Wedding vows often make couples promise to stay by each other “for better or for worse, for richer or poorer,” and as Tiera reveals, she wove a little bit of that last part into her new song. In “Gentleman,” premiering here on HollywoodLife, Tiera serenades her paramour, marveling in their “south charm” and how “they don’t make ’em like you anymore.” She also encourages her love to “close the door / and close the blinds / no, you don’t need to be the nice guy.” With her signature blend of R&B and country, this dynamic voice delivers a romantic country ballad with a bit of spice – and plenty of heart.
Tiera also wrote the song with one person in mind: her longtime boyfriend and creative director, Kamren Kennedy. The two married earlier in October, and as a wedding gift, she wrote “Gentleman.” As Tiera tells HollywoodLife, it was a gift that’s been long in the making. “I wrote this song about two years ago and always knew I wanted to release it after my wedding,” she says when asked about the inspiration about the track. “I’ve never released a song like this before, and I felt like now was the perfect time!”
As one might expect, the song is rife with some personal references to her and Kamren’s relationship. In particular, the line “You get the tab” hits home. “When we first started dating seven years ago,” says Tiera, “I didn’t have any money, and he paid for everything.” As for Kamren’s favorite line in the song? “‘May or may not be sober,” because when I drink tequila, I get a little crazy, and he witnessed that firsthand when we celebrated my 21st birthday in Nashville on Broadway.”
At such a young age, Tiera has already started making waves in the country world. CMT named her as part of the 2020 Class of Next Women In Country. When Spotify unveiled its first-ever Hot Country Artists To Watch list in January, the Alabama native was front-and-center. Her innovative approach to the genre has generated a buzz around her, one that almost reached a fever pitch when Tiera released her self-titled EP earlier in 2021. “I would describe my sound as R&B Country,” Tiera says enthusiastically. The melding of the two sounds has turned some heads.
“Every time I walk into the writers’ room, I try to shoot for something that just feels good because that’s the kind of music I like to listen to in my car,” she adds. It’s a sound that country fans have been waiting for. Her 2020 single, “Found It In You,” has amassed over 15 million streams, and she continued to build her following throughout the music world.
Some of those fans are going to get married and dance to her new song at their reception. Though “Gentleman” starts sweetly and heartfelt, Tiera tells HollywoodLife that it might be “a little saucy for the first dance, but after that, everything’s off the table. I definitely hope people will be adding this to their wedding playlist!”
Fans won’t have to wait for their wedding day to hear more from Tiera. Her plan for 2022 is “more music and more shows!” She says she has “so many songs I’ve written recently that I’m so proud of and can’t wait for people to hear!”