my grandpa's from. And flip-flopped back and forth between school years as a kid. And she said that was really rough on her and didn't want

it to be as intense for me and my siblings. So I grew up going from school year in California and all my like school friends to immediately going to Wyoming as soon as school was out. immediately going to Wyoming as soon as school was out and kind of living a completely different life out there. It was, you know, maybe around the time that I was 14 or 15 that I started realizing that I was very different from a lot of my friends. And I only had one friend that was adopted and she was the same

race as her parents she was white they were white and I just realized there was a lot of things that I was kind of going through that I wasn't sure was totally normal. Did you ever get to meet your biological parents? So that's a whole, I'll tie that now into this whole of me getting here, I guess too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I, as a teenager, I was very different from, my mom and dad are, my mom wears the pants in my family, okay?

She's very alpha. Yes, my mom wears the pants in my family. Okay. She's very alpha. Yes. My mom wears the pants. And she is like Ralph Lauren. I am like three people. We could not be any more different. She's very like by the book. I mean, she's extremely religious.

And I wanted to just like not have to wear shoes to school and just wanted to sit on the beach and hang out with my friends and do fashion design. My grandma taught me how to sew at a really young age, so I was sewing my clothes, and I was just more of a free spirit. So we really, really like bumped heads as I was growing up. I grew up in an extremely religious household too.

Really? We were Southern Pentecostal, and it was like a cult, As I was growing up I grew up in a extremely religious household to really we were we were southern Pentecostal and it was like wow like a cult and yeah, I had to wear dresses down the ankles like Oh, yeah, yeah super super religious I went to private school and everything How do you think I turned out the way I did? I mean, I mean, but I'm just lay yeah But I'm just saying I relate to that because I don't think a lot of people realize how Yeah, but I'm just saying I relate to that because I don't think a lot of people realize how traumatizing yes religion being pushed on you especially as a child is that's what developed my anxiety As an adult is because it was I was told you're going to hell if you act like this you're going to hell

You know and I couldn't imagine you know all of that all of those things that you're going through as a child You know you were adopted You're trying to find your place in this world and trying to fit in and you don't feel like you fit in and then you have that religious trauma on top of it. It's pretty fucking heavy, dude. And it's it's like I said, it wasn't till a little bit later that I realized it's a little bit different to be biracial and adopted, but then also into a different to be biracial and adopted, but then also into a

Caucasian Mormon family, but also with four siblings who were also biracial but adopted. Like, it was such a like, and obviously, I was a teenager. So all of this at once just made me feel so displaced. And that was the first time that I reached out to a birth family member, my birth father. How did you find them? How were you able to find them? I mean, I didn't have really any information about him until one year. It was my 16th birthday and I got a present in the mail.

I had been at like a summer camp or something and my mom was like, there's something on your bed, like someone sent you something. And I opened it and there was a little bracelet in it and it just said, like, been thinking about you, happy 16th birthday, like, love Gilbert. And I was like, who, who is that? And kind of started, I mean, I ran outside, called my best friend and I was like, I just got a weird package and a present and I don't know, I think it's like someone from my birth family and it wasn't just like freely talked about in our home. Yeah, that's what that was gonna be my next question.

Yeah, yeah. So your adoptive parents never really talked about your biological parents? No. Okay. Yeah, my little siblings had a little bit of contact with their like birth families. But yeah, it was never really a conversation that I had. And although my gut kind of told me like, is this wrong?

Like, or is this someone from my family? And I went back inside and my mom was standing in the bedroom and was holding the note that had his name on it. And she was like, like, so we should talk. And I was like, oh, okay. Oh no, so she didn't know it was something. She didn't know.

She just, you know, probably like someone sent me a little gift or something, she didn't know. And that was the first time that I saw pictures of him. And it was- How did you feel? I mean, it was a lot, it was a lot. Up until that time you knew you were adopted, though? Yes.

Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you had never seen your biological parents. Right. Right. So I knew who my dad was, but I didn't know who my birth mom was yet. And at this point, I was kind of just shoving it away,

because I'm like, I'm 16, like, I'm not gonna go out and try and find like my birth family and I don't wanna like open that nut. And- Were you carrying kind of resentment for them because you felt like they abandoned you? You know, I always had, I mean, not in an angry way, but definitely in a sad way. Yeah. There were, like I said, not in an angry way,

but definitely in a sad way. There were, like I said, me and my mom butt heads so much growing up that it was like, I would just try to think about, who's my mom? I bet she wouldn't be like this, or she would understand me more. And I saw my friends had, their moms were their best friends.

And I never really had that. And that as a teenager was really hard. Yeah. My, the little bit of information my mom even, my adopted mom told me about my birth father was that they weren't together and it was an affair that she had had. She was married and had two kids with a man

and then had an affair and had chosen to keep me, thank God. But that was all I really knew. So I had pictures of him, but I didn't have pictures of her yet. When you first saw that picture of your dad, did you guys look alike? Did you instantly connect with it, features? Because I know the first time I saw a picture of my real mom, I was like,

oh my God, I studied her face for hours because I was just like, I have her cheekbones. Oh my God, I have her smile. I have her jawline, you know, like it's crazy when you see a picture of your parent for the first time. So. So the first time I saw a picture of him, I was like, I need to see a picture of my mom because I know I don't look like that. I know I don't look like that. She's like, that is not that is not my daddy. You are not the father.

