Country Artist Priscilla Block Talks About Her Hit “Just About Over You,” Her EP And Writing Her Songs

In just the past year, country singer/songwriter Priscilla Block has emerged as a talented new artist to watch. She is currently breaking through with her debut hit single, “Just About Over You,” and she’s released her self-titled EP, Priscilla Block (on Mercury Nashville Records).

In early 2020, Block was an unknown artist who was trying to figure out how to launch her career with the pandemic happening. She had written over a hundred songs and had  independently released an earlier EP. She then decided to create videos of some of her key songs that displayed her personality and unique vision. Block posted her entertaining videos “Thick Thighs” (which got over a million views on YouTube) and “PMS.”

Following this online success, Block posted a partial version of her song “Just About Over You” and it went viral. Many fans requested that she release a full recording, so she quickly went into the studio and recorded it, and within weeks she released the completed version of “Just About Over You.” As a result, her video of this song now has over six million views on YouTube, and she has attracted over a million followers on TikTok.

Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, Block moved to Nashville after graduating from high school. When she arrived in Nashville, the first few years weren’t easy, but she began to collaborate with other songwriters and producers. She became friends and started writing with Sarah Jones and Emily Kroll, and the three of them wrote “Just About Over You” and other songs. Notably, Jones is also a member of her band.

It was in September 2020 that Block signed with Mercury Nashville Records, and she began working on her 6-song EP, Priscilla Block, which was released in April 2021. This EP provides a fine showcase for her expressive lead vocals, and her honest and heartfelt songwriting. Besides “Just About Over You,” other key songs on the EP are “Wish You Were The Whiskey,” “Sad Girls Do Sad Things” and “I Bet You Wanna Know.”

In addition, Block has released a witty, sassy new song & video called “Peaked In High School,” where she recalls her rough days in high school when the other students doubted she could make it in the music business. As it turns out in the song, Block sings that wasn’t the one who “peaked in high school.”

Currently, Block and her band are on tour, opening shows for Ashley McBryde, Jon Pardi and Dierks Bentley. She looks forward to touring more in 2022.

Priscilla Block Interview

We are pleased to do this new Q&A interview with Priscilla Block. She tells how she got started as an artist & songwriter, and tells how she wrote her hit, “Just About Over You.”

DK: I read that you’re from Raleigh, North Carolina. How did you get started with music and writing songs?

Priscilla Block: It started when I would find albums in my house and listen to them. I used to sing at my dad’s church, and slowly but surely falling in love with music. One day, I decided to pick up a guitar and it was game over. Then when I was in middle school & high school, I’d listen to favorite artists like Taylor Swift. She made me feel like I could do it.

DK: When did you move to Nashville?

Block: I moved to Nashville right out of high school, in 2014.

DK: Did you have some initial success in Nashville, or was it tough when you got there?

Block: When I moved to Nashville, I didn’t have crazy, unrealistic expectations of getting a record deal overnight. I knew it was going to be difficult…it was really hard. The first week I moved to Nashville, my house got broken into. I was this 18-year-old girl living in a city where I didn’t know anybody, and I didn’t know how to get started chasing this dream.

DK: Early on, you released an EP called Different Route. When did you put that EP out?

Block: I put Different Route out in 2016. I’d been in Nashville for two years, and I started writing with friends in town. When I met a producer, I asked if he would help me record an EP. We recorded all the songs in his closet studio, and those were some of the first songs I wrote in Nashville.

DK: You started to become popular when you released your songs “Thick Thighs” and “PMS,” which are funny and witty. When did those songs come out?

Block: Those came out about two years ago. I love to write about the stuff that I know. With those songs, I’d never heard somebody talk about PMS in a song, and “Thick Thighs” has become a staple song for me. It’s a song that people want to hear and it’s refreshing, about me being a curvier girl singing country music. For so long, I felt like I had to change who I was to fit into a mold, but “Thick Thighs” is the song that I was able to embrace my body and be a little bit different.

DK: Currently, you have your first hit, “Just About Over You.” What inspired you to write this song?

Block: I wrote “Just About Over You” about the idea, when you think you’re over somebody and you’re not. I had a run-in with an ex-boyfriend at a bar, and it was the night that I thought that I was finally doing good, and I might be able to move on. But I saw him and it was like…Oh my gosh—I’m not over this. It’s that feeling of sadness, of being…Hey, I was almost there.

DK: You wrote “Just About Over You” and other songs on your EP with Sarah Jones and Emily Kroll. Can you talk about your writing with them?

Block: Sarah (Jones) has been my best friend in Nashville. We’ve lived together on and off for six years, and she’s in my band. She had a lot to do with me starting to co-write, and it was me and Sarah writing in an empty apartment. Then as we continued to build songwriter friends, we met Emily (Kroll), and there’s something about the three of us girls getting together, where I feel we always write great songs.

DK: When you posted a video on TikTok of “Just About Over You,” it went viral. How did your song blow up on TikTok?

Block: It’s crazy, because I never thought that was going to be the song that did it for me. When you think of a viral moment, you think of a funny song like “Thick Thighs.” I thought that that “Thick Thighs” was going to be the one that made me stand out.

With “Just About Over You,” I loved it when I wrote it, and I decided to put a little memo online and see what people thought. I didn’t think it was going to become a social media storm. I posted it and it blew up, and suddenly people were begging me to put it out (the full version). So I called a friend, and we figured out how fast I could record it. Then we recorded and released the song, which was just three weeks after it was written.

DK: Many young artists have done well by posting their songs on TikTok. So what’s your strategy? Do you create separate videos for TikTok and for YouTube?

Block: I definitely cross post. If I’m putting out a video on YouTube, I’ll bring it to TikTok and vice versa. They’re definitely different platforms. TikTok is fast instant videos, where with YouTube you can dive in deeper. So I try and post as much as I can across all platforms to reach whoever I can.

DK: When did you sign your record deal, and when did you record your EP?

Block: I signed my record deal in September 2020. It was in the middle of the pandemic. When I signed my deal, they wanted to hear the rest of the songs that I had, and luckily I’d spent seven years in Nashville writing hundreds of songs. So it was cool, because we were ready and we had the songs to choose from.

DK: Besides “Just About Over You,” what are your favorite songs on your EP?

Block: “Sad Girls Do Sad Things” is really special to me. And I love “”Wish You Were The Whiskey.”

DK: You’ve recently released a song & video that’s very funny and entertaining: “Peaked In High School.” Can you talk about this song?

Block: “Peaked In High School” is a fun song that goes out to anybody that never thought that I would make it (laughs). Do you know what I mean?

DK: So is that song based on your true experience?

Block: Oh yeah. High school wasn’t the best years of my life. I tend to writing funny songs, or very serious songs, like heartbreak songs. And I felt this song shows the world the way that I am, and where I get my sassiness and confidence from. And high school just wasn’t it. I was gonna move to Nashville and chase this dream, and everybody looked at me like I was crazy. So “Peaked In High School” goes out to anybody. It’s like…Hey listen. Life gets so much better. You’re going through a time, and I’m a example of it. Thank God I didn’t peak in high school.

DK: This past year with the pandemic, it’s been a rough year for many people. But during this time, your career has taken off. So what’s the past year been like for you, to have your dreams start coming true?

Block: For me, through the toughest times in life, you can find the good in it. And I made a choice during that time. I was either going to sit at home [and be frustrated] about how I couldn’t play music, or I was going to try to figure out social media. I made that my full-time job. Yeah, this past year has been unbelievable. I’m so thankful every single day.

Here’s the link to Priscilla Block’s site: https://www.priscillablock.com/