December 18, 2024 • 31 mins
Award-winning singer and songwriter Roberta Lea takes the spotlight as she shares her incredible journey from Norfolk, Virginia, to the vibrant heart of the country music scene. We explore her transition from piano to guitar, inspired by her great-grandmother's legacy and her parents' passion for storytelling. Roberta's reflections on the role of narrative in country music reveal a deep, personal connection to the genre, making her story a must-listen for anyone fascinated by the transformative power of music. Together, we paint a vivid picture of how her roots and influences shaped her unique musical style, bringing authenticity and heart to every note she sings.
We also address the challenges Black artists face in the country music industry, shining a light on the struggle for recognition and the exciting resurgence of Black musicians redefining the genre. Roberta's insights emphasize the importance of collaboration, both in music and beyond, as she discusses her work as a children's book co-author and her partnerships with talented industry professionals. This episode promises to inspire with tales of resilience and creativity, illustrating how building connections and leveraging collective strengths can lead to extraordinary achievements. Tune in for a conversation brimming with cultural insights and inspiring stories that celebrate the enduring spirit of collaboration and innovation.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carla Tuner (00:02):
Yes, welcome to another episode of M&B TV, where
we love to shine a light on thebest of the best, of those who
are moving the needle in the 757and surrounding areas.
Today, on M&B Media TV, I'll beyour guest host, carla Turner,
and we have award-winning singerand songwriter, Roberta Lea.
(00:26):
Thank you so much for being onM&B Media TV.
Thank you for having me.
Well, roberta, we believe thateveryone has their own unique
journey of how they want tonavigate through life, and so
here we are to talk about yourjourney.
Now, I know we have somethingin common.
Yes, we do.
We are both from the city ofNorfolk, virginia.
(00:49):
We both attended RosemontMiddle School.
Yes, we did Even differentyears.
Now I'm a little more seasoned,a little more seasoned.
Roberta Lea (00:59):
Okay, not too much Not too, far, but we around
there.
Carla Tuner (01:02):
I think when you came through I might have been a
teacher over there.
Roberta Lea (01:05):
Okay.
Carla Tuner (01:05):
Yes, and also Norview High School, yes.
So I am so interested.
How does a young lady from myneighborhood?
How do you decide country,especially when everybody would
think hip-hop, rap, r&b, yeah,what would make you choose?
Roberta Lea (01:27):
country.
It's interesting Sometimes Iwonder if, did I choose country,
did country choose me?
Type of?
That's been my experience.
I started to do open mics, Istarted to play, I was writing
my music.
I had a piano at home that myhusband had bought me when we
got married and I would write mysongs to piano.
(01:50):
But when it came to going toopen mics and trying to perform
them, it was a littleinconvenient to try to lug a big
old keyboard everywhere.
So I started to switch to guitarand as I started switching to
guitar, I started writing toguitar and it kind of just took
on the style on its own and Iwould just listen to the
(02:10):
feedback, really, from otherpeople.
People would listen to my songs.
They're like man, you got likea, you got like a country vibe
to you.
And someone actually coined theterm country neopop.
Yeah, shout out to my friend,josh, josh Sanders, and he was
like you got like country, likeif, if, ndr was country.
And so I'm getting thisfeedback from other people and I
(02:35):
release a couple of songs.
I release Remarkable Lady, Irelease King Size and people are
like oh, roberta, roberta'sdoing country and I'm like I'm
not, I'm not trying to docountry.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
I don't know.
Roberta Lea (02:47):
So when I write songs, I don't think about it.
I don't make a consciousdecision to say this song is
going to be R&B or this song isgoing to be country or this song
is going to be pop.
I write a song and however itgets expressed when I produce,
it is how it comes out.
Carla Tuner (03:10):
And it seems as though country just felt a
little more at home for me.
Well, tell me a little bitabout it feeling at home.
It sounds like you're sayingthat your songs have a life of
their own.
Yeah, and so tell me aboutwhere you think that life
originated for you.
Roberta Lea (03:19):
I think it.
I think a lot of it leans intostorytelling.
My family, my mom, my dadthey're big storytellers.
Now that I visit them for theholidays and I'm a little bit
more aware of it, they arestorytellers.
My dad loves history, my momwith the music and the jazz and
(03:40):
you know, if she has a littleweekend she would tell me all
about her weekend and all thesedetails.
They are really great attelling stories and so I was a
teacher for a little while.
I taught at Lake Taylor HighSchool in Booker T Washington.
Shout out to the Titans, to theBookers and that was a natural
(04:01):
expression for me is to explainthings Right and to help my
students understand and tellstories like my parents told
stories.
So when you look at a genre ofcountry music that is a very
that's a key component incountry music is three chords
and the truth they call it thatstorytelling component that a
lot of genres started with Umand as the genre started to move
(04:25):
through the machine of themusic industry, it's like, okay,
well, what sells Um and theblues, country gospel, um, r and
B was, and hip hop hip hop inthe beginning was extremely
heavy in storytelling.
So all of those things are liketrue to to popular American
(04:45):
music, and um country is one ofthe few genres that's still
holding onto, still holding ontothat element, and so that's
that's how I feel like that'show I felt a little bit more at
home in that space.
Carla Tuner (04:58):
Well, I know, before the interview we talked a
little bit about your greatgrandmother and how we become a
legacy, yeah, and how dreams anddesires and just how we are
actually a recreation of whatcame before us.
(05:21):
Tell me just, I just was sofascinated by that.
Just about your greatgrandmother yeah, I really do
believe.
Roberta Lea (05:27):
I have.
There's a picture of my greatgrandmother that's been around.
I've seen it a million timessince I was a little girl.
It's just a classic picture.
That's in that like sepia, likeblack and white sort of style,
and I've seen this picture amillion times.
She's standing in front of amicrophone with a guitar.
I always saw that picture, just, and that's there's.
(05:48):
That's my great grandma, and Inever paid it any mind until
2019, 2020.
I remember we were um visitingmy uncle.
He would have this big birthdayparty for my, my baby cousin
and um we're all up there and hehas those pictures, family
pictures, all on the wall.
