Before “Main Character Energy,” she was comfortable being the utility player—the songwriter, fiddle player, multi-instrumentalist and background vocalist helping make the music work without needing her name above the marquee. That changed in Chicago when her original bandmate unexpectedly stepped away. Terrified or not, Brontë stepped forward, booked the shows and discovered the frontwoman had been there all along.
There was a time when soul music wasn't defined by playlists or streaming numbers. It was measured by the honesty in a singer's voice, the musicians behind the instruments, and the stories that could make a room full of strangers laugh, cry, reminisce, or fall in love—all within the span of a three-minute song.
