Musician Roberta Lea Shares What Has Made Her Career BLOSSOM

Our September gathering settled into The Garage Gallery within the newly formed Creative Well Arts Foundation for the first time. Despite being on the cusp of fall, the morning was warm and sunny, as our community poured into the new venue for an inspiring lesson in the importance of cultivating creativity and community.

In the spirit of BLOSSOM, musician Roberta Lea dove into the various stages that go into seeing something bloom. Our work, wonder and will make up our soil, and community, collaboration and critique keep it watered. The results – the reward, the recognition, the reach – that’s the ultimate sunshine. This beautiful metaphor could not be more reflective of Roberta’s blossoming journey.

In 2019, after 7 years as a high school educator, Roberta experienced a panic attack that markedly shifted her perspective and her professional trajectory. “My inner child was having a temper tantrum,” she shares. “There was this seed inside that needed tending to.”

For Roberta, that seed was music. Storytelling in the form of songwriting and singing had long been her passion and her creative outlet, but criticism and self-doubt chipped away at her dream, forcing her back into the soil. The panic attack, she says, helped recalibrate her. Roberta’s goal became clear: pursue music full-time.

“I hadn’t lost my wonder or my will. It was my responsibility to put in the work, to invest in myself before anyone else did.”

Roberta leveraged the pandemic as an opportunity to lay down the groundwork for her goal. She poured any time she had into writing and recording, and got creative with promoting herself. In 2021, at age 35, she resigned from her teaching career and became a full-time musician. While Roberta follows a long list of iconic artists from coastal Virginia, she is the first local Black woman to pursue country music.

Community, Roberta says, changed everything. The more she connected with others, the more her songs resonated with them, the closer she got to fulfilling exactly what she had set out to do. After receiving a grant to record her “Just a Taste” EP, she began touring with The Black Opry and earned the support of Brandi Carlile and Allison Russell.

In 2023, Roberta kick-started her “Too Much of a Woman” album to critical acclaim, including a spot among CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2023. American Songwriter Magazine has described her as “a compelling artist”, and the Nashville Scene has praised her ability to “score hits with catchy, textured and beautifully sung originals.” Every year, she performs at Dollywood.

“There’s nothing like the power of music, of storytelling, to move people. Meeting fans of my music has been so affirming. I’m proud of the integrity of my work. Music is a responsibility.”

In 2024, Roberta saw her highest-grossing tour and officially out-earned her former salary, cementing her vision and propelling her forward. While Roberta had once dreamed of an Emmy, she never envisioned that a documentary showcasing her story would earn one; season eight of WHRO’s “Curate 757” series, on which Roberta was featured, received one this year.

“Having people invest in your story can be life-changing.”

Today, Roberta is embracing the change of the seasons, focusing on her own personal autumn. With hope and conviction, she inspires us all to allow ourselves the space and time to rest, rejuvenate and prepare for our next season of becoming.

If the past five years are any indication, there’s no doubt Roberta’s most colorful and abundant blossoming lies just ahead.

Listen to Roberta’s music, including “Too Much of a Woman,” at iamrobertalea.com, and follow along on her journey and upcoming tour dates on Instagram (@iamrobertalea)..

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Written by CMVB volunteer blogger Valeria L. Palmertree

Join us every third Friday in 2025 as we explore, along with 236 other cities in 69 countries around the world, 12 new themes in a face-to-face community format. Recent themes have included Cycle, Layers, Revival, Punk and Parallel. October’s theme is SOFT, and our featured speaker will be Joey Launi of Lolly’s Creamery.

CM also has virtual field trips and a database of previous talks to enjoy and explore at home.

I pulled this tidbit from WHRO but please feel free to remove if irrelevant or would prefer it not be highlighted.