(06:08):
And that was around the timethat I really started to pursue
music and say that I'm going togive this a shot, when I really
decided and really made adecision and said, no, I'm going
to do this, I'm tired of havingone foot in, one foot out and
not making up my mind.
So I remember it was aroundthat time like I made up my mind
.
I'm like I'm going to do this,I got to figure this out.
(06:28):
And there we are.
We're up there and I'm lookingat the family pictures and I'll
look at so-and-so when they're ababy and I see that picture.
Oh, my God, that picture, I'veseen it a million times.
That is my truth.
That picture I've seen amillion times.
That is my truth and I dobelieve there is.
(06:54):
You know, scientifically I'm nottoo, that's not like my space,
but there has been some notesthat I've seen where they talk
about your cells maintainingmemory Right and, and of course,
we get ourselves, we get ourgenetics from our mothers and
our mothers, mothers and ourmothers, mothers, right.
And so the possibility and justthe idea that the, the desires
of my great grandmother whateverthat looked like for a black
(07:16):
woman in the 1930s, travelingand trying to do music, um found
its way to me when I was an egginside my mother, who is an egg
inside her mother, who is anegg inside her mother.
Right, it's absolutelyfascinating.
And all this time I I saw thatpicture and I just it just
(07:39):
didn't dawn on me until Ifinally made that decision and I
looked at it.
I said it was there the wholetime and I really do believe
that.
I believe that our desires, ourgoals, our dreams are not our
own, but they're a constantmanifestation, re-manifestation
of everyone who's come before us.
Carla Tuner (07:53):
So how did that picture?
How does that memory seeingthat picture propel you forward
in this business where you're ananomaly?
Yeah, how does that?
How is that connection betweenher and you?
Help you remind you?
Roberta Lea (08:13):
Oh, there's work that needs to be done Okay, yeah
, there's, there's somethingthat needs to be completed and
her journey in the 1930s.
There were a number of reasonswhy it could not come to full
fruition, right, and I'm sure wecould put all the pieces
together, whether it be, youknow, you have depression over
here and war over there, anddiscrimination over here, and
(08:35):
racism over there, and sexismhere and all that kind of stuff.
So there were a number ofobstacles in her way, obstacles
and and in her way.
And so, for whatever reason, um, for those reasons not just
whatever reason, but for anumber of those reasons um,
there was a pause in thatexpression of of music, and
(08:58):
although her, although shepassed away in the sense of
being hardware that had expired,she created new hardware
through her daughter and herdaughter's daughter and her
daughter's daughter, right, andso eventually, the cells
maintain that memory.
I was like, oh, wait, wait, asecond.
(09:18):
I know one day I pick up thatguitar and my cells are like, oh
, I know what this is, I knowwhat this is, I know what to do
with this, right, and so for me,that connection with my great
grandmother is I'm, I am the tobe continued, right, the sequel,
if you will.
Carla Tuner (09:39):
I have to ask this and I'm going to look at the
other questions.
He can edit anything I say anypauses?
Speaker 3 (09:44):
I have he can edit out.
Carla Tuner (09:45):
How do you think you making a decision to pursue
country music and you don't look, even though now we see that
there are more artists who arepursuing country music?
How do you think this impactsyour daughter, not as a singer,
(10:06):
but just as a person whobelieves that she can do
anything, that she can pursue,anything that she's not defined
by what other people see whenthey see her, that she creates.
How do you think thatinfluences just watching you,
because I've seen your daughterat performances Okay, Watching
(10:28):
you.
How do you think that impactsher?
Roberta Lea (10:30):
Oh, I certainly hope that it instills in her the
audacity you know.
I want her to know that shebelongs in any room that she
sets her mind to, and that thereare going to be obstacles,
there are going to be challenges, there are going to be plenty
of people who don't think youbelong there, and that doesn't
(10:51):
have anything to do with theassignment that you have to
complete.
It doesn't have anything to dowith that.
Right, all of the rooms that mygreat-grandmother could not
enter into, all theopportunities that she was not
afforded.
Right, that didn't haveanything to do with her seat
(11:16):
later on.
Right, it's like okay, itdidn't happen here, but we could
give it another shot later.
And the difference between mygeneration and my daughter's
generation, or whateverexperience that she's going to
have, there's going to be thatmuch more of opportunity, that
much more of freedom for her topursue, no matter what it is
(11:38):
that she that she decides to gofor I like that word you use
audacity.
Carla Tuner (11:44):
I think more of us need that.
Yeah, I think that that's whatmotivates us to continue.
So tell me personally.
We talked about the challengesyour great grandmother faced in
the 1930s being an artist.
What do you think arechallenges that black artists in
country music today face?
(12:05):
Hmm, Um.
Roberta Lea (12:08):
So I think, as a black artist in um, the, the
genre today, um, there are a lotof times in which I could write
a song that is straight downthe middle.
I mean three chords story twang.
(12:29):
It is a country song and, forwhatever reason, powers that be,
people with influence will hearmy music and say, oh, but
you're kind of more R&B, andit's like well, it sounds
(12:50):
exactly like this song on theradio that you're playing in
country.
One of the challenges that alot of black artists that are in
genres that it's and it's veryhard to express, because
American music is black musicLike we.
We have influenced every singlebranch of popular American
music.
That includes rock and roll,that includes country music yes,
(13:13):
it does.
Okay, um, that includes danceand everything um is is ours, we
can lay claim to.
But no matter what genre thatyou decide to, that they say is
outside of the box forAfrican-Americans, they just
(13:36):
there, just is this desire tojust say, no, you're, you're hip
hop or you're R&B, that's whereyou belong.
And it's like no, I'm, like I'm, I'm trying to tell you that
this is, it's a country song.
So the challenge for Blackartists and country music and in
(13:56):
these other genres is provingourselves and not having the
freedom and flexibility thatother artists get to experience.
What do I mean by that?
Chris Stapleton is one of mypeople.
Love Chris Stapleton, I loveChris Stapleton.
I love Chris Stapleton.
I love Chris Stapleton.
(14:17):
Their songwriting,vocalizations, everything and he
can be as soulful and as R&B ashe wants.
There's a lot of songs whereI'm like that's a little more on
the R&B side, that's more onthe soulful side, but he gets to
be considered country.