She's like, is this a joke? I love the honesty though. Because there's a lot of kids who go through this. I personally, I'm listening to you talk and I'm like, yes, yes, like this is, it's so relatable. Yeah, I literally was like, I don't know that can't be my father. And kind of just, okay, now we know a little bit more and I think I'm good.

You know, I'm 16, I was just a baby. So, so a couple. I'm sorry. It was so funny. A couple years later, I finally, and I'm giving you like the real deep deep, but. No, and I appreciate it too, because it really just humanizes you a lot.

Totally. I searched for him on Facebook after a conversation I had had with one of my adopted brothers and his wife. And we were just kind of talking about things and he was like, oh yeah, when you were adopted that was like, that was crazy. And I was like, what do you mean?

And he started telling me all of these things that were like, whoa, I had no idea that my adoption had gone down like that. And it kind of set off a little bit of curiosity and thinking, okay, well, we know what he looks like and I know his name now, like I should just look him up. And it was me and my sister-in-law. And for some reason it felt taboo,

like we weren't supposed to be doing it. And I think maybe a lot of adopted kids feel that way is you don't want to ask your parents questions or make them feel bad or like you're not grateful. Which I feel like is kind of wrong that like, I feel like children should be able to be like, hey, let's have this open line of communication. Because I feel like children should be able to be like, Hey, let's let's have this open line of communication. Because I feel like when you keep like secrets or like

make a kid feel like they have to be secretive, that's just extra pressure and added on trauma that, you know, we shouldn't have to fucking deal with. Yeah, I I wonder, too, because I've I've met a lot more adopted people now. But I do wonder if just different families were different about how open they were. I'm curious to that too. Yeah, most of the people I've met, it was kind of just... I don't know, like an understanding,

because it's not like there was any sort of incident where I brought it up and my mom freaked out or something. It was just like, oh, I don't know, make you feel bad that you had to adopt me. But yeah, a couple years after that incident, me and my sister-in-law were just giggling one night and oh my God, well, a couple years ago, he sent me a bracelet and I know his name

and she's like, what? We have to look him up and I was like, well, a couple years ago, he sent me a bracelet and I like know his name and she's like, what? We have to look him up and I was like, let's do it. Like, I don't care at this point, let's do it. And we found him. I mean, he looks very similar to the picture, but I was like, I don't know. Like there's obviously a lot of black guys on Facebook. Like, I don't know if this is, I don't know if this is right

one and- He's like, hey, are you my dad? No, I know, I don't know if this is, I don't know if this is the right one. And... Just like, hey, are you my dad? No, I know, like how do you continue this? I sent him a friend request and he immediately messaged me back, like immediately and was like, I've been wanting to talk to you, but like I had an agreement with your parents that,

until you were 21, that like, I couldn't come trying to find you. So there's little things like that, but I never felt really compelled to meet him. Or it was just kind of like, okay, you made me great, cool. I'm glad that we connected. And maybe when I'm a little older, I'll want to see you in person or something. But there was nothing that ever felt like it was pulling me too. And then not much longer after that,

just a couple years after that, I got an Ancestry DNA like email from a kid that I had taken a few years back. And it was an email that just said, hey, my name's Donnell. I think you're my sister. Like I've been looking for you and here's my number. And you don't have to reach out if you don't want to.

And I had known previously, like I said, the only thing I knew was my birth mom had had an affair and that she had been married and had two of her own kids. So I knew I had two half siblings. And so- That's so hurtful to know that kind of information too. Oh yeah.

Yeah, yeah. I'm really surprised as private as your adopted mom was that she revealed that to you because I feel like that's more hurtful. I know. Well, it was the only thing I think they, not only thing, but they only knew so much. And I think my mom was definitely

because we were so different. Like I was like, I'm gonna run away child. You know what I mean? And I think she was always afraid of me trying to leave and go find my birth family. Cause I might like it more with them type of thing. You know? And I, so I knew a little bit of that information

and I was like, oh yeah, cool. Like my half brother, like I know he existed. Cool, he's reaching out to me. And I texted him immediately and we got on the phone, probably 20 minutes after he had texted me and he was just like, I have been looking for you and I promised when I was like little, little as a kid that I would find you again because he had known about me. He had known about me his whole life and my whole life.

And I mean, it was a very cool experience to be able to meet someone who I was related to. And we were sending pictures back and forth of like our hands and our ears. So I was like, I have really small ears. Like do you have really small ears? And sending pictures, we have the same exact knees. And I was like, this is so cool to like, finally after my whole life of, and especially being mixed, it's like, who do I look like? Yeah, you just wanna relate.

