10 New and Upcoming Country and Americana Artists You Need to Know

It's time for our monthly round up of the 10 Country and Americana Artists You Need To Know.

This month we’ve got a former Georgia Southern University football player who still likes to get a little rowdy, a country soul singer who grew up on a strawberry field in Plant City, Florida, and a six piece from Montreal, Canada, who infuse their country rock with a love for rhythm and blues, three-piece Muscle Shoals horn sections and cosmic country harmonies.

Here we go with another of Holler's monthly round-ups of our latest loves; a who's who of the most exciting prospects to begin leaving their mark on the country and Americana landscape.

Here's Holler's 10 New and Upcoming Country and Americana Artists You Need to Know for July:

“Emotional. Electric. Personal.” These are the three words that Gavin Adcock picks out to perfectly describe his debut album.

Since releasing his song ‘Ain’t No Cure’ in 2021 – a song that seemed to owe as much to the grunge rock of Pearl Jam as it did his rural country roots - the 25-year-old singer from Watkinsville, Georgia, has steadily built a loyal, fervent fanbase and won over a young audience with his no-filter approach to songwriting, an always unpredictable live show and a swaggering, but wholly relatable persona that, while respectful, will never apologise for who he is.

Over the course of 16 tracks on his debut album, Actin’ Up Again - released on his own Thrivin Here Records imprint through Warner Music Nashville in August - Adock writes hard luck country songs about failed relationships, rowdy days and regretful one-night stands and the drinking it takes to get it all off your mind.

He’s a hard living, hard-working, hard-partying everyman cast in the mould of Trace Adkins, David Allan Coe, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr. and every other unapologetic outlaw that’s ever cooked up their country with a big dollop of southern rock.

“I want to change country music,” Gavin says, “but I’m not changing me. I am proud of who I am, where I come from, of small-town living, and of a country and a place called home that has taken care of us more than we give it credit for sometimes.”

A former Georgia Southern University football player, Gavin grew up working on his family cattle farm and dreamed of riding bulls in the PBR. He started writing songs in high school, but it wasn’t until the spring of 2021, when he tore up his knee playing football, that he used his time healing to record and release his first original single. Since then, he has put all focus into his music and has released multiple singles that have now amassed over 270 million US streams collectively.

Adcock describes his sound as sitting “somewhere in the middle of head banging rock and twangy country music.” A lot of the older country that he grew up listening to has been soaked deep into his sound. There’s a little bit of Keith Whitley, George Jones, Strait and Alan Jackson and Alan Jackson in there, mixed with that undeniable thump of Georgia country rock that blasts out of the speakers at his raw and unleashed live shows, as he sings right up in the faces of his fans, stomping his boots and often ending the show bare-chested.

“I feel like my fans respect me enough to go, ‘This guy might kick my ass,’” Gavins laughs, reflecting on those increasingly unpredictable live shows. “I’ll get in the pit and bump shoulders with them and act a fool. If there's something I can climb up on, I’ll do it. I love being out there with them.”

Having spent the summer on the road with Jason Aldean and Kid Rock on the Rock the Country Tour, Adcock is gearing up to headline his own tour in support of Actin’ Up Again.

“When I started making music, I saw an opening for harder songwriting, because country had been going pop. I want it to be more real, with its instruments and vocals,” he says. “I’m trying to fight that fight - I’m not your normal country singer.”

Actin’ Up Again is released on 2nd of August on Thrivin Here Records under exclusive license to Warner Music Nashville.

Listen If You Like: Austin Snell, Brantley Gilbert, Hank Williams Jr.

“I grew up on a strawberry field in Plant City, Florida,” Demps says, describing an origin story that sounds like it was plucked straight out of a fairytale. “It was always back roads, clay roads and riding in the bed of my daddy’s truck… living that country lifestyle influenced my love for country music.”

The Nashville-based artist, music promoter, comedian, social media influencer and podcast host grew up as “a child of divorce” listening to both her parents’ different music tastes and soaking them all in.

“My father raised me on soul and rock n’ roll music and my mother listened to the greatest singers, who had a huge influence on me, including Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Diana Ross,” Demps, whose real name is Katie Dempsey, says. “When it came to country music, I would always drive around in my granddaddy’s truck and listen to Patsy Cline and Tammy Wynette. I just love all genres of music, especially country, so when it comes to music I am just one big jukebox.”

Her pumped-up pop country soul sound owes as much to the R&B of Beyoncé, imperious country divas like Carrie Underwood and the playful pop of Kelsea Ballerini.

“You can hear the soul in my voice,” she says. “I believe it’s something people love, or it’s not their style. My sound is definitely a soul country vibe.”

