East Tennessee Native, Brandon Stansell Shares Story in New EP

Rising country star, Brandon Stansell grew up outside of Chattanooga, TN, and the East Tennessean shares his coming out story in new EP, Hurt People. "I've always connected with country music for its storytelling, but for the LGBTQI+ community — we are often told not to tell our story,” Stansell, shared in an interview with People. “Though I don't believe a person has to be queer to find themselves in the lyrics of this song, Hurt People is one of those untold stories.”

Hurt People brings a different narrative to the typical storytelling monologue in country music. “For the longest time, people who are LGBTQ and lovers of country music, we didn't really hear our stories on country radio or played on CMT. It was really important for me to share my story in the most authentic, real way I possibly could,” Stansell told Billboard. With the ever-changing blending of genres and the push for gender and racial inequality in music, Hurt People is a series of these stories that define a turning point in the industry.