Yeah, exactly. And my whole life being like, I don't look like anyone and no one looks like me, being able to have that connection. And so we were going through our family tree together and he, okay, there are these things on Ancestry. Every time she does that, I know it's going to be a funny story. Every time she pauses and giggles. No, there's these things on, I'm learning how to laugh about it.

Every day I get closer and closer. Listen, if we don't laugh, we'll cry. Exactly, exactly, exactly. So on AncestryDNA, they have what's called centimorgans, and it basically tells you how related you are to a person. So like 600 centimorgans could be like a cousin, and then like 800 could be like your uncle, and 1500 could be like a cousin and then like 800 could be like your uncle and 1500 could be like a half sibling

and you know anything higher than 2000 is like really high. So that's like a parent or a sibling. And we're looking at our centimorgans and we're like, we're like pretty high up in centimorgans. Like maybe that's why we look so much alike. There must be like DNA overlapping. I don't know something. And he goes, do you see on your family tree, do you see someone named, I'll just say

his name is Bob. Like do you do you see someone on your family tree named Bob right there like as an uncle? And I was like yeah it's saying that that's my uncle. And he's like that's my uncle. And I was like, that's my uncle. And I was like, like on like your mom's side, because that's we share a mom. Yeah. And he was like, No, that's my dad's brother. And I was like, well, it says he's my uncle. So how and as we're looking at the Santa Morgan's, they were like 3000 something. And as we're looking at the centimorgans, they were like 3000 something. And we realized that we were full biological siblings.

And that the guy who had sent me a bracelet that my mom had the affair with and everything, we think my birth mother must have already been pregnant with me when she had the affair and thought that he had gotten her pregnant. But actually it was her legitimate child and her full blood child to her children and her husband and put me up for adoption and didn't know. Oh my gosh. So I mean, it was huge. I can't even, that day I probably blacked out. Yeah, that's heavy. It was a lot.

And just, I had been told little things here and there, and now it was like this whole bucket of truth that I was like, whoa, I don't even know if, if I even want to explore this more, like I don't know, I'm kind of freaking out. And the first thing he was like, whoa, I don't even know if I even want to explore this more. I don't know. I'm kind of freaking out. And the first thing he was like, I've got to tell our dad that you're his child,

because he knew about me the way that he had found out. My birth mother from, and I learned this all after I'd met my actual birth family, but she had put me up for adoption while my, her husband, my birth dad, was deployed. And so he didn't know that I even existed until he saw some papers about me having been adopted and that was how he found out that she had had an affair and gotten pregnant. Oh my goodness.

So he was like, I gotta tell dad. And I was like, do you think she knew? Like, does she know you've been looking for me? Like, what does she feel about it? Like, can we go ask her? Like, we need to like tell her. Yeah, like where's mom in this scenario? He informed me that she had passed away

about four years before that. So I didn't get to meet her. And I think that was probably one of the darkest days of my life so far that I've experienced was finding out that she had passed away. So to answer your question about my biological family, it's a long story, but. So yes, my bio family did find me,

but I've met my birth father, was not able to meet my mom. Well, I want you to know that your feelings are valid. I can see you pushing them back, you know, and I just want you to know that that was as sad of a story as it is, this is part of your journey and this is what makes you who you are. And I know sometimes we don't understand

why things happen to us, but in the long run, you're gonna look back and be like, okay, God, I see what you were doing there. As hurtful as it is, I'm so sorry. Thank you. It's a crazy story that I didn't even know. And I appreciate you for sharing that here because that's that was really a beautiful, you know, testament of who you are. Thank you. I couldn't imagine how you felt that day,

you know, finding out all of that and then, you know, finding out that you have this whole other family over there. Do they at least embrace you now? And do you have a relationship with them now? My brother is like one of my favorite people on the planet. Oh, I love him. He sounds awesome. And my little nephew, he's great. You know, when I was like 17 and I reached out to who we thought was my dad, and in our conversation I had mentioned like,

so like who do you dance or do you sing? Like, I, you know, I love singing and dancing. This is like my passion. Like, is there anyone that like, where does that come from? And he said, no, no, like none of us are really like into that. So like, I don't know, you just must have a gift. And finding my bio, my bio brother and my dad.

They're so musical and my dad was a rapper in the 90s in Atlanta in a rap boy group and was doing musical theater. Yeah, I mean, wait, what? Can we know what group he was in? I don't know what it was called, but he says his rap name was Quavo. Okay. And then he was man who little group.

Quavo without the V. Yeah, exactly. Quavo in the 90s. And my brother like shreds on guitar and is like a great singer. Like it was just so funny how meeting my biological family was like. Just makes sense.

Yeah. And I never had this like an urge to meet the person who I had thought was my dad, but as soon as my brother contacted me, even being my half brother and not knowing he was my full brother, there was just, like, an indescribable magnetism that I feel like immediately, I said, I need to go and meet him.

