Priscilla Block

Block grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, as one of five children. Her mother encouraged her to learn music after finding an old guitar in the family attic. Block taught herself to play and spent her teenage years performing locally, including sets at Raleigh's Deep South Bar. She also auditioned for televised singing competitions.

In 2014, right after graduating high school, she moved to Nashville to pursue country music. The early years were difficult. She worked odd jobs to cover rent, including nannying, walking dogs, and working at a frozen yogurt shop. She also scavenged discarded furniture from roadsides to resell online. Her home was broken into multiple times, and she struggled to find venues that would allow an underage artist through the door.

She considered moving back home. A chance encounter changed her direction. While Block was walking down a Nashville street wearing a Taylor Swift shirt, Swift pulled her car over to say hello and thank her for the support. The brief conversation gave Block the confidence to stay. She quit her classes and day job that evening to focus entirely on songwriting.

Block spent several years sharpening her craft in Nashville. She played outside Bridgestone Arena on concert nights and booked rounds at venues such as The Listening Room Cafe and Whiskey Jam. In 2017, she self-released her debut extended play, Different Route, recorded in a closet studio.

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, Block began sharing original songs on TikTok. Tracks like "PMS" and "Thick Thighs" found an immediate audience on the platform. Her breakthrough came after she ran into an ex-partner and wrote "Just About Over You." She posted a live acoustic performance of the song online.

The video went viral. A fan in California launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover the cost of a formal studio session. Within three weeks of writing it, Block recorded the track. It reached number one on the iTunes all-genre chart within 12 hours of release. The viral momentum sparked a bidding war among record labels, leading her to sign with Mercury Nashville.

Mercury Nashville released a radio version of "Just About Over You" produced by Ross Copperman. The track reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, entered the Billboard Hot 100, and earned a platinum certification from the RIAA. The success brought Block nominations for New Female Artist of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2021 and 2023.

In February 2022, Block released her debut full-length album, Welcome to the Block Party. The record blended country, pop, and southern rock across tracks such as "My Bar" and "Peaked in High School." Later that year, she teamed up with Justin Moore on the duet "You, Me, & Whiskey." The single was also certified platinum, reaching number three on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and entering the Canadian charts.