I'll never forget listening toPatsy Cline.
(14:38):
Okay, virginia girl and I wasdiving into the country music
world, so I was listening andcatching up on all the standards
.
So I'm listening to Patsy Cline, who is this queen of country
music They've, I've heard andI'm listening to her songs.
I'm like that's pop, that ispop.
That, that is a pop song.
(15:00):
You know I'm I listened toanother song.
I'm like that's, that's jazz.
I would listen to the Carterfamily, which is considered the
first family of country music.
This is where popular Americancountry music all began.
It's the Carter family, right,I believe, right in Bristol,
virginia, and this is where itall started and I'm like that's
(15:23):
gospel.
They are singing a gospel song,they are singing about Jesus.
They are singing a gospel songand they get to be called
country gospel song and they getto be called country.
But when war and treaty has agospel under undercurrent,
because of their, their, theirbig voices, they have a natural
(15:45):
gospel undercurrent, but they'resinging country songs.
They're singing three chords inthe truth, but because of that
natural undercurrent, they'relike oh, you're not, they're not
country, they're, they're gone,they're this.
Oh, no, you're not.
You know, just because BritneySpencer has some runs and the
and and some fluidity in hervocals, oh, that's, that's so.
(16:06):
That is the challenge thatblack artists face in these
different genres is, um, ourexpression of the genre gets
picked apart and they use it asan excuse to exclude us versus
when another artist does it,it's innovative, it's, oh, it's
something different, oh, this is, this is fun, this is new, this
(16:29):
is exciting, and they getnumber ones on on the radio and
so, without getting into all ofthe, the things, that would be
the best, that would be the bestexplanation for those
challenges.
Carla Tuner (16:45):
I think, as I sat and listened to you talk about
the challenges and you see, kindof this mass exodus into
country music by black artists,the interest in country music,
how do you think that willimpact the historical roots,
which are very strong, you know,being someone who loves music
(17:06):
and loves museums and havinggone to Nashville, if we look
for the history, the historyisn't shy about the figures but
it's not put out theremainstream.
Do you think that just thismass exodus will help revive the
(17:27):
history of the people who looklike you and I, who are were in
country music before it waspopular?
Roberta Lea (17:35):
oh yeah, absolutely , I mean, um, I think one of the
best things on Beyonce's recordis her feature of Linda Martel,
who was the first black womanto chart country music charts
back in the 1960s, um, and, Ibelieve, the first black woman
to have performed on the GrandOle Opry, um, and so her
presence on Beyonce's album wasa huge deal, because the world
(17:57):
didn't know who Linda Martel was.
You know, she came and then shewas easily forgotten and swept
underneath the machine of theindustry.
So I think that this Blackcountry music renaissance has
definitely given platform todiscuss the historical figures
(18:20):
and the contributions that we'vemade to country music.
There just needs to be aconsistency, like we just got to
keep being consistent.
Carla Tuner (18:29):
And who do you feel that the responsibility of that
consistency falls on, and whodo you feel that the
responsibility of thatconsistency falls on.
Roberta Lea (18:37):
There are a lot of roles, a lot of parts that
people play.
So, as the artists, of course,we're the faces of the
conversation, but then there are, for example, BET has a great
(19:01):
opportunity to start providingplatform for country music.
Wow, Right, and so it's.
It's a matter of all of thosespaces.
I I have my way of organizingmyself as an artist, and so I
call it the three Ps you haveproduct, you have press and you
have performances right.
And so you create your product,you record, you get press to
(19:22):
talk about your product and thenyou perform your product.
And so, when we're talking aboutBlack contribution to country
music, in the grand scheme ofthings, well, we have Black
artists that are creating thisproduct.
We need Black press right,Essence Magazine, BET, et cetera
, the African American Museum ofHistory and all of these
(19:45):
different spaces to talk aboutit and to create a buzz around
it.
And then we need those placesto create platforms, give us
opportunity to perform right andto keep it going and not be
just a little spark, a littlefad, a little something that
Beyonce did.
Beyonce is going to do country.
She probably might do rock next.
(20:05):
We don't know Right, she's just.
She is just the icon of hergeneration.
She's going to do.
We need systems in place thatare going to maintain that
support well beyond Beyonce,well beyond the artists that are
going to come and go.
Carla Tuner (20:19):
Wow, I hope that anyone who hears this interview
you lay it out beautifully howit needs to be structured, how
to keep this going.
There are so many reasons whywhat you're saying is important
because, like you said, it'sstorytelling we need to hear.
If there wasn't another timethere, if there wasn't a time in
(20:42):
history where we needed to hearthese stories is now, and a lot
of time.
That's where change came.
It came in the music.
That's where change came.
It came in the music.
Understand, it came in themusic and so we definitely need
that today.
Let me see you are not only arecording artist, but you're
(21:03):
also a children's book author.
Where did that inspiration comefrom?
Roberta Lea (21:10):
Kiki, curly, fuzzy, wavy Shout out to Demia Lindsay
Mitchell, who is the author.
I got to co-author the bookwith her and I met her at Booker
T and it was like one of thoseconversations that happen.
You feel like you've known thatperson for your entire life.
And so she was telling me aboutthe creative project she was
(21:33):
working on.
I was telling her the creativethings and she shared with me
this book idea that she had.
And as a songwriter, I read herdraft and I said, you know, as a
songwriter, I need like the DrSeuss vibes, I need the rhythm,
I need like something to followalong, and so I asked her that
day.
I said, do you mind if I take itand like work on expressing it
(21:55):
the way I kind of see how it'sflowing?
And so she gave me fullpermission to do that and by the
time I got it back to her, itwas just a fun, beautiful rhythm
and it was something that wasimportant to me because my
daughter was small at the time.
She was around four or fiveyears old, and I've had tough
conversations with her where shewanted to change her outward
(22:15):
appearance to to something thatshe assumed was more valuable,
right, and she didn't like.
She wanted her hair straightall the time and she wanted
Right.
And so I had to take thatopportunity to speak to her.
(22:35):
And when that opportunity tocreate that book, to co-create
that book with Demia, came about, it seemed like it all kind of
just all the stars aligned.