Yeah, yeah, really interesting. And I'd never had, like, growing up in a family that's not biologically connected is, I'm starting to realize is very different from families who grew up together that are biologically connected. Yeah, it's just something you can't explain. I remember the first, I didn't meet my real mother

until I was late in my 30s. And when I met her and I saw like her mannerisms and just even down to her anxiety, I was like, how am I so much like you? And I've never even been around you. Like it was the craziest thing for me. So I could only imagine how you were feeling. Yeah.

I think I always too, I always believed in, in nurture versus nature. Just cause I didn't have anything else to compare it to. I always thought that my adoptive dad is like an angel of a man. And I love him so much. He's the sweetest human being and just like an angel of a human being.

We don't literally don't deserve him. And I always thought like, I want to be like my dad. And I feel like there's so many things that we have in common and we love the same music. And he taught me to like love disco and jazz. And I always thought I'm just like him. Like there's so much we have in common. And then meeting my brother and my biological father,

I'm like, there's no comparison. And when we're on the phone and my brother goes, you sound just like mom, like you sound just like your mom. And it's so interesting, it's so weird. And you don't realize until- DNA as a motherfucker, it's crazy. And I feel crazy when I say it too, because I'm so amazed by it, because of my life.

But I'm like, y'all people who've been in like full biological families can't even understand how cool that is to have like little bits of you. I don't know, it's just, I didn't grow up like that. It's something that people honestly take for granted. And hearing you say that, I've never thought about that before, but it's real. Yeah.

You know, like it's a privilege to grow up with people that you share blood with and that, you know, you guys are in the same tribe. For sure. Can you guess how many times you've probably tried the latest diet craze? I've tried a few and I can honestly say that Sonobello has made a big difference for me.

From South Beach to keto, even intermittent fasting, I've explored many options, but none have offered the same kind of personalized care and results. The more you yo-yo diet, the more stubborn your fat gets, and then you're screwed. It's not about willpower. You've willed yourself through enough brutal diets and workouts. It's probably genetics, and the doctors at SonoBello can help determine if your body's problem areas are genetic. Wherever you have stubborn diet-resistant fat in inches, SonoBello's micro laser fat removal technology removes it for good in one comfortable visit. What I love most about SonoBello is that it's customized to my body and my specific goals. Their non-invasive procedures helped me target areas I had struggled with for years. I love how

I felt more confident in my own skin and the best part is that I didn't have to go through months of dieting or workouts that just weren't giving me the results I wanted. Those stubborn inches around your tummy are gone. Muffin tops, side fat, gone. Even saggy, loose skin, gone, permanently. All that's left are the beautiful natural curves you've been hoping to get. Warm weather is almost here.

Now is the perfect time to visit Sonobello and get your gold body in time for swimsuit season. Micro laser fat removal is the permanent solution and SonoBello doctors are the experts. Schedule your free consultation now and you'll get their best offer of the season. SonoBello.com slash bunny. That's SonoBello.com slash bunny. Managing your money doesn't have to be complicated.

Sometimes the smallest step can make the biggest difference, whether it's avoiding hidden fees, getting paid early, or having a little extra cushion when you need it. Every smart money move adds up over time. When you open a Chime Checking account, you're one step closer to a better financial future with no maintenance fees, fee-free overdraft up to $200, or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposits. Making progress has never been easier. And if you ever want to access your pay before payday, you can use my pay to get up to $500

of your pay before payday with no mandatory fees or interest. Learn more at chime.com slash bunny. You know that sinking feeling when you check your account and you realize it's in the negative? I've been there. A while back, a friend of mine overdrafted by just a few bucks, literally the cost of a coffee, but got hit with a $35 overdraft fees. I know you guys know what I'm talking about.

I hate those things. That's more than the coffee itself. It felt so unfair and honestly, it happens to so many people. Chime is the kind of banking that actually has your back. And that's why I'm all in. If you've ever been hit with an overdraft fee, trust me, there's a better way with Chime. A Chime checking account helps you make progress with fee-free overdraft up to $200. Next deposit is applied to your balance. Get spotted on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals. Another bonus is an overdraft

up to $200 without fees with SpotMe when you set up a qualifying direct deposit. Chime never charges fees or interest for using SpotMe. Get my pay when you set up qualifying direct deposits of $200 or more. Free transfers within 24 hours or a $2 fee applies to get funds instantly. Make progress towards a better financial future with Chime. Open your account in two minutes at Chime.com slash money. That's Chime.com slash bunny. B-U-N-N-I-E. Chime. It feels like progress. Banking services and debit card provided by the BankCorp Bank NA or Stride Bank NA. Members FDIC. Spot me. Eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply.

