Sebastian Kole isn’t abandoning soul; he’s just giving it a Southern twang. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, known for his rich vocals and R&B chops, has re-emerged under a new moniker: Pynk Beard. And yes, the name is literal. With a vibrant pink beard, gold teeth, and a new EP full of life lessons, joy, heartache, and grit, he’s trading in smooth ballads for steel strings and storytelling.
In this exclusive, Pynk Beard opens up about the day he dyed his beard pink, how country music has always been his aim — even while signed to Motown Records as an R&B artist — and how he’s redefining what it means to “go country” on his own terms.
Born Coleridge Tillman and raised in the Dolomite neighborhood of Birmingham, Kole’s musical journey started long before he stepped into global spaces or began writing music for celebrated artists like Alessia Cara, Jennifer Lopez, Brandy, John Legend, and more. His most recent Grammy came at the 2025 ceremony, for Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen, marking his third Grammy win. But singing country at trail rides and Nashville breweries feels more like a homecoming than a genre switch, Kole said.
“I feel more at home now than I’ve ever felt in my life … Country music didn’t change me. It just gave me permission to be more of who I already was,” he said.
Kole’s first album, Soup, released in 2016, was originally intended to be a country record. “It wasn’t supposed to be R&B,” he said. “But at the time, being signed and trying to make it work, the support just wasn’t there. So I turned it into Southern Urban Pop — that’s what Soup stood for.”
Now, years later, Sugar & Salt picks up where Soup left off, this time without compromise. The album is a sonic and spiritual rebirth, rooted in pedal steel, acoustic guitar, fiddle, banjo, and the grounding wisdom that comes with being Alabama-bred. Country music, Kole says, simply gives him space to tell the kinds of stories he’s always told, regardless of genre.
“I’ve always been a storyteller,” he said. “If you go back and listen to anything I’ve written, it’s usually very story-driven. R&B often expresses feelings, but I’ve always been like, ‘Let me tell you this story.’”
Kole’s shift in sound and identity came with a bold visual statement. One day, at his home in L.A., he decided to dye his beard bright pink. The act was spontaneous, yet intentional.
“I wanted people to focus on what was coming out of my mouth,” he laughed. “You can’t not look at a pink beard and gold teeth. That’s by design.”
But Pynk Beard isn’t just a look, it’s a personality. “Sebastian Kole is the introspective guy, the writer who stays at home,” he said. “Pynk Beard is loud, outside, enjoying life. This isn’t about fame — it’s about being present, about choosing joy.”
The EP was made independently. Kole teamed up with longtime collaborator Oak Felder to build Sugar & Salt from scratch.
“I could’ve gone the trap-country route,” he said. “But I wanted it to feel real. Banjo, pedal steel, acoustic guitars, fiddles … we wanted the instrumentation to be authentic. And we did a whole lot of gang vocals to encourage people to sing along.”
The album’s title is more than a nod to Southern flavor; it’s a metaphor for contrast, connection, and culture. “There are folks in the South who eat their grits with sugar, and others with salt, and they’ll swear the other is crazy, but it’s all still country,” Kole said. “So, it doesn’t matter if I’m talking about trail rides or bonfires, it’s all country, and it’s the country experience that binds us.”
Kole once wondered how his shift would be received, especially as a Black artist, but said he’s found himself embraced, particularly by fans in the Black rodeo and trail ride communities.
“I thought I’d get more pushback, but the love has been overwhelming. People are seeing themselves in the music,” Kole said.
Now, with a tour kicking off and a merch line on the way, Pynk Beard is bringing his Southern reinvention to the stage. “I’ve never been this happy in my adult life,” he said. “Pynk Beard is here to stay.”
Follow him on Instagram @sebastiankole for updates on music, tour dates, and the upcoming album Sugar & Salt.
Catch Pynk Beard Live:
Friday, June 13
The Red Bluff
Montgomery, Alabama
Sunday, June 15
Electric Belle
Huntsville, Alabama