Currently working with Mailbox Money Records, award-winning producer Jimmy Robbins, and distributor EMPIRE to release her debut EP later this year, her debut single, the brilliantly titled ‘Bitch On Wine,’ was written by Kelsea Ballerini, Nicolle Galyon and Robbins, who also produced the tune, and its equally infectious follow up, ‘If You Were a Country Girl’ was penned by Robbins, Hillary Lindsey and HARDY.

‘If You Were a Country Girl’ is out now on Mailbox Money Records.

Listen If You Like: Kelsea Ballerini, Lauren Alaina, Maren Morris

With their roots in Lexington, Kentucky, and Holmes County, Ohio, brothers Gus and Phin Johnson grew up listening to bluegrass and Appalachia artists like Keith Whitley, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Loretta Lynn, Sundy Best and Dwight Yoakam along with the Americana records they were seaking out growing up.

“Phin and I spent a good chunk of our younger years streaming alt-country and Americana music, mostly from Texas,” Gus says. “Our father went to the University of Kentucky, where he discovered the likes of Robert Earl Keen, Charlie Robison, Scott Miller, Chris Ledoux, Drive-by-Truckers and many more underground artists present in the 90's. His influence led to us listening to those bands, along with more contemporary acts such as Turnpike Troubadours, Silverada and more.”

Imagine all that and mix it all up with a little classic country and Southern rock and you still don’t get close to the decidedly unique sound of Low Gap.

“Our sound is hard to describe,” Gus agrees. “I'd like to think we have a rather unique style. Often, people say we're bluegrass, possibly because a mandolin is present in many of our songs, but we're not bluegrass, we have a full drum kit and electric guitars, after all.”

“We're sort of the inbred child of Bluegrass, Southern Rock, Folk, and Country music,” he adds. “People call it "Americana," but as Mark Harmeier says, ‘Americana is a myth.’ If Keith Whitley, Keith Gattis and Keith Richards started a band, they might sound a little like Low Gap.”

Beginning with the more obviously bluegrass sound of ‘Mockingbird’ back in 2021, their self-titled EP in 2022 only hinted at the cross-genre melting pot of recent singles ‘Eldora’ and ‘Waves.’

“It’s probably the best song we've done yet,” Gus says about ‘Waves.’ “This is not to say that our other stuff isn't good, but Waves is just sitting at another level. That's because Keith Gattis (co-writer), Adam Odor (producer), and Kevin Szymanski (mixer) turned this thing into a real work of art.”

“When we sat down in a quiet publishing office on Music Row in Nashville last year, Phin and I were blown away by the brilliance of Keith,” he tells us. “In just over an hour and a half, we turned a single word from my phone's notes app into a beautiful song detailing the ups and downs of relationships. When we learned of Keith's passing, we sought to find a team to help us produce ‘Waves’ who knew and worked with Keith. Our goal was to capture his sound and legacy in the recording.”

“We were overjoyed to work with Adam and Kevin, both of whom worked with Keith on acts such as Cross Canadian Ragweed, and they did not disappoint. Zach Schlake and Ben Yoder, our drummer and bassist, respectively, laid down phenomenal tracks with the help of Adam and Casey Johns' (engineer) direction. We're proud of how the song has come together and hope that it can shine some light on the legacy of the larger-than-life figure, Keith Gattis.”

“I think there's a spot for us in the mainstream,” Gus adds. “But we don't want to box ourselves in any corners.”

‘Waves’ is available now.

Listen If You Like: Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, Zach Bryan

Hailing from Rome, Georgia, in the foothills of Appalachia, Christian Hayes was seven years old when his Grandpa Jack gave him his first journal. He told the child the empty pages were a place for him to write whatever he wanted – poems, songs, or feelings – and that his words were one of the few things that were solely his.

It's an origin story that makes a lot of sense when you listen to the deeply personal, intimate storytelling of Christian Hayes. More than anything else his songs feel like they’re being sung from the very deepest, darkest depths of his heart. His friends call him “The Lullaby Kid”, attributing him with the gift of cloaking the rawest of emotions in a hooky meter and a smooth but affected voice.

“When I first started writing, it was observational…a way to make sense of the feelings in my life,” the now 25-year-old recalls of a path he set into motion more than a decade ago. “Then, a few years ago, the perspective I was writing from shifted from trying to make sense of the feelings I’ve felt to wanting to share them. I realized that I wasn’t the only one that felt alone in these emotions and thoughts - people are relating to my music in ways I never knew were possible.”

