When the Wu-Tang Clan landed in Nashville to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), they took the stage at the Ryman Auditorium, the hallowed former home of the Grand Ole Opry. In fact, Method Man, RZA, GZA, and the rest of the crew were the first hip-hop act to ever perform at Country Music’s Mother Church.

Still, the Wu show was less an attempt to cater to country fans who might sprinkle their FGL playlists with “C.R.E.A.M.” or “Protect Ya Neck,” and more an attempt to accurately reflect Nashville’s ubiquitous “Music City” persona.

Travel to Nashville by plane and you’ll likely be serenaded by Dolly and Willie as soon as you disembark. You’ll pass a vintage promotional poster for a Patsy Cline show; a three-piece band may serenade you with a Garth Brooks tune on the way to baggage claim. But once you hit the streets and make your way around town, sidestepping Broadway and navigating like the locals do, you’ll find that Nashville’s musical roots are as wide as they are deep.

Thalia Ewing, a mechanical licensing manager at BMG and founder and owner of Muziqueen Music Group, knows this down to her core. The Nashville native has since printed T-shirts and rubber bracelets with the slogan NASHVILLE IS MORE THAN JUST COUNTRY MUSIC, building a brand while leveraging her insider knowledge and industry connections to clear a path for artists who eschew country.

“I’m just trying to change the narrative about Nashville,” Ewing says. “I want to highlight all genres of music and provide a platform and a voice for all artists to grow, blossom, and hone their craft.”