Fees apply out of network ATMs. My pay eligibility requirements apply. Credit limits range 20 to 500 dollars. Two dollar fee applies to get funds instantly. Chime checking account required. Go to chime.com slash disclosures for details. So let's bring it back to your childhood with the music. When did you start getting into like music? Was this always embedded in you? Always. So deep. I feel like my first musical experience that I really, really remember was my babysitter watching Grease with me. And I was like, this is everything he is everything that was like a big yeah I was probably maybe five or six when she had like shown me that and it's probably why I also love vintage everything like this is the

first real I think like music that made an impact on who I was and who I was gonna be as a person because that was like, I'm listening to the soundtrack 24 seven, I am dancing around my room and around the house and I am on the coffee table and I am screaming it and watching it all the time. Like my love for music and theater and drama was, it was so early and my parents saw it so early on and were always supportive of everything musical

that I was doing and it's not even a surprise for them that this is what I'm doing and they love it. Yeah. How is your relationship with your adoptive parents now? Amazing. Are you guys still really close? Yes. Yes. And you and mom get along better now? Definitely. She's definitely gotten cooler. Yeah. I think moms get cooler with age. For sure. My little sister still lives at home and she's going through her like, do I want to be at home? Do I want to go to school? Where do I want to go to school? I want to do hair.

What do I want to do with my life? I'm sure there are times where she thinks my mom's pretty uncool, but as I've now been living on my own and I realize how much a lot of the songs I've written last year, but as I've now been living on my own and I realize how much a lot of the songs I've written last year but this year were about my family and like being homesick. I love them so much and they you know they come to any shows that they can when I'm in the area and things and I'm no longer a practicing Mormon, but I mean, they've never shut me out or made me feel like I was less than. And I think have always led with love to everyone around them.

I love that. That's amazing to hear because, you know, a lot of times, especially in Mormonism, you get excommunicated if you don't wanna, that and Jehovah's Witnesses, they're like, you don't want to be a part of it, you can't be a part of our family. So that's-

I'm working on my release papers. Yeah. Yeah. Asking you to get them notarized. Do you feel like your religious trauma has influenced your music at all? Yes. Yeah.

It's really hard. And I think people might be surprised by this actually. Yeah. It's really hard for me to write happy music Oh, you sound like my husband. Yeah, this is the same thing. It's hard. Yeah I think there's so much more for me to write about yeah, like that. It's like not happy Yeah that you had grown up but I mean you do have some sadness that you have to get out and it's kind of cathartic to be able to Put that to pen and paper for sure. I mean it's kind of cathartic to be able to put that to pen and paper. For sure. I mean, it's especially the last year, but kind of the last two years have been,

you know, I created this kind of exterior like safety with my Bajobani mixtape and kind of led with the most extroverted part of me. And it keeps me safe. It makes me feel very safe to have that. And the last probably 100 songs or so have been stories of my life and like stories of my journey and really deep and sometimes scary things that I've written on my own and with people

that I really, really trust and know me top to bottom, inside out, like all the way out. And the album that I'm currently working on and finishing up is like all of that. It's gonna be surprising, I think, for people to see the switch. Yeah.

I heard a quote the other day, I think it said, what the mind feels the heart wants to heal, or is it what the heart feels the mind wants to heal? And that's exactly what's happening to you, is that you have all these feelings inside that you need to heal, and that's your soul telling you, like, hey, buckle bunny's cool and all, but this is who you really are right now.

And I think that with journeys with artists, you guys kind of get snapshots of where you are in your life by the music that you write. And right now, this is your sad girl era. Yeah. And that's okay. Yeah, healing girl era. Healing girl era, yeah.

Healing, you know, like whatever we need to get that out. Yeah. I love that you said, and we're gonna get into your music and stuff like that. I still wanna get into the journey of how you got to where you are, but it's kinda like your buckle bunny thing is like your Sasha Fierce,

you know, like how Beyonce hides behind Sasha Fierce to say crazy shit. That's almost like the, you make a, what is the word that I'm looking for? You have this, you know. Alter ego. Alter ego, yes. That's exactly what it is'm looking for? You have this, you know, alter ego, alter ego. Yes. That's exactly what it is. It's that makes you feel safe because you know, the world, you're so vulnerable and the world is a fucking cruel place. Yeah. So I think

that's pretty cool that you did that and you've built such a huge brand with that's how I discovered you was the whole book. Well, I mean, on brand makes it. Yeah, for sure. But aside from my husband, I didn't even know my husband knew anything about you until I was like, hey, I was at the Houston rodeo doing your song. And he was like, hey, I know Tanner. And I was like, you do? And then he told me the story. And I was like, that's awesome.

So let's take it. So when did you decide to leave home and go out on your own? And when did you know that music was what you were going to do? So I was living at home when the pandemic hit. Okay. So that whole year I feel like was, I mean, that was the craziest year ever.

2020 was insane. Yeah. And. It was a crazy year. I was just like finding beats online and on BeatStars and writing in my room and recording things in my closet. I mean, there were no live performances happening. There was nothing going on.

So I feel like this year of growth and really deciding that this is what I wanted to do, I went to Utah Valley University and I was in a band there and really realized that I loved performing live and my teacher was like, you need to either go to Nashville or you need to go to LA and you need to like pick one or the other. You shouldn't even be in school.

