On The Row: Rissi Palmer Shares New ‘Perspectives’

Rissi Palmer recently stopped by the MusicRow office to share a few songs and stories from her latest project, Perspectives.

The four-song EP marks the first project release since 2019 for the Apple Music Country show Color Me Country. Produced by Shannon Sanders, the project includes two original tracks alongside two covers.

The first original Palmer shared with the team, “Old Black Southern Woman” was inspired by a conversation with co-writer Kyshona Lamiere about realizing she is past the age her mother was when she passed away.

MusicRow’s Lauryn Sink, Madison Hahnen and LB Cantrell; Rissi Palmer; MusicRow’s Sherod Robertson and John Nix Arledge.

“I’m realizing now how much she missed,” Palmer said. “We always think about how bad it is to get old, but how lucky we are to see the people we love grow up and grow up [ourselves]. I wanted to write a song from that perspective.”

Palmer also shared, “Good To Me,” a track she started five years ago in Los Angeles with Hilton Wright II, and finished last year with Sanders.

“I was 29 when I got married and am 44 now. What 29 year old Rissi wanted [in a relationship] is very different from what 44 year old Rissi wants. I [just want the] simple, but very important things.”

Palmer and journalist Kelly McCartney are co-editors of the forthcoming children’s book, Color Me Country: A Celebration of Black Women Who Shaped Country Music, illustrated by Grammy-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens. Designed for readers ages 10 and up, the book highlights the overlooked contributions of Black women in country music, with all proceeds benefiting the Color Me Country Artist Grant Fund. The book is set for release in May.

Palmer is set to share more music and tour dates in the coming months.

Lauryn Sink is a staff writer at MusicRow Magazine. Hailing from Lexington, North Carolina, Lauryn is a 2025 graduate of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.