Growing up surrounded by family, poverty and love, Hayes first picked up a guitar when he was eight years old and started putting song writing and guitar together. He prayed for God to help him learn guitar but checked out the Guitar for Dummies book at the local library for extra support. Hayes led worship in his church until he graduated high school and enrolled in the US Navy Reserve. He went to bootcamp and then the University of Alabama in the fall of 2018 where he wrote the first song that he says was “worth listening to twice.”

So far in 2024 he’s released three such songs that have been worth listening to a hell of a lot more than twice. Having organically earned more than 2 million streams. already, ’LILY’ might be the single that put him on the map, but his latest single ‘Cheyenne’ is a flag in the ground for the kind of relatable, deeply emotional and heartfelt country that’s resonating with country listeners all over.

"Music has always been in my life - it has been a constant in an inconsistent world," he states. "There isn't a single emotional state, nor stage of life, that music can't reach. It has the ability to touch life in a beautiful way."

‘Cheyenne’ is out now on Gamblin’ Man Records.

Listen If You Like: Wyatt Flores, Eli Winders, Zach Bryan

Hailing from Livingston, Tennessee, Bayker Blankenship is making it look so easy it’s kind of embarrassing for anyone else who’s trying hard to make it in country right now.

Only seven songs in and he’s already got the kind of numbers that even established artists dream of. His viral single, ‘Maxed Out’ has upwards of 20 million streams and he’s already amassed over 600k followers on TikTok.

Pulling at the heartstrings with his softly, strangely comforting drawl, ‘Maxed Out’ was an unlikely loser anthem about broken relationships, drinking too much and getting in trouble with the law that resonated with a new generation of country listeners whose appetites have been whetted by artists like Zach Bryan and Sam Barber.

The Younger Years EP released at the beginning of the month proved that ‘Maxed Out’ was no fluke, and songs like ‘Young, Wild and Free’ and ‘Lost Time’ were evidence that Bayker Blankenship was a rare kind of country folk singer.

The Younger Years EP is out now on the Santa Anna Label Group

Listen If You Like: Zach Bryan, Sam Barber, Dylan Gossett

Growing up in Vancouver, BC, Canada, the time Ben Arsenault spent in the mountains and on the ocean around the city seems to have resonate more deeply with him than the city itself.

“I think my love for the wilderness turned me into a country music fan because country music is real and honest just like nature,” Arsenault says. “My parents are from Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. We would go back every summer and people there have good appreciation for their roots and family and I think that instilled country values in me.”

Growing up listening to his parents’ record collection (“Neil Young’s Ragged Glory, Lyle Lovett’s Pontiac, Dwight Yoakum’s Hillbilly Deluxe, Lucinda Williams’ Car Wheels On a Gravel Road, Steve Earle’s Guitar Town and a Merle Haggard greatest hits collection”), as a teenager Arsenault got into the Grateful Dead and a Waylon Jennings greatest hits tape he bought on a sailboat trip, before discovering his Grandad’s Lefty Frizzell, Ray Price and Wynn Stewart records.

“I think my sound is a blend of classic country that is inspired by my Acadian roots, and Americana from the west coast, like the Grateful Dead’s early 70s country rock,” he says of the influences he has distilled into one of this year’s most comforting country records.

His latest album, Make Way for This Heartache, has that easy, laid-back widescreen country feel that perfectly soundtracks all those moments in life when you have to just sit back, switch down a gear and take in the bigger picture.

Ben Arsenault’s Make Way for This Heartache is out now.

Listen If You Like: Sam Outlaw, Lyle Lovett, Robert Ellis

It might be small comfort to Ingrid Andress right now, but Harper Grace’s first experience singing The National Anthem didn’t go quite as planned either.

Making her first public performance singing it at 11 years old in front of 22,000 people at an FC Dallas pro soccer game, after things went horribly awry due to Grace’s inexperience and a slew of technical issues, her performance elicited widespread criticism online, at her school and even in the national press. Seven years later however, and the 'American Idol’ alumni redeemed herself by returning to the same stadium and nailing a version of the patriotic song.

Now residing in Nashville, signed to Curb records, managed by the Jonas Brothers’ Jonas Entertainment Group, Harper Grace is currently traveling around the U.S. on her Redemption Tour sharing her anti-bullying story at schools and singing The National Anthem at high-profile venues.

She began the year with the powerful Break It Like A Man EP, quickly followed by the gently smouldering ‘Getaway’ and her stunning latest single ‘Freedom’, featuring labelmate Kelsey Hart and written by Kelsea Ballerini, Charles Kelley and Justin Ebach.