And that's how we ended upexpressing that little message
to not only just my daughter,but other little black girls who
need to feel proud of the crownthat they have on their heads.
Carla Tuner (22:58):
Like you said before, it's in the stories.
A lot of lessons are in thestories.
A lot of ways that will reachpeople, particularly young
people.
It's in the stories.
Roberta Lea (23:06):
I think storytelling is a lost art.
It's a lost art.
Carla Tuner (23:12):
I think so.
We've seen some of the plots ofthe current things that are
going on.
We've seen some of the plots.
Let's see here what's next forRoberta Lee in 2025.
What do you have?
Roberta Lea (23:27):
coming up.
2025, I'm hoping to get into mycollaborator bag.
Okay, is what I'm hoping to getinto my collaborator bag.
Okay Is what I'm lookingforward to.
The last three years have beenquite a rollercoaster, in a very
beautiful way, and I want tostart zeroing in on the
(23:51):
connections that I've made andthe people that I've met along
the way, and I look forward tocollaborating collaborating with
other artists, collaboratingwith producers and creating that
momentum again.
So 2025 is all about connecting, making those connections in
(24:15):
the community and creatingsomething beautiful out of it.
Carla Tuner (24:22):
Now I do have a question that says what would
you say to a young person toinspire them, but I think I'm
going to change it a little bit.
Ok, what would you say to ayoung person about the
importance of collaboration?
We throw that word around a lot, but I don't think we really
get the value of what thatreally means.
(24:44):
What would you tell a youngperson about collaboration?
Roberta Lea (24:47):
There's a?
There's a proverb I think itmight be an African proverb, I'm
sorry I can't quote exactlywhere I got it from, but it says
if you want to go fast, goalone, but if you want to go far
, go together.
We are an extension of oneanother.
(25:11):
I would tell a young person youcannot be in every room.
It's physically impossible,physically, financially, right.
You cannot be everywhere.
When you collaborate withpeople, they have the
(25:31):
opportunity to mention your namein rooms that you may not be
able to step in.
Prime example, my engineer is aseven time Grammy nominated
engineer.
He works with, I mean, hementions casually and I'm not
(25:57):
going to say the artist, but hementions so casually.
Oh yeah, so-and-so, I'm doingthese tracks or I'm scoring for
this person, this humongousperson, right?
That you would die to get anopportunity, a chance to work
with them, right, um, you know,and, and that's just yeah, I'm
(26:23):
doing this for them.
And artists nowadays are veryDIY.
You can get studio equipmentset it up in your room.
You can get your littleinstruments here and there, and
you could.
It may not be great, but youcould write on your own record
(26:48):
on your own and release all byyourself.
I could do that.
I have a studio at home, I havea little sound booth, I have my
piano.
I could do that.
I have a studio at home, I havea little sound booth, I have my
piano, I have my guitar, I havethe plugins, I have all the
things.
I could do most of that bymyself, and I could go on
YouTube and figure out how tomix it myself and figure out how
to master myself to save myselfa couple of dollars.
That's fine, that's fine.
(27:10):
But if, when I, when I look atthat in comparison to spending
that extra money and getting it,getting quality work made at a
studio by a seven time Grammynominated engineer and getting
that work done and the networkthat he has, well, how many
(27:32):
people am I going to reach here,versus how many people I'm
going to reach?
Just just the two of us.
Just the two of us now he has.
He he's in rooms that I haven'tgot.
I'm not Grammy nominated yet,so I haven't gotten in those
rooms yet, but he has, right.
And so just that one, pairingthat one, so I don't have to sit
(27:58):
here and and go to 50 differentstudios and work with 50
different producers.
Just one engineer could, couldlead to who knows what's next,
right.
And so that's what I wastelling people.
I'm like you can't.
You, your friends and yournetwork are an extension of you.
They're going to be saying yourname in rooms when you can't be
there.
And in order to jumpstart thatkind of energy and in order to
(28:27):
begin that kind of exchange, isfor you to mention their names
when you're in rooms that theycan't be in, right, that this is
a mutual.
You feed each other mutuallyand, uh, that's the power of
collaborating that people don'tunderstand is extension.
You're trying to reachsomething and you you reaching
(28:51):
up to the ceiling you can'treach.
But if you get on top ofsomebody's shoulders, now you,
now you have access.
Carla Tuner (28:59):
You beautifully explained even trees that we see
.
Yeah, it started with a bird,an animal who had a seed from a
tree that went to another placeand planted, and it's.
It's a, it's an ecosystem yes,collaboration is the ecosystem.
Roberta Lea (29:16):
An ecosystem works so well together.
Yes, right, the sunlight, therain, the ocean, the
precipitation, that, like it,all works together to create
growth.
A seed cannot grow all on itsown.
Carla Tuner (29:31):
Yeah, so tell us how can people find you on
social media.
Roberta Lea (29:36):
People can look me up.
I am Roberta Lee.
Spelled L-E -A.
If you spell it with an E, thatis not me.
I am RobertaLeecom.
I am Roberta Lee on Instagramand Facebook and all the things,
and they can find me online andreach out and connect.
Carla Tuner (29:57):
Absolutely yes, listen, connect for music, music
Connect for speakingengagements, because you're an
amazing orator.
Thank you, amazing.
Roberta Lea (30:10):
So y'all look, check her out for almost
everything, all the things, allof the above, all the things,
all the things Amazing.
So y'all look, check out foralmost everything, all of the
above all things, all the things, absolutely Well.
Carla Tuner (30:16):
We have enjoyed our time with this interview.
I have thoroughly enjoyedmyself today, same.
I just wish you all of the best.
I'm excited to see how youpollinate.
Yes.
Speaker 3 (30:28):
How you get in all those rooms.
Carla Tuner (30:30):
Yeah, make sure everybody look up Roberta Lee on
all social media outletsRemember it's L-E-A, l-e-a,
roberta L-E-A, and check outthis beautiful woman's music
Absolutely.
Roberta Lea (30:43):
Thank you so much for your time.
Check out Too Much of a Woman.
The album is officially out.
Oh wait.
Carla Tuner (30:49):
Before we do an outro, we can do an outro.
