Priscilla Block is releasing an expanded version of her debut album on February 10, titled Welcome to The Block Party Deluxe, which includes four new songs: “Off the Deep End,” “Getting Even,” “Little Bit,” and her latest track, “Me Pt. 2.” Block also appears on a new collaboration with Justin Moore titled “You, Me, and Whiskey” and will open for Shania Twain on select dates this summer.
The “My Bar” singer chatted with Music Mayhem about the personal heartbreak that led to “Me Pt. 2,” the bar crawl that eventually led to a collaboration with Justin Moore, and more.
Priscilla Block Added Four New Songs To Her Debut Album On The Deluxe Edition
Block says that she had so many songs to choose from for her debut album, Welcome the Block Party, that it felt incomplete.
“These last four [songs], I just feel like they really complete this Block Party era. There’s all different vibes on this album. There’s like the sassy, the trashy, the sad, the party vibes. And I feel like these past four songs were just super special to me, and I kind of wanted them to all live in this era.”
Now that it’s been nearly a year since she released the original album, there’s one song that continues to have new meaning for her. “I always go back to I Know a Girl,” says Block, who wrote and recorded the track with Hillary Lindsey.
“I think as I get older and experience more in life, I go back to that song and there’s some really hard times and trying to make it,” Block adds. “And being a girl in country music, there are moments where you feel insecure or you worry. And that song just means so much to me right now in my life. I think it always will because if there’s one person in this world that’s going to get you through, it’s going to be me.”
“Me Pt. 2” Is Her Most Vulnerable Track
One of the new tracks from the Welcome to the Block Party Deluxe album is “Me Pt. 2,” which Block wrote in the middle of the night after a heartbreaking experience.
“I went to the bar one night and as I was leaving, I passed my ex-boyfriend and he was with his new girlfriend, and it was just a feeling like my heart sunk,” Block recalls. “And it was that moment of realizing that somebody that you love so much is moving on. And I think it makes it even harder when they move on with somebody that, I mean, I had to do almost a double take too, looking at her. I’m like, man, she looks a lot like me. And it’s that feeling that you start to wonder, man, what did I not have that she does?”
Block says it was a sad place to be in, because she considers herself to be a very confident person. “So I went home that night and I sat down on the floor and I grabbed my guitar and I remember I just had this line, ‘I hope you’re happy. You found me part two.’ And I wrote it. I wrote the song in 30 minutes, and it’s become one of my favorite songs.”
Block says that even though the song is painfully autobiographical, she didn’t hesitate to record and release it. “I think at this point, what has worked for me is being honest and being vulnerable with people. And as I continue to write music, I want it to be real and I want it to be raw and completely me.”
Priscilla Block Joined Justin Moore On Latest Single “You, Me, And Whiskey”
On her latest single “You, Me, And Whiskey,” Block joins up with Justin Moore in a sultry duet about a couple rekindling their romance. Although the pair met relatively recently in Chattanooga, Tenn. when they played a radio show together, Block says she’s been a fan of Moore for years. She even snuck into a bar before she was 21 to see Moore perform.
“I remember when I just moved to Nashville, Justin had played an album release party downtown. He did this bar crawl. I was there and I wasn’t even twenty-one. I’m pretty sure I was sneaking into the bar,” she laughs.
She told that story to Moore during their show together and told him she was a big fan. After the show, Moore approached Block and offered to help her career. “He was just like, look, if there’s anything that I can do to help you, please let me know. So I called my manager that night and I was like, dude, I met Justin Moore tonight. And he was so nice, truly just made me feel so good about myself.”
Four months later, she got a call that Moore wanted to record “You, Me, and Whiskey” with her. “I listened to it and I was like, hell yeah. Like it was the easiest yes ever, because I’m a Justin fan. But also I felt like the song was really me, and I’m glad that we weren’t singing about champagne,” she laughed.
Moore even invited Block to open for him on the “You, Me, and Whiskey” Tour, which kicked off February 2 in Rapid City, South Dakota and runs through April 22 in Coralville, Iowa.
Block Was Recently Named A New Face Of Country Music By CRS
The duet with Moore marks her third single at country radio and she’s been named one of the 2023 Country Radio Seminar (CRS) New Faces of Country Music, which showcases five emerging artists who have achieved significant success at country radio.
“It’s really cool when you have radio behind you and just to have people even think that you’re one of the next stars in country. It made me feel good because you can work and you can play all these shows and do all these things, but sometimes you start to wonder, you’re like, man, is it all going to work out?” says Block. “For me, just being played on radio means a lot. And the fact that I get to be recognized as one of the new faces, it really just means a lot to me.”
Block Will Soon Hit The Road With Shania Twain
This summer, Block will be opening for Shania Twain during select dates on her “Queen of Me Tour,” which she says will be a full circle moment. Up until this year, she would include “Any Man of Mine” in her set list, calling the song “iconic.” She says she’s excited to see Twain perform it. “I’m going to have my band with me, and that is just a real full circle moment from singing ‘Any Man of Mine’ all over town to now opening for Shania and us watching her sing it.”
At Block’s shows, she’ll see fans imitating her look, which is reminiscent of when she was inspired by Twain. “There’s so many girls that show up with their hair up high and their hoops on, and they’re like, ‘I’m wearing a crop top tonight because of you.’ It’s really a cool feeling.”
When people ask Block why she’s so confident, she points to Twain. “It’s artists like Shania that unapologetically are themselves, are independent, strong, amazing women. I’ve always looked up to her because I feel like she just is constantly pushing the boundaries.” When it comes to fashion, Twain was an idol. “I remember just wanting to look like Shania,” says Block. “She inspires me to be super ballsy with my style and my fashion and wearing the freaking crop tops.”