Why are you in school? You should just be out there doing this. I love teachers like that. She's amazing. Her name is Nancy. She's amazing. Her name is Nancy. She's amazing. And I was like, you're right. And I had a friend who had come out to Nashville

and he was like, you should just go out there right for just a little bit and see if you like it. And for some reason, something inside me just clicked and I was like, oh, I'm moving to Nashville. So I moved to Nashville a couple days later. I'd never been, I literally did not know anybody, and it was, that kind of gave me my little, you know, push to go out on a limb and start writing.

I just started writing with everyone around town and... Just start going to like writers' rooms and stuff. Is that how you ended up with us? Because I think that's- So I, the first people that I worked with was Andrew Bayless. Yeah. And Michael Whitworth.

Oh, I love Lambert. They were the first people I wrote with and actually when they started working together, I literally was like, oh, they're working with Jelly. I literally heard of them, that's so sick. And yeah, they're working with Jelly, I literally heard them, that's so sick. And yeah, they're the first people that I wrote with in town, I love them both so much. They're amazing, they're talented at what they do.

Yes. Yeah. And they're like very, I mean, they were, you know, kind of putting their necks out for me a little bit. The first song that I released with them was Country Girl Commandments, which had like this dubstep drop after the chorus. And I was like, I don't care. I was like, let's do it.

And Andrew was like, let's fucking do it. Yeah. Where do you get your sounds from? Because you do, okay, so do you consider yourself a country music artist? Yeah. Or do you, is there- I consider myself a pop country artist.

That's what I feel like. Cause you mix like a little bit of hip hop. Yeah, it's just like different. It's different pop influences than most girls in country choose when they do like pop country. I feel like it's so hard to pigeonhole you though, because you're so brandable, you know?

And like you could go either way, like every way. I think, you know, I grew up trying to distinguish, like, am I a California or am I Wyoming? And it was when I stopped thinking like that, that my sound kind of like just came together and really is like the glue that holds my whole brand together now. But it, you know, it took some years to kind of figure that part out for sure.

Do you feel like you're still finding your sound? No. You know what you're like. Yeah, I know exactly who I am. Yeah. I love it. So working with Wentworth and Bayless, how did you get such notoriety? Because I feel like, and I know everybody says this about my husband so I know it's not true,

but I feel like you popped up on the scene all of a sudden and it was just like, okay, who is this girl? I followed you and I was just like, oh my God, she's adorable. I love your aesthetic. I love how like original you are. Like I love that because you know, in a world full of people who are so unoriginal,

it's you can, the ones that actually have their own shit stand out. Totally. And you totally were like that to me. How did this come about? I mean, after I wrote with Andrew and Michael, I who I I don't even know why I called them that, because I call them both Bayliss and Whitworth. So I don't know why I even said their first name.

But after that, Country Girl Commandments kind of got like sent around a little bit. And I had my publishing deal in about six months after I moved to Nashville. And I feel like from there on, it was TikTok. It was just putting my original music on TikTok and people were like, we like this. Yeah. TikTok has such a stepping stone for people. I get so mad at people when they're like, oh, you guys are just TikTokers.

Like when they say that to other people and I'm like, it's exhausting. I'm like, yeah, that's what I'm saying. I'm like, do you understand how hard it is to keep people's attention day after day, time after time? Like that's not easy. Not everybody can do that. So was Buckle Bunny your first like song that took off?

No. Really, which one was it? Love You A Little Bit was the first song. And it wasn't through TikTok really, like it did numbers on TikTok, but it like blew up on Twitter or X. Oh wow. Yes.

That's hard to do. I know and it was like positive. It like wasn't hate. I was like that platform scares me. Yeah it was like really good. That actually was my first kind of splash. And then by the time Buckle Bunny came around, it was like, oh, that's our girl that's in country

that's doing that. Wow. Yeah. That's amazing. It was very cool. Yeah. Cause I remember seeing Buckle Bunny come on and I was just like, oh my God, this is amazing. And I loved it.

And just glad. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I still bump it to like all the time. Thank you. It did definitely bring a fresh, you know, genre blending sound to country music. What inspired the mixtape concept and what message did you want to send with that?

So I wanted it to be, I still haven't had my debut album come out. I had last call, which was my first EP and then my second EP is Buckle Bunny with a few singles in between. I called it a mixtape because I felt like I wanted it to be like every spot on the spectrum that I can shine and I wanted it to all have kind of a

country foundation because that is who I am at the core but then pinpointing things that I love in other genres, and not even really while trying, just that those are my moods. And I wanted it to truly feel like a mix, but also still cohesive, but something that didn't box me in, and I could go whatever direction I wanted after that. Yes, I love that.

