Named one of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch in 2021, Kountry Wayne (a.k.a. Wayne Colley) has garnered a loyal following from his widely popular digital sketches and hilarious standup, generating an extraordinary amount of buzz among his peers within the entertainment industry as one of comedy’s most notable rising stars. 

Kountry Wayne stopped by The Official Black Magazine to speak about his upcoming tour, book to be released, and recently launched comedy movie.  

Cox: Kountry Wayne, I’m excited to hear about your HELP IS ON THE WAY Comedy Tour. Tell me why people around the country should attend.  

Wayne: This show will help people open up their minds to view life differently. I want people to start talking about life and feel comfortable when they need to speak their truth. We, including myself, have all been there where we don’t talk about things because it makes us feel awkward such as financial and relationship situations. We all need to find our own ways to open up.   

Cox: Nice; how long has the tour been in the making?  

Wayne: It’s been a year process. I have a book under the same name as the tour, so I wanted to tie everything together.   

Cox: I love to hear about your booking coming out and what we can expect from it?  

Wayne: It’s like the same thing with the tour. It’s just me talking about truth and my truth. I want to inspire others with my life story and everything I went through and overcame. So many of us don’t open our minds to help and solutions to things we have going on in our lives. We get in our own way. I have learned that from experience. This book will help people understand the importance of opening their minds to new possibilities. It’s to help them recognize these things.   

Cox: You have already mentioned ‘opening your mind’ several times, which I love. Why is this phrase so important to you and for others to grasp.   

Wayne: It’s like this you have so many choices in life. For example, you could be drowning in a pool, and the wall could be right there for you to grab onto, but you have your eyes closed. This happens to people too often when they don’t see the opportunities right in front of them because they have completed their minds to see anything outside of what they want. When you open your mind to the world, you relax and take things in.   

Cox: When did you realize you needed to ‘open up your eyes’?   

Wayne. It was when I was doing too good in the wrong world. I was making bad choices and getting praised by the wrong people. I’m like, I know I’m on the wrong path definitely because these people were really praising me for doing the wrong things in life. This was when I knew I had to change my life for the positive.   

Cox: What was it that helped start you on the right path?  

Wayne: Oh, it was when this one comedy video of me went viral. That night I had my Bible and prayed. This was my rock that David had, my story of Daniel in the lion’s den, and my arc that Noah built.   

Cox: That’s beautifully stated. Now let’s get into your new movie Strange Love.   

Wayne: This movie means a lot to me because I put up my own money and actually starred in it. I just wanted to make a feel-good and funny move to make people laugh. Tressa, CEO of MegaMind Media, brought the project to me and believed in it. I had already done a movie with her, so when she asked me to read the script, it was a done deal. I love that this movie is just funny no real message behind it, because sometimes we don’t need a film with a message; it just needs to make people laugh.