Nashville (AFP) – “Twenty-three in Music City / With dreams and high-heeled boots / Singin' for a crowd of blue eyes / Will they want me too?” croons Julie Williams at the Blue Room venue in Nashville. The 26-year-old, who is biracial, is one of many Black female artists carving out space in country music's capital, where predominantly white, male gatekeepers dictate who makes it — and who doesn't. Megastar Beyonce's highly anticipated country album, out Friday, has cast a spotlight on efforts by Black performers — a vital part of the genre's history — to create a more inclusive Nashville. …

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