NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Britnee Kellogg grew up listening to all the good stuff: Waylon, Willie, Dolly, and 90s country. But it was when she was just six years old that her life was profoundly impacted. She attended a Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash concert. Smitten from the first note, the young girl knew she had found her chosen career.
“I knew that [singing] was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” she recalled.
They soon realized she would need some formal training if she was truly going to make a career out of singing and performing.
“My mom was a single mom, and she did everything she could to make ends meet, worked multiple jobs, and there were just weeks that she couldn’t make it happen,” she said.
So, on the weeks when they couldn’t afford the training, Kellogg would pull weeds for the teacher in exchange for a lesson.
When she was 15 years old, the Vancouver, Washington native made her first trip to Nashville, which strengthened her resolve to become a country singer. She began writing her own songs and performing everywhere.
But life had other plans. At 21, she married her high school sweetheart and quickly had two babies. But it turned out that her husband was “not a good person,” and she found herself in an abusive relationship.
Kellogg became a single mother from 2008 to 2015, but during this time, she decided to no longer put her music career on hold, and she loaded up her two boys and tried out for American Idol in 2012 and 2013. The first song she sang was the telling “You’re No Good.” It got her to Hollywood. In 2013, when she tried out again, she sang George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”
She said, “It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.”
But even when her career was finally moving in the right direction, she was not able to move to Nashville permanently without the consent of her ex-husband. In 2017, she married the love of her life, and he fully supported her music career.
That’s when Kellogg decided to do what everyone was doing and started posting videos on TikTok.
“I had been posting consistently every single day. My goal was 90 days to post every day for 90 days. And that was on the 89th day. And the night before that, I had texted my manager at the time and said, ‘This is crazy. I don’t know. Am I terrible? What’s happening?’ But I had like 700 followers. And it just wasn’t nothing was hitting,” the singer said. “I think my most views on the video was like 4,000 views or something.”
But then, on that 89th day of posting, Valentine’s Day, she posted the anti-Valentine’s Day song “Back of My Mind.” Within 24 hours, the song had garnered more than 1 million views and has since had more than 19 million views. Additionally, it has had more than 10 million streams.
One of the co-writers on the song was Reba’s niece, Autumn McEntire, along with Eric Whitman, and they have been collaborating ever since.
They released the heartfelt “Hey Mama,” an empowerment song for doubting mothers everywhere. The song has had millions of TikTok views and more than 9 million streams. “It’s such a personal song for me,” she said.
Now they have completed a full album of songs entitled She’s Come a Long Way, which exposes parts of her life and proves how far she has come.
She exclusively released the title track to People Magazine in March of this year. The female empowerment anthem, “She’s Come A Long Way,“ features women of all races, ages, and sizes.
She told People, “This song is really special because I feel like it not only encompasses what I’ve been through and how I’ve come a long way but also how so many women out there have come a long way.”
Also on the album are the heartfelt songs, “This Mess,” which is a salute to Mama’s everywhere, the autobiographical, “Thank You Johnny and June” which is her favorite, and a tribute to her grandmother, “I Matter.”
But lest you think all her songs are more serious, you need to hear the rollicking “Retail Therapy,” “Hell In A Handbag,” and (my favorite) “Love They Neighbor.” They will remind you not to take life too seriously.
Kellogg’s goal for the record was to create a sound that people can relate to and to help them know they’re not alone in what they’re going through. She brings a party to the stage, inspiring others to pursue their dreams. She is a driven, passionate artist with a deep love for her craft.
“My songs are 100% authentic, sometimes to a fault,” she admitted. “Sometimes I will go into the writing room, and I will have these lyrics that don’t really rhyme, and I really don’t care. I will fight with everything that I have to put music out there that is real and music that people want and need to hear.”
With this newest body of work, Kellogg proves she is here for the long haul. With a supportive family and an adoring fan base, there is nothing she can’t accomplish.
Be sure to stream/download She’s Come a Long Way. It’s a record you will want on repeat.
Keep up with Kellog on her website, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and all streaming platforms.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X.