You have a new album that's coming out called Going Blonde. Is that gonna be your first debut album? It's gonna be my debut album. What is the inspiration to that? And what would the, first of all, what's the inspiration to the title? Going Blonde, is it the obvious? So,

wait, tell me what you mean by the obvious. Well, going blonde, you know, like you're going blonder. Okay, so that's exactly what I want everyone to think, yes. So I rewind back to the day where I found out my mom passed away. I hadn't seen a picture of her yet and I asked my brother if I could have a picture of her. And he sent a picture and my jaw dropped

and I was like, ding, ding, ding. This is definitely my mom. I absolutely was, she's stunning, beautiful woman. And I said to him, I was like, did she get told that she looked like Dolly Parton like a lot? And he was like, she got that all the time. It was the first thing I thought was like that she looked like Dolly Parton like a lot? And he was like, she got that all the time. It was the first thing I thought was like,

she looks like Dolly Parton. And I kind of had a little bit of a, you know, mental breakdown after having this information. I just had this picture of her that looked like Dolly. And so I started looking up everything about Dolly. And I had like, I wasn't like a Dolly Parton, die hard fan my whole life. Like I knew all her biggest songs,

but I did a major deep dive on her and was just trying to rack up as many pictures that I could that looked like my mom. I watched all of her interviews on YouTube that I could find any live performances. I could find every movie performances, I could find every movie that she had been in, trying to like almost like see my mom again. Because there are no videos of my birth mom or anything, but it was the closest thing

was Young Dolly. And I learned a lot about her during this time. And I learned that the song that she actually broke with was a song called Dumb Blonde and Ding Ding Ding. And I loved this song. I thought, how cool is that? She just like made this cheeky witty, like, oh yeah, don't mind me.

I'm just a dumb blonde while she's over here being an absolute icon. Literally. And I loved the idea of how cheeky and witty it was, but also how much of an identity I actually found in that. In, you know, growing up as a little girl, like my hair in the sun would streaks of blonde, and I always thought it was so weird. And where does this hair come from? And people are always saying, oh, do you dye your hair

like your parents dye your hair? And I'm like, no, my parents don't dye my hair. This is just what my hair looks like. And it kind of was like a weird emotional attachment that I had to how blonde not only Dolly Parton was, but how blonde my own biological mother was. And I wanted to do that, but you'd think it was gonna be cheeky,

but it's actually just the real reason why I am blonde like this. And it's because it makes me feel close to my mom. It makes me feel like she's protecting me. Like when I, it makes me feel safe. And I wrote a song about it actually called Going Blonde. And it was pretty soon after I'd found out this information and kind of done my deep dive.

And it feels like it just came to me from either her or the heavens, I don't know. I was literally in a bar across the street from my apartment. And the idea came to me and I wrote it down on my phone, just like, just the words. I just had all the words and I wrote it down. I was too scared to get up and like go home in case I forgot something. Wrote the whole song sitting at the bar and then ran across the street home and put chords to it. And

it has inspired this album that is going to be my stories of who I am and where I come from and why I am the way that I am. And yeah, that's called going blonde. I am so excited for this album. I feel like we're actually finally getting to see who you are. Yeah. You know, and I think that's a beautiful thing. You're like a butterfly. You're literally like warping.

I feel like it. This is going to be so therapeutic for you. You've made me almost cry like three times. No, no. Oh, wait for the album. Oh, I can like it. This is gonna be so therapeutic for you. You've made me almost cry like three times since sitting here. No, no. Oh my God. I'll wait for the album. Oh, I can't wait. I'll just, I'll video myself just, just ugly crying.

We see the outside of being blonde, but it's like, there's a source of like, confidence that it comes from for all of us. Absolutely. And I just, I just interviewed Dolly. Amazing. Yeah. And she's so fucking just, she's hilarious. First of all, she is not as sweet as everybody thinks she is.

She is sassy and she is fiery, but that is what I named my podcast, Dumb Blonde, because it's an oxymoron, because, you know, when I walk in a room, everybody's like, Oh, look at this dumb blonde, you know? And then, but really, as soon as I opened my mouth, they're like, oh, wait a second, maybe she's not so dumb, you know? Exactly.

So I completely relate to the going blonde thing. And I think we should clip that and send that to Dolly's team. Have you ever got to meet her? I haven't been able to meet her yet. Danny, her her manager, Danny is amazing. And she's so welcoming to new female artists, too. So I'm going to clip that and send that to Dani for you. I love that.

I feel like, I mean, obviously she's an icon, but it's like, it's kind of weird because of like, I look at her like she's a depiction of my mom. Literally, she's my, I call her mom. Yeah, literally. She is like, she's mother to a lot of us. She is. She is. She's raising us.

So ongoing, so on going blonde, is it going to be like any, is it going to be like all ballads or is it like a mixture of emotions? Like, are we going to still get the hip hop vibe and the techno vibe and all that stuff that we've gotten before? It is introspective. It's a sound that I haven't done like deep dive fully into doing, but it appears in certain places all over the last, you know, two years of my releasing music. And it's romantic in a non-romantic way And it's romantic in a non-romantic way

and heartbreak in a non-romantic way. And just like the heartbreak life sometimes brings on us. But yeah, I mean, I feel like I'm becoming a woman with it. When do you think it'll be dropping? Oh, I have no idea. Not yet, we don't know. Hopefully, I'm aiming for the top of the year. That's what I've been saying the last couple of months. Last year I had like just no time for anything at all.