You know, that's how we do onthe fly when we're on an
interview.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
We're going to have an outro we're going to have an
outro.
Carla Tuner (30:55):
You think you could just give us a little bit on
the outro A little something,something A little something,
something Okay check out TooMuch of a Woman.
Roberta Lea (31:03):
The song goes.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
If I'm too much of a woman, you can kindly step aside
.
A true king can handle me.
He's got what it takes inside.
Well, I hate to disappoint you.
By now you should understand.
If I'm too much of a woman, boy, you're too little of a man.
(31:24):
Well, all right now.
Okay.
Well, all right now.
Yes, welcome to another episode of M&B TV, where
we love to shine a light on thebest of the best, of those who
are moving the needle in the 757and surrounding areas.
Today, on M&B Media TV, I'll beyour guest host, carla Turner,
and we have award-winning singerand songwriter, Roberta Lea.
(00:26):
Thank you so much for being onM&B Media TV.
Thank you for having me.
Well, roberta, we believe thateveryone has their own unique
journey of how they want tonavigate through life, and so
here we are to talk about yourjourney.
Now, I know we have somethingin common.
Yes, we do.
We are both from the city ofNorfolk, virginia.
(00:49):
We both attended RosemontMiddle School.
Yes, we did Even differentyears.
Now I'm a little more seasoned,a little more seasoned.
Roberta Lea (00:59):
Okay, not too much Not too, far, but we around
there.
Carla Tuner (01:02):
I think when you came through I might have been a
teacher over there.
Roberta Lea (01:05):
Okay.
Carla Tuner (01:05):
Yes, and also Norview High School, yes.
So I am so interested.
How does a young lady from myneighborhood?
How do you decide country,especially when everybody would
think hip-hop, rap, r&b, yeah,what would make you choose?
Roberta Lea (01:27):
country.
It's interesting Sometimes Iwonder if, did I choose country,
did country choose me?
Type of?
That's been my experience.
I started to do open mics, Istarted to play, I was writing
my music.
I had a piano at home that myhusband had bought me when we
got married and I would write mysongs to piano.
(01:50):
But when it came to going toopen mics and trying to perform
them, it was a littleinconvenient to try to lug a big
old keyboard everywhere.
So I started to switch to guitarand as I started switching to
guitar, I started writing toguitar and it kind of just took
on the style on its own and Iwould just listen to the
(02:10):
feedback, really, from otherpeople.
People would listen to my songs.
They're like man, you got likea, you got like a country vibe
to you.
And someone actually coined theterm country neopop.
Yeah, shout out to my friend,josh, josh Sanders, and he was
like you got like country, likeif, if, ndr was country.
And so I'm getting thisfeedback from other people and I
(02:35):
release a couple of songs.
I release Remarkable Lady, Irelease King Size and people are
like oh, roberta, roberta'sdoing country and I'm like I'm
not, I'm not trying to docountry.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
I don't know.
Roberta Lea (02:47):
So when I write songs, I don't think about it.
I don't make a consciousdecision to say this song is
going to be R&B or this song isgoing to be country or this song
is going to be pop.
I write a song and however itgets expressed when I produce,
it is how it comes out.
Carla Tuner (03:10):
And it seems as though country just felt a
little more at home for me.
Well, tell me a little bitabout it feeling at home.
It sounds like you're sayingthat your songs have a life of
their own.
Yeah, and so tell me aboutwhere you think that life
originated for you.
Roberta Lea (03:19):
I think it.
I think a lot of it leans intostorytelling.
My family, my mom, my dadthey're big storytellers.
Now that I visit them for theholidays and I'm a little bit
more aware of it, they arestorytellers.
My dad loves history, my momwith the music and the jazz and
(03:40):
you know, if she has a littleweekend she would tell me all
about her weekend and all thesedetails.
They are really great attelling stories and so I was a
teacher for a little while.
I taught at Lake Taylor HighSchool in Booker T Washington.
Shout out to the Titans, to theBookers and that was a natural
(04:01):
expression for me is to explainthings Right and to help my
students understand and tellstories like my parents told
stories.
So when you look at a genre ofcountry music that is a very
that's a key component incountry music is three chords
and the truth they call it thatstorytelling component that a
lot of genres started with Umand as the genre started to move
(04:25):
through the machine of themusic industry, it's like, okay,
well, what sells Um and theblues, country gospel, um, r and
B was, and hip hop hip hop inthe beginning was extremely
heavy in storytelling.
So all of those things are liketrue to to popular American
(04:45):
music, and um country is one ofthe few genres that's still
holding onto, still holding ontothat element, and so that's
that's how I feel like that'show I felt a little bit more at
home in that space.
Carla Tuner (04:58):
Well, I know, before the interview we talked a
little bit about your greatgrandmother and how we become a
legacy, yeah, and how dreams anddesires and just how we are
actually a recreation of whatcame before us.
(05:21):
Tell me just, I just was sofascinated by that.
Just about your greatgrandmother yeah, I really do
believe.
Roberta Lea (05:27):
I have.
There's a picture of my greatgrandmother that's been around.
I've seen it a million timessince I was a little girl.
It's just a classic picture.
That's in that like sepia, likeblack and white sort of style,
and I've seen this picture amillion times.
She's standing in front of amicrophone with a guitar.
I always saw that picture, just, and that's there's.
(05:48):
That's my great grandma, and Inever paid it any mind until
2019, 2020.
I remember we were um visitingmy uncle.
He would have this big birthdayparty for my, my baby cousin
and um we're all up there and hehas those pictures, family
pictures, all on the wall.
(06:08):
And that was around the timethat I really started to pursue
music and say that I'm going togive this a shot, when I really
decided and really made adecision and said, no, I'm going
to do this, I'm tired of havingone foot in, one foot out and
not making up my mind.
So I remember it was aroundthat time like I made up my mind
.
I'm like I'm going to do this,I got to figure this out.
(06:28):
And there we are.
We're up there and I'm lookingat the family pictures and I'll
look at so-and-so when they're ababy and I see that picture.
Oh, my God, that picture, I'veseen it a million times.
That is my truth.
That picture I've seen amillion times.
That is my truth and I dobelieve there is.