Already set to open three dates for Lily Rose on her Runnin’ Outta Time Tour in October 2024, it looks like Harper Grace will be making headlines in country music for all the right reasons.

Originally hailing from a small town in North Georgia called Jasper, Erin Kirby’s connection to country music came not from the music, but from the countryside she’d grown up in. She pivoted from pop to country music last year with the debut of 'Boys These Days,’ quickly followed by a viral TikTok duet of ‘I Can Lie (The Truth Is)’ with Kameron Marlowe which the pair performed at the Grand Ole Opry together.

“Fun fact about me is I did not grow up listening to country music!” she says. “I grew up on pop, Motown, and old rock. The first song I ever performed was an Adele song! I found my love for country music once I got my license. I immediately connected to it because it goes along with how I grew up… dirt roads, small town, great people, and God’s grace!”

After she saw out 2023 with the playful party anthem ‘Redneck Rich,’ she released the moony country ballad, ‘Pick My Own Flowers’ at the beginning of 2024, followed by the steamy ‘Leaving Eyes,’ which perfectly showcased her smoky country rasp and deftness with a powerful break up song.

“I like to say that ‘Leaving Eyes’ is for your ex’s new girl,” she says. “This song is sad and happy. It pictures a scene where an ex walks in with his new girlfriend and you can tell that he loves her. I think this is something we all go through and at first feel envy but soon realize that we're happy for them. I hope that this song reaches listeners who are ready to move on from their ex and just need that little nudge of motivation to do so.”

‘Leaving Eyes’ is out now on InDent.

Listen If You Like: Gabby Barrett,Ingrid Andress,Danielle Bradbery

Now based in Montreal, it’s no surprise to learn that a band that makes the kind of wildly eclectic music that six-piece Steel Saddle make come from all over the place. Their unique influences and love for rhythm and blues, three-piece Muscle Shoals horn sections, cosmic country harmonies, soul and folk music come together in a giant musical cook pot to make a sound that they call “Spicy gumbo.”

Benjamin Vallee (pedal steel guitar, vocals) and Nicolas Power (piano, organ, vocals) are Montrealers, born and raised, Austin Boylan (vocals, acoustic guitar) is from Western Canada and Mackenzie Sawyer (bass guitar) was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, but grew up in Houston, TX, while Coleman Canton (drums, percussion) is from West Carleton, a small town in Eastern Ontario and Charlie Zucchero (electric guitar, vocals) grew up in London, Ontario.

“My father drove a 24 wheel semi truck,” Austin says. “Used to long haul miscellaneous shit to miscellaneous places, and I'd do my visits with him on drives. He was a good singer and predominantly listened to 80's and 90's country. Garth Brooks is his number 1.”

“My earliest loves were punk pop bands like Billy Talent and Sum 41,” says Charlie. “When I started to play guitar I became obsessed with the blues - Robert Johnson, BB King, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf. My parents showed me the white stripes and the black keys when I was pretty young and these were huge influences on me. RHCP were another favourite band of mine during my formative years of learning to play guitar. Big ‘90s hip hop phase in high school - Tribe Called Quest, Neil Young, Aretha Franklin, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Modest Mouse.”

“My mom is a classically trained pianist via the Royal Conservatory program in Canada,’ adds Mac. “She instilled a sense of discipline in me and encouraged music lessons from a young age. My dad was a big blues and jazz guy with a killer record collection. I have fond memories of my brothers and I as young kids having silly dance parties to the Blues Brothers’ Briefcase Full of Blues, little did I know at the time how much Duck Dunn and Steve Cropper would influence my own musical journey.”

“Our sound is big wild mutt dog on speed,” Charlie adds. “Majestic and unbridled chaos bouncing around a muddy barnyard.”

It’s fair to say there’s something in Steel Saddle for everyone.

Steel Saddle’s self-titled debut album is out now.

Listen If You Like: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, St Paul & The Broken Bones, Marcus King

Fans of Holler’s Best Country Indie Songs playlist will love the sound of LA singer, songwriter and producer Gracie Gray. Born in Burbank, she grew up listening to a lot of Enya, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Christian rock.

“We weren’t listening to a lot of secular music in my house as kids, as my parents were Christian,” she says. “But as I got older, in my teens, I got really into Elliott Smith, Death Cab for Cutie, and Cat Power.”

“I’m not completely sure how that influenced me, except I do feel like there’s a lot of dreamer-mentality there,” she says about growing up in Los Angeles. “If you think about it, people from all over the world travel there to make something happen for themselves, primarily in the arts. That creates a lot of intensity towards whatever goals they have. I’m not saying that’s always a good thing, but it does influence how people view the