So busy. But I'm like aiming for top of the year. You've been everywhere too. Like I have every, I see you in like New York. You're like out of the country. Like what are you doing right now? Like give me like what are we doing? Is this appearances?

Are you just living the life that you deserve or what's going on? I finally have a moment to breathe. And I think it's very important for me. I mean, it's you know, everything's going to be starting up now, but it's winter, it's dark, it's cold, it's snowing every once in a while, and so it's giving me a little bit of time to recharge. Yeah, and to be on that healing journey.

Exactly. Let's talk about the Beyonce stuff. Yeah! Because girl, when I saw that, I was so giddy. First of all, I'm talking about just the first announcement that you came out with and that you were gonna be on the album. And I just remember thinking to myself, like, she's going to be the next big thing.

Like, I'm so excited for you because I know that had to have just been like. A moment, insane. Can we talk about it? Yes, I mean, there's some things I can't like detail, but like. Yeah, that was that was like the crazy, the week leading up to the album was the craziest week of my life. Yeah.

I didn't tell anyone, nobody knew, only my manager knew, he was the only person. So it was kind of this funny anticipation as I'm having friends hitting me up and being like, the album's coming, oh my God, like you would tell me if you were on it right, like you'd tell me. And just kind of that sigh of relief that like,

okay, like the secret's out, like I can breathe again. Like what an honor though. Like it's like when Beyonce calls, that's like the fucking president is calling. You know, like you just want that phone call because she's so, she doesn't normally work. Like what she did on the car where i'm sorry cowboy carter um was completely different than what she's yeah normally ever done

she's never collaborated the way she did on cowboy carter so that was like really special for you guys for you to have made it on there too yes i i think people would be happy to know because there's so many people who talk their shit on Beyonce. But yeah, she's like, she's genuinely one of the warmest people I think I feel like I've met. I don't get the Beyonce. She's kind. Yeah, like she's and she's funny and she's very cool. Yeah, I love that. Yeah. What was it like when you first got to meet her? Did you was your first time meeting her at the Super Time Super Bowl halftime show? So I can't disclose. OK, gotcha.

The first time I met her. OK. But she gave me a hug that I will never forget. And it was just magical. Yeah. It's almost like kind of like passing the baton of like, hey, was just magical. Yeah. Yeah. It's almost like kind of like passing the baton of like, hey. Oh God. Oh God.

Listen, going blonde might be your Beyonce album. You never know. You never know. You never fricking know. What was it like performing at the halftime show? I mean, the girls are so beautiful. We all have our little tattoos, you know. Tierra and I had a little congratulatory dinner.

And, you know, it's just a lot of gratitude. Just a lot of gratitude and a lot of fun. And I mean, I'm excited being able to step into this year with everything that I accomplished last year. It feels like I wish I could just put it in a little time capsule and like dig it up in 10 years and like remember it all again. You can if you wanted to.

But it was, yeah, it was so special. I love that. So what do we have to look forward to with Tanner in 2025? I am the most excited for C2C. What is that? It's country to country. It's a music festival, country music festival, and a bunch of the artists go and play

the country festivals abroad, overseas. So it'll be in London and in Ireland and Glasgow. Yeah, it's like over the course of like five days. Yeah. And I've never even, I think Laney's headlining them this year, but it's so fun. It's one of my favorite things we do. I love traveling.

So I'm like excited to go back to Australia. I'm excited. I got a few shows in Stockholm and in Oslo. Like I am, your girl is out. Your girl's out. Catching flights, not feelings. Exactly, exactly. When's your birthday?

June 27th. Okay, so your cancer video. Yes, yes, I'm a cancer. I can see that. You have super, super soft feminine energy. Oh, I love that. See, do you guys see it? Every time I meet a cancer girl, I'm like,

I could totally see it. You guys are just so, you guys exude femininity. Thank you. Wait, what are you? I'm a Capricorn Aquarius. My birthday's in two days. How cute. Happy birthday.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Ipher. We stop counting when you get to my age. When we get to my age, we start going backwards. We're like, I think I'm 31, maybe 27. I don't know. Love that. So Tanner, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Where can I tell people

to find you and if they already don't follow you? I mean, definitely Instagram because who knows how much longer we'll even have TikTok, but TikTok obviously and YouTube is going to be popping this year. So that's all I'll say. Let's go. Is there any cool collabs that you have coming up that you can kind of hint to? Not that I can say. Damn it. All right, off camera.

I need to know. Yes. All right. I'll tell you. I love you so much, Tanner. And I wish you nothing but success. You deserve it. And you are just a little angel.

And I can't wait to see you grow. Thank you so much. Of course. And thank you guys for tuning in to another episode of Dumb Blonde. I'll see you guys next week. Bye.