(06:54):
You know, scientifically I'm nottoo, that's not like my space,
but there has been some notesthat I've seen where they talk
about your cells maintainingmemory Right and, and of course,
we get ourselves, we get ourgenetics from our mothers and
our mothers, mothers and ourmothers, mothers, right.
And so the possibility and justthe idea that the, the desires
of my great grandmother whateverthat looked like for a black
(07:16):
woman in the 1930s, travelingand trying to do music, um found
its way to me when I was an egginside my mother, who is an egg
inside her mother, who is anegg inside her mother.
Right, it's absolutelyfascinating.
And all this time I I saw thatpicture and I just it just
(07:39):
didn't dawn on me until Ifinally made that decision and I
looked at it.
I said it was there the wholetime and I really do believe
that.
I believe that our desires, ourgoals, our dreams are not our
own, but they're a constantmanifestation, re-manifestation
of everyone who's come before us.
Carla Tuner (07:53):
So how did that picture?
How does that memory seeingthat picture propel you forward
in this business where you're ananomaly?
Yeah, how does that?
How is that connection betweenher and you?
Help you remind you?
Roberta Lea (08:13):
Oh, there's work that needs to be done Okay, yeah
, there's, there's somethingthat needs to be completed and
her journey in the 1930s.
There were a number of reasonswhy it could not come to full
fruition, right, and I'm sure wecould put all the pieces
together, whether it be, youknow, you have depression over
here and war over there, anddiscrimination over here, and
(08:35):
racism over there, and sexismhere and all that kind of stuff.
So there were a number ofobstacles in her way, obstacles
and and in her way.
And so, for whatever reason, um, for those reasons not just
whatever reason, but for anumber of those reasons um,
there was a pause in thatexpression of of music, and
(08:58):
although her, although shepassed away in the sense of
being hardware that had expired,she created new hardware
through her daughter and herdaughter's daughter and her
daughter's daughter, right, andso eventually, the cells
maintain that memory.
I was like, oh, wait, wait, asecond.
(09:18):
I know one day I pick up thatguitar and my cells are like, oh
, I know what this is, I knowwhat this is, I know what to do
with this, right, and so for me,that connection with my great
grandmother is I'm, I am the tobe continued, right, the sequel,
if you will.
Carla Tuner (09:39):
I have to ask this and I'm going to look at the
other questions.
He can edit anything I say anypauses?
Speaker 3 (09:44):
I have he can edit out.
Carla Tuner (09:45):
How do you think you making a decision to pursue
country music and you don't look, even though now we see that
there are more artists who arepursuing country music?
How do you think this impactsyour daughter, not as a singer,
(10:06):
but just as a person whobelieves that she can do
anything, that she can pursue,anything that she's not defined
by what other people see whenthey see her, that she creates.
How do you think thatinfluences just watching you,
because I've seen your daughterat performances Okay, Watching
(10:28):
you.
How do you think that impactsher?
Roberta Lea (10:30):
Oh, I certainly hope that it instills in her the
audacity you know.
I want her to know that shebelongs in any room that she
sets her mind to, and that thereare going to be obstacles,
there are going to be challenges, there are going to be plenty
of people who don't think youbelong there, and that doesn't
(10:51):
have anything to do with theassignment that you have to
complete.
It doesn't have anything to dowith that.
Right, all of the rooms that mygreat-grandmother could not
enter into, all theopportunities that she was not
afforded.
Right, that didn't haveanything to do with her seat
(11:16):
later on.
Right, it's like okay, itdidn't happen here, but we could
give it another shot later.
And the difference between mygeneration and my daughter's
generation, or whateverexperience that she's going to
have, there's going to be thatmuch more of opportunity, that
much more of freedom for her topursue, no matter what it is
(11:38):
that she that she decides to gofor I like that word you use
audacity.
Carla Tuner (11:44):
I think more of us need that.
Yeah, I think that that's whatmotivates us to continue.
So tell me personally.
We talked about the challengesyour great grandmother faced in
the 1930s being an artist.
What do you think arechallenges that black artists in
country music today face?
(12:05):
Hmm, Um.
Roberta Lea (12:08):
So I think, as a black artist in um, the, the
genre today, um, there are a lotof times in which I could write
a song that is straight downthe middle.
I mean three chords story twang.
(12:29):
It is a country song and, forwhatever reason, powers that be,
people with influence will hearmy music and say, oh, but
you're kind of more R&B, andit's like well, it sounds
(12:50):
exactly like this song on theradio that you're playing in
country.
One of the challenges that alot of black artists that are in
genres that it's and it's veryhard to express, because
American music is black musicLike we.
We have influenced every singlebranch of popular American
music.
That includes rock and roll,that includes country music yes,
(13:13):
it does.
Okay, um, that includes danceand everything um is is ours, we
can lay claim to.
But no matter what genre thatyou decide to, that they say is
outside of the box forAfrican-Americans, they just
(13:36):
there, just is this desire tojust say, no, you're, you're hip
hop or you're R&B, that's whereyou belong.
And it's like no, I'm, like I'm, I'm trying to tell you that
this is, it's a country song.
So the challenge for Blackartists and country music and in
(13:56):
these other genres is provingourselves and not having the
freedom and flexibility thatother artists get to experience.
What do I mean by that?
Chris Stapleton is one of mypeople.
Love Chris Stapleton, I loveChris Stapleton.
I love Chris Stapleton.
I love Chris Stapleton.
(14:17):
Their songwriting,vocalizations, everything and he
can be as soulful and as R&B ashe wants.
There's a lot of songs whereI'm like that's a little more on
the R&B side, that's more onthe soulful side, but he gets to
be considered country.
I'll never forget listening toPatsy Cline.
(14:38):
Okay, virginia girl and I wasdiving into the country music
world, so I was listening andcatching up on all the standards
.
So I'm listening to Patsy Cline, who is this queen of country
music They've, I've heard andI'm listening to her songs.
I'm like that's pop, that ispop.
That, that is a pop song.
(15:00):
You know I'm I listened toanother song.
I'm like that's, that's jazz.
I would listen to the Carterfamily, which is considered the
first family of country music.
This is where popular Americancountry music all began.
