 He says one record deal he nearly signed about a decade ago evaporated once the label learned that he's both black and gay. So I went to the rock scene, and then I decided I wanted to be a poet. So I went into the folk scene, and then I decided I wanted to do country again. But the doors remained closed, and in 2021, he was ready to call it quits. Around that time, a country fan named Holly G was determined to find performers of color.