Nikki Lane "Lies" Official Video

It’s not just Nikki Lane’s raw, Tammy Wynette–style voice that gives her retro-country sound its stamp of authenticity. The South Carolina native, 25, who now lives in Nashville after brief stints in L.A. and New York, also has a backstory that is (to quote Billy Ray Cyrus) as country as country can be.

“While I was living in New York my boyfriend dumped me and moved to Atlanta,” she explained on a recent trip back to the city. “I was heartbroken, and stuck by myself, crying and upset. I’d been talking for years about making a record so I just started writing.” "Vogue"