It's the Carter family, right,I believe, right in Bristol,
virginia, and this is where itall started and I'm like that's
(15:23):
gospel.
They are singing a gospel song,they are singing about Jesus.
They are singing a gospel songand they get to be called
country gospel song and they getto be called country.
But when war and treaty has agospel under undercurrent,
because of their, their, theirbig voices, they have a natural
(15:45):
gospel undercurrent, but they'resinging country songs.
They're singing three chords inthe truth, but because of that
natural undercurrent, they'relike oh, you're not, they're not
country, they're, they're gone,they're this.
Oh, no, you're not.
You know, just because BritneySpencer has some runs and the
and and some fluidity in hervocals, oh, that's, that's so.
(16:06):
That is the challenge thatblack artists face in these
different genres is, um, ourexpression of the genre gets
picked apart and they use it asan excuse to exclude us versus
when another artist does it,it's innovative, it's, oh, it's
something different, oh, this is, this is fun, this is new, this
(16:29):
is exciting, and they getnumber ones on on the radio and
so, without getting into all ofthe, the things, that would be
the best, that would be the bestexplanation for those
challenges.
Carla Tuner (16:45):
I think, as I sat and listened to you talk about
the challenges and you see, kindof this mass exodus into
country music by black artists,the interest in country music,
how do you think that willimpact the historical roots,
which are very strong, you know,being someone who loves music
(17:06):
and loves museums and havinggone to Nashville, if we look
for the history, the historyisn't shy about the figures but
it's not put out theremainstream.
Do you think that just thismass exodus will help revive the
(17:27):
history of the people who looklike you and I, who are were in
country music before it waspopular?
Roberta Lea (17:35):
oh yeah, absolutely , I mean, um, I think one of the
best things on Beyonce's recordis her feature of Linda Martel,
who was the first black womanto chart country music charts
back in the 1960s, um, and, Ibelieve, the first black woman
to have performed on the GrandOle Opry, um, and so her
presence on Beyonce's album wasa huge deal, because the world
(17:57):
didn't know who Linda Martel was.
You know, she came and then shewas easily forgotten and swept
underneath the machine of theindustry.
So I think that this Blackcountry music renaissance has
definitely given platform todiscuss the historical figures
(18:20):
and the contributions that we'vemade to country music.
There just needs to be aconsistency, like we just got to
keep being consistent.
Carla Tuner (18:29):
And who do you feel that the responsibility of that
consistency falls on, and whodo you feel that the
responsibility of thatconsistency falls on.
Roberta Lea (18:37):
There are a lot of roles, a lot of parts that
people play.
So, as the artists, of course,we're the faces of the
conversation, but then there are, for example, BET has a great
(19:01):
opportunity to start providingplatform for country music.
Wow, Right, and so it's.
It's a matter of all of thosespaces.
I I have my way of organizingmyself as an artist, and so I
call it the three Ps you haveproduct, you have press and you
have performances right.
And so you create your product,you record, you get press to
(19:22):
talk about your product and thenyou perform your product.
And so, when we're talking aboutBlack contribution to country
music, in the grand scheme ofthings, well, we have Black
artists that are creating thisproduct.
We need Black press right,Essence Magazine, BET, et cetera
, the African American Museum ofHistory and all of these
(19:45):
different spaces to talk aboutit and to create a buzz around
it.
And then we need those placesto create platforms, give us
opportunity to perform right andto keep it going and not be
just a little spark, a littlefad, a little something that
Beyonce did.
Beyonce is going to do country.
She probably might do rock next.
(20:05):
We don't know Right, she's just.
She is just the icon of hergeneration.
She's going to do.
We need systems in place thatare going to maintain that
support well beyond Beyonce,well beyond the artists that are
going to come and go.
Carla Tuner (20:19):
Wow, I hope that anyone who hears this interview
you lay it out beautifully howit needs to be structured, how
to keep this going.
There are so many reasons whywhat you're saying is important
because, like you said, it'sstorytelling we need to hear.
If there wasn't another timethere, if there wasn't a time in
(20:42):
history where we needed to hearthese stories is now, and a lot
of time.
That's where change came.
It came in the music.
That's where change came.
It came in the music.
Understand, it came in themusic and so we definitely need
that today.
Let me see you are not only arecording artist, but you're
(21:03):
also a children's book author.
Where did that inspiration comefrom?
Roberta Lea (21:10):
Kiki, curly, fuzzy, wavy Shout out to Demia Lindsay
Mitchell, who is the author.
I got to co-author the bookwith her and I met her at Booker
T and it was like one of thoseconversations that happen.
You feel like you've known thatperson for your entire life.
And so she was telling me aboutthe creative project she was
(21:33):
working on.
I was telling her the creativethings and she shared with me
this book idea that she had.
And as a songwriter, I read herdraft and I said, you know, as a
songwriter, I need like the DrSeuss vibes, I need the rhythm,
I need like something to followalong, and so I asked her that
day.
I said, do you mind if I take itand like work on expressing it
(21:55):
the way I kind of see how it'sflowing?
And so she gave me fullpermission to do that and by the
time I got it back to her, itwas just a fun, beautiful rhythm
and it was something that wasimportant to me because my
daughter was small at the time.
She was around four or fiveyears old, and I've had tough
conversations with her where shewanted to change her outward
(22:15):
appearance to to something thatshe assumed was more valuable,
right, and she didn't like.
She wanted her hair straightall the time and she wanted
Right.
And so I had to take thatopportunity to speak to her.
(22:35):
And when that opportunity tocreate that book, to co-create
that book with Demia, came about, it seemed like it all kind of
just all the stars aligned.
And that's how we ended upexpressing that little message
to not only just my daughter,but other little black girls who
need to feel proud of the crownthat they have on their heads.
Carla Tuner (22:58):
Like you said before, it's in the stories.
A lot of lessons are in thestories.
A lot of ways that will reachpeople, particularly young
people.
It's in the stories.
Roberta Lea (23:06):
I think storytelling is a lost art.
It's a lost art.
Carla Tuner (23:12):
I think so.
We've seen some of the plots ofthe current things that are
going on.
We've seen some of the plots.
Let's see here what's next forRoberta Lee in 2025.
