Layton Greene Went from East St. Louis to Billboard's Top 100

In early 2020, Layton Greene was riding high. The East St. Louis native had just signed a record deal with Quality Control Music, had plans for a 10-date debut tour and was garnering a rapidly growing fan base for her heartfelt R&B.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, sending the artist into a dark place mentally. She decided to protect her mental health and took a break from music.

"I went into a very depressive state. I lost myself and my mental [health]. Then I found out I was pregnant in 2021 with my first child," she says. "Going through that, I felt that life was just life-ing, and I had to take a step back to really focus on myself so that when I was ready to put myself out there again, I can give my best to them."

Her plan worked. Says Greene, "I'm in a great head space now. I'm ready to come back on the scene and go crazy."

Last week, Greene, 25, dropped a new single, "Cinderella Story." The melodic track was a long time in the making, as she first recorded the song four years ago and only revisited it this year.

"When I first cut the song, I loved it, but I felt like I needed to recut it because my voice had grown, and I grew in different places," she says. "I'm ready to get this music out because I'm in my head about it. I know I've grown so much, but also I want [fans] to see the growth, too."

Greene caught her first big break in 2017 by releasing covers of popular songs, most notably Kodak Black's "Roll in Peace" — which became her first hit, garnering 3.5 million-plus streams on SoundCloud in the first month alone.

When she released the cover, she was working at Walmart, unloading trucks and stacking groceries.

"The first day when my phone was blowing up, it was going off the hook. I left Walmart, I left my job and never came back," Greene says. "Once I went viral, I was like, 'This is it!' I was working on getting my GED, but I dropped everything."

For all the viral success Greene achieved with her covers, she was looking for something more from her music and decided to write her own songs. She used songwriting as a form of therapy as she wrote about trauma and formative life experiences.

"I used to take entries from my journal and come up with songs," she says. "That's how 'Blame on Me' came about, just putting my feelings onto paper."

She adds, "It feels most therapeutic once I put my music out and see how people relate to it in the way that they do. I'm just writing from my own life experiences. That's why I put my life into these songs, and I'm not afraid to be vulnerable because people deserve it."

After the viral success of her covers and 2018 debut single "Myself," Layton Greene became the first-ever R&B artist signed to Quality Control Music, the Atlanta-based hip-hop label. Her first single with it, "Leave 'Em Alone," soared to No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Even in her first meeting with the label, she says, it was clear she'd found the place to grow as an artist.

"QC is like a family; everybody is tight-knit. I'm trying to get back on the scene, and they're so supportive, just to have a label and label-mates that go so hard for each other. It's another blessing, and I don't think I could have signed with a better label," Greene says. "It just felt like home, and it felt right. I felt like I was seen, and that I could relate to everybody on the label."

Greene grew up in East St. Louis before moving to Knoxville, Tennessee, at age 14. Signs that she would pursue a music career were evident from a young age: She would sing on her porch to friends and family, making them pay to watch her sing.

"I always knew that I wanted to be a singer. I just didn't know how it was going to happen," she says. "Nobody in my family is musically inclined, and my parents told me that I needed to go to college because it's not possible, it's a one-in-a-million chance. I was determined it was going to happen. I didn't know how, but I knew it was going to happen."

When Greene moved cities she experienced a huge culture shock. She is mixed race and says that in East St. Louis was considered a white girl, but after moving to Knoxville and attending an all-white school, she was considered a Black girl. The change was tough, but Greene says that it gave her more to write about and a chance to turn hardships into art.

With her new album slated for early next year and plans for a debut headlining tour, Greene has big plans for 2024.

"I'm ready for the album to come," she says. "In 2024, I want to give myself to my fans and be on the scene more. I want to tour and get out and touch my supporters. You can just expect great things."

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