Each Measure Feature: Terra Renae

FEATURE

Terra Renae’s star is on the rise and her debut album, All I Have, makes it clear why. The Kentucky native has assembled a dream team for this release, complete with Grammy-winning songwriters and producers, each with an impressive resume–an indication of the undeniable star power they see in Renae. However, despite the heavy-hitters enlisted for All I Have, it is Renae who takes center stage, capturing her audience’s attention with staggering confidence.

Before All I Have, Renae put out a string of well-received singles that generated buzz, and signaling to the music world that she was one to watch. It would be easy to assume, given the excitement surrounding her rise and the power in her voice, that Terra Renae has a never-ending reservoir of self-confidence at her disposal.

However, a standout quality of her debut album is its emotional breadth across its seven tracks, making Renae an artist listeners can easily relate to. She reminds us that confidence is earned–and fought for.

In Safety Net, the album’s penultimate track, Renae lets the listener in on her journey to this point, revealing that some in her life attempted to dissuade her from taking a leap and chasing her dreams. And in verse one, as she recounts her initial hesitation, she adds emotional depth with the line “and guilt stopped me from trying.” The events behind this line remain unclear, but what’s unmistakable are the hurdles she had to overcome to reach her moment of transformation.

“Heard my mother saying,” she sings, “Don’t end up like me / Pick the safest path / and find stability.” However, despite her “fear of flying,” and “shaky voice,” Renae eventually has an epiphany: “That fear is a prison / and I can’t stay in it anymore.”

Safety Net makes clear that this realization sparked the boldness we hear throughout All I Have. Renae is transparent about the highs and lows of her journey–the sharing of loyal love as heard in Lights Down Low, the pain of abuse and mistreatment in Over and Over Again, and the anticipation of bliss and new beginnings in Party In The Sunshine. It’s a bold approach for a debut–she’s not playing it safe and that tenacity is exactly what makes her a superstar in the making.

KEEP UP WITH TERRA RENAE BELOW: