Rachel Brooke: The Underground Country Queen on AI in Music, Staying Independent & Why She'll Never Sell Out

Y'all, this one was SO good. I got to sit down with Rachel Brooke. the underground country queen from Northern Michigan, and honestly this might be one of my favorite conversations I've had on the Real Country Podcast. Her new album This One's For You dropped April 24th and she came in with zero filter. Love her for it.We talk about what it actually looks like to do everything yourself as an independent country artist, the booking, the emails, the registering, the social media you hate but have to do anyway. Rachel breaks down that split between being the artist and being the business owner, and how those two people literally cannot exist at the same time. We also get into AI in country music and why it genuinely frustrates her (she brings up the John Henry song and it's perfect), her roots growing up in the woods of Northern Michigan with a banjo-picking dad, her five biggest musical influences from Hank Williams to Fats Domino to Brian Wilson, the story behind Sing Sad Songs, and why she's finally made peace with the "underground" label.Oh, and we played "You Chose Poorly" a little game on bad relationships, terrible advice, and a THC cider story that had me LOLing.If you love real country music, independent artists, and honest conversations about the music industry this episode is for you.Rachel Brooke | Real Country Podcast | independent country music | underground country | authentic songwriting | country music podcast | new country music 2026Thanks for listening! Tune in every week when we release new episodes discussing new music, chatting with artists, and all things country.