Amassing a following of more than 300,000 on TikTok, Priscilla Block went viral with the body-positivity anthem “Thick Thighs.” In 2020, she hit No. 1 on the iTunes Country Chart with “Just About Over You,” releasing her debut studio album, Welcome to the Block Party, two years later. Now, the ACM Award-nominated artist is gearing up to headline Nashville’s storied Ryman Auditorium next year. With her career on the rise, Block recently took a moment to laugh about her early days in Music City.
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Priscilla Block Arrived in Nashville With $50 To Her Name
Growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, Priscilla Block never bothered dreaming small. “I was gonna move to Nashville and chase this dream, and everybody looked at me like I was crazy,” she told Songwriter Universe in 2021.
That’s exactly what a 17-year-old Block did in 2014, heading to Music City with $50 to her name. If that sounds crazy to you, she doesn’t disagree.
“Well, I did get robbed my first weekend, but hey. It’s okay,” the “Hey, Jack” singer told Savannah Chrisley during an appearance on her Unlocked podcast earlier this month.
Continuing, she said, “I remember I called my parents and… I’m like, “Hey, uh, my house got broken into tonight.’ And my dad’s like, ‘I knew that place was a dump.’ And then my mom’s like, “Brett, be quiet. It’s all she can afford.’”
Block touched on this turbulent start in “Things You Didn’t See,” the title track off her sophomore album released Oct. 10. That song is “about moving to Nashville at 17 with 50 bucks in to my name,” she said.
“It’s about having the Craigslist roommates; it’s about dumpster diving in Nashville to sell crap on Craigslist to pay my rent. It’s the story that makes me who I am.”
[RELATED: Jon Pardi Delivers Big Surprise to His Tour Opener Priscilla Block]
Checking Off a Bucket List Item
Priscilla Block’s rocky Nashville start makes her latest careers news that much sweeter. Next March, the “You, Me, and Whiskey” will headline the storied Ryman Auditorium as part of her Things You Didn’t See Tour.
“Headlining the Ryman is one of the biggest bucket list moments of my life,” Block said. “I moved to Nashville 11 years ago, chasing this dream, and to finally headline the home of country music is such an honor. This will be an unforgettable night, and I can’t wait to share it with y’all.”
Featured image by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images
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