John Coffelt, Editor

Up and coming country music artist Sheyna Gee, whose music video for “Blue” premiered exclusively on CMT last week, performed for her first Bonnaroo crowd Friday, June 14. 

“The last time I was here I snuck in,” Gee said.   

 Gee’s set on the How Stage was part of the “I Know A Woman Music Collective,” a woman empowerment charity that works to open doors for female creatives, creating community and raising funds for like-minded artists. 

 “I’m just happy to be involved in anything that empowers women and helps them live out their dreams,” Gee said. “I am a tried and true country music player.”

 A former Los Angeles resident, Gee moved to Music City to live the country music life.

 She said her LA roots at first seem incongruent with country music, but she said she grew up in rodeos and riding horses. As an adult she found her love of playing country music. 

 “Here we are eight years in and I feel I’m right on time for a 10-year town,” Gee said. 

 Gee’s TikTok hit “Ghost” gave her validation as an artist. She wrote and produced the song and performed it with her band.

 “It’s amazing,” she said. “It feels validated that the TikTok world picked the song that I did all the things with. It wasn’t something contrived. It wasn’t a cover; wasn’t a get-ready-with-me — it was actually a piece of my art.”

 Gee has continued to write that way using her distinctive, raspy voice and style, to resonate with fans worldwide. 

 Gee’s single “Blue” has been featured on Whiskey Riff, Academy of Country Music, and CMA’s new music roundup features. 

As an independent country artist, Gee has spent the last year playing sold-out shows worldwide, including performances at C2C in London, Buckle Up Festival in Sweden, and SXSW in Austin, while releasing her 2023 EP, “Angela.” Gee’s singles have been featured on several editorial playlists including TIDAL, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Spotify, which lead to Gee the cover of Fresh Finds Country awhile back.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.