Kelsey Hickman isn’t trying to fit into a genre. She’s too busy blowing the doors off both of them.
Fresh off a gritty tour run with Hinder and Saliva, the Midwest-raised powerhouse hopped on the Raised Rowdy Podcast to talk about finding her lane—where big riffs, raw vocals, and hard-earned vulnerability all collide. And spoiler: that lane’s wide open.
From the jump, Kelsey’s got stories. Playing bars at 16. Opening for Chris Young in an arena. Singing on Broadway with four-hour sets that test your soul (and your liver). But it wasn’t until she leaned into that raspy edge, that inner bad bitch, that the music started hitting harder. And fans started showing up.
“I used to think I had to pick one lane—rock or country,” she told us. “But when I stopped trying to be anything other than me, that’s when it clicked.”
And it did click. Thanks to a viral TikTok moment with her single “In My Place,” Kelsey’s finally seeing the crowd match the grind. But she’s quick to admit it hasn’t been easy. Between the shifts downtown and a devastating personal loss, she almost walked away from it all. Until something—maybe someone upstairs—kept her in the fight.
“I really think my grandpa was pulling strings,” she said. “I was gonna quit. Then the music started connecting. And I knew I couldn’t stop now.”
This episode gets into all of it. The chaos of life on tour. The culture shock between metal crowds and Broadway bros. The difference between viral and lasting. And yeah, a lot of talk about resting bitch face and tequila-fueled nights at Red Door.
Kelsey isn’t just finding fans. She’s building a tribe. And with more music on the way—including her favorite track “Bad Boy” dropping soon—she’s not letting up anytime soon.
“I’ve got a lot more in the tank,” she grins. “We’re just getting started.”
Listen to the full podcast now wherever you get your episodes—and follow Kelsey Hickman for more rock-meets-country chaos.