What do you have?
Roberta Lea (23:27):
coming up.
2025, I'm hoping to get into mycollaborator bag.
Okay, is what I'm hoping to getinto my collaborator bag.
Okay Is what I'm lookingforward to.
The last three years have beenquite a rollercoaster, in a very
beautiful way, and I want tostart zeroing in on the
(23:51):
connections that I've made andthe people that I've met along
the way, and I look forward tocollaborating collaborating with
other artists, collaboratingwith producers and creating that
momentum again.
So 2025 is all about connecting, making those connections in
(24:15):
the community and creatingsomething beautiful out of it.
Carla Tuner (24:22):
Now I do have a question that says what would
you say to a young person toinspire them, but I think I'm
going to change it a little bit.
Ok, what would you say to ayoung person about the
importance of collaboration?
We throw that word around a lot, but I don't think we really
get the value of what thatreally means.
(24:44):
What would you tell a youngperson about collaboration?
Roberta Lea (24:47):
There's a?
There's a proverb I think itmight be an African proverb, I'm
sorry I can't quote exactlywhere I got it from, but it says
if you want to go fast, goalone, but if you want to go far
, go together.
We are an extension of oneanother.
(25:11):
I would tell a young person youcannot be in every room.
It's physically impossible,physically, financially, right.
You cannot be everywhere.
When you collaborate withpeople, they have the
(25:31):
opportunity to mention your namein rooms that you may not be
able to step in.
Prime example, my engineer is aseven time Grammy nominated
engineer.
He works with, I mean, hementions casually and I'm not
(25:57):
going to say the artist, but hementions so casually.
Oh yeah, so-and-so, I'm doingthese tracks or I'm scoring for
this person, this humongousperson, right?
That you would die to get anopportunity, a chance to work
with them, right, um, you know,and, and that's just yeah, I'm
(26:23):
doing this for them.
And artists nowadays are veryDIY.
You can get studio equipmentset it up in your room.
You can get your littleinstruments here and there, and
you could.
It may not be great, but youcould write on your own record
(26:48):
on your own and release all byyourself.
I could do that.
I have a studio at home, I havea little sound booth, I have my
piano.
I could do that.
I have a studio at home, I havea little sound booth, I have my
piano, I have my guitar, I havethe plugins, I have all the
things.
I could do most of that bymyself, and I could go on
YouTube and figure out how tomix it myself and figure out how
to master myself to save myselfa couple of dollars.
That's fine, that's fine.
(27:10):
But if, when I, when I look atthat in comparison to spending
that extra money and getting it,getting quality work made at a
studio by a seven time Grammynominated engineer and getting
that work done and the networkthat he has, well, how many
(27:32):
people am I going to reach here,versus how many people I'm
going to reach?
Just just the two of us.
Just the two of us now he has.
He he's in rooms that I haven'tgot.
I'm not Grammy nominated yet,so I haven't gotten in those
rooms yet, but he has, right.
And so just that one, pairingthat one, so I don't have to sit
(27:58):
here and and go to 50 differentstudios and work with 50
different producers.
Just one engineer could, couldlead to who knows what's next,
right.
And so that's what I wastelling people.
I'm like you can't.
You, your friends and yournetwork are an extension of you.
They're going to be saying yourname in rooms when you can't be
there.
And in order to jumpstart thatkind of energy and in order to
(28:27):
begin that kind of exchange, isfor you to mention their names
when you're in rooms that theycan't be in, right, that this is
a mutual.
You feed each other mutuallyand, uh, that's the power of
collaborating that people don'tunderstand is extension.
You're trying to reachsomething and you you reaching
(28:51):
up to the ceiling you can'treach.
But if you get on top ofsomebody's shoulders, now you,
now you have access.
Carla Tuner (28:59):
You beautifully explained even trees that we see
.
Yeah, it started with a bird,an animal who had a seed from a
tree that went to another placeand planted, and it's.
It's a, it's an ecosystem yes,collaboration is the ecosystem.
Roberta Lea (29:16):
An ecosystem works so well together.
Yes, right, the sunlight, therain, the ocean, the
precipitation, that, like it,all works together to create
growth.
A seed cannot grow all on itsown.
Carla Tuner (29:31):
Yeah, so tell us how can people find you on
social media.
Roberta Lea (29:36):
People can look me up.
I am Roberta Lee.
Spelled L-E -A.
If you spell it with an E, thatis not me.
I am RobertaLeecom.
I am Roberta Lee on Instagramand Facebook and all the things,
and they can find me online andreach out and connect.
Carla Tuner (29:57):
Absolutely yes, listen, connect for music, music
Connect for speakingengagements, because you're an
amazing orator.
Thank you, amazing.
Roberta Lea (30:10):
So y'all look, check her out for almost
everything, all the things, allof the above, all the things,
all the things Amazing.
So y'all look, check out foralmost everything, all of the
above all things, all the things, absolutely Well.
Carla Tuner (30:16):
We have enjoyed our time with this interview.
I have thoroughly enjoyedmyself today, same.
I just wish you all of the best.
I'm excited to see how youpollinate.
Yes.
Speaker 3 (30:28):
How you get in all those rooms.
Carla Tuner (30:30):
Yeah, make sure everybody look up Roberta Lee on
all social media outletsRemember it's L-E-A, l-e-a,
roberta L-E-A, and check outthis beautiful woman's music
Absolutely.
Roberta Lea (30:43):
Thank you so much for your time.
Check out Too Much of a Woman.
The album is officially out.
Oh wait.
Carla Tuner (30:49):
Before we do an outro, we can do an outro.
You know, that's how we do onthe fly when we're on an
interview.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
We're going to have an outro we're going to have an
outro.
Carla Tuner (30:55):
You think you could just give us a little bit on
the outro A little something,something A little something,
something Okay check out TooMuch of a Woman.
Roberta Lea (31:03):
The song goes.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
If I'm too much of a woman, you can kindly step aside
.
A true king can handle me.
He's got what it takes inside.
Well, I hate to disappoint you.
By now you should understand.
If I'm too much of a woman, boy, you're too little of a man.
(31:24):
Well, all right now.
Okay.
Well, all right now.
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