[Spoiler Alert: The story below reveals the winner of My Kind of Country.]
Scouts Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton, and Orville Peck had their work cut out for them when deciding the winner of My Kind of Country. The trio of trailblazers guided talent from various parts of the globe, enlisting the help of industry heavy hitters, leading up to the finale. The finalists took the stage for one last performance at The Mulehouse in Tennessee. Among those in the audience were executive producers Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves.
In the end, Orville’s Micaela Kleinsmith was revealed as the inaugural winner. The South African elicited all the feels from an incredible Band Perry cover of “If I Die Young” followed by a performance of her original song “Stupid Love” that got Guyton tearing up.
Kleiinsmith, who ventured all the way from Cape Town for the show, will receive $100,000 and the backing of Apple Music’s platform to take her career to the next level. We caught up with the singer-songwriter-guitarist and her mentor to reflect on the journey to the proverbial grand stage.
There can only be one first, and for My Kind of Country, you are the first winner. How does that feel?
Micaela Kleinsmith: It was a really surreal experience because I first didn’t even expect to make it that far. And also to hear everyone else’s performances, my mind was blown every week. They were all so talented. Winning was the last thing on my mind. I enjoyed the ride. So when I found out I had won, I was very shocked and very happy. I am so proud of myself.
Apple TV+
Orville, obviously you must be proud that the winner is from South Africa and was initially part of your initial showcase. With everyone so good, what made Micaela stand out above the rest?
Orville Peck: I can happily say [coming from South Africa] was not a deciding factor. That was an added bonus for me personally to have someone from my home country win. I think it was undeniable. What we were looking for on this show were growth and authenticity. There were so many talented people. There were people we had to send home each week that were in no way untalented or bad at what they did. Everyone was so good. So what it came down to is who would challenge themselves and have grown from the previous week. She grew in confidence so much from week to week. It was astonishing. What became undeniable was the finale where her performance literally brought the house down. It was so incredible and special. It was really a culmination for her, that last performance. It was a pleasure to watch.
Micaela, you had a very emotional session with [creative director] Jemel McWilliams halfway through the process where you opened up about losing your brother. During that moment you really put your walls down. Do you find that was a turning point for you?
Micaela: I think it was because that was a wall that has always been there. I don’t think about what happened to my brother. It’s a very sore subject. Even now, it’s hard for me to speak about it. I think that once you break down the biggest wall after that, the rest is easy. Part of my thinking was there was no going back now. I thought I might as well put it all out there.
Bullying is sadly so prevalent today. What kind of inspiration do you think you are, showing success in spite of the bullying you faced growing up?
Micaela: I think the story is very important and needs to be told because I think we all experience bullying in our lives at some point. For me, it really affected me very negatively in a lot of ways. Also, I learned from it as the years went by. Having music in my life was where I put all the emotions and sadness and everything. It helped me navigate through those hard times. It’s a very important story to tell to show what is possible. That it gets better.
Orville: I definitely related to a lot of what Micaela was saying. I definitely had my share of bullying when I was a kid. Then in a lot of ways being an openly gay artist in the country, there is even an element of bullying in my adult life. I’m so proud of her for not only overcoming but showing other sides of herself through art. That is my definition of an artist. That is the kind of art I try to make. I think it’s really important to show that journey. To show that you can not only overcome it but get a win. It’s so special.
Micaela, you spoke about following reality shows and singing competitions. You were even on Idols South Africa. How did My Kind of Country compare?
Micaela: I grew up watching these reality shows. I picked up a lot from that. The experience was very different. In this show, I didn’t feel like I was competing against the contestants. I felt we were just showcasing our voices and hanging out. It didn’t feel competitive to me personally. I think that translates on camera as well. It felt a lot more intimate than a lot more shows do.
Orville: That’s really what we set out to do. I’ve been asked to be involved in things like this and I had never really wanted to do them. For me, it was not my cup of tea to be in a competition-type show on the judging side or otherwise. We as scouts and producers wanted it to feel like something different. We wanted artists to feel like artists other than contestants. We never called them contestants. We only called them artists. We never referred to ourselves as judges. We referred to ourselves as scouts because we wanted to be mentors and help these artists through whatever they needed from us rather than sitting behind some table making TV. We wanted it to be a real experience. We were genuinely invested in each and every one of them to give them the best chance we could. It didn’t even feel like we were making a TV show most of the time.
Apple TV+
Micaela, have you given thought to what you’re going to do with the $100,000? And with Apple’s support behind you including branding and having billboards with your face on them, you’re going to be more visible than ever.
Micaela: The prize money makes a huge difference. I have plans. That’s all I will say. It will make a difference for my family and me. It’s a life-changer. The whole billboards being put out there, I’m like a girl from Cape Town. I never thought I would be on billboards in the States. I’m just eternally grateful that all of this happened. I’ve been trying to embrace the calm before the storm.
Are you staying in the States?
Micaela: I am at home actually. I was in the States for a bit creating new music for the new EP. I’m home now. It’s Easter, so I’m spending time with my family. You can expect a lot of new music in the near future. That’s as much as I can say.
Orville, what kind of advice do you give her as she acclimates to having a higher profile, which means she is subject to even more scrutiny?
Orville: The advice is just to keep going with the same spirit she had in this competition and bring yourself. I think the hard thing about any sort of thing is exactly that. Nobody really signs up to be scrutinized and criticized and critiqued on a daily basis. I would say don’t read any of the comments.
Are we having a season 2?
Orville: We can’t say, but we sure hope so!
The entire season of My Kind of Country is available for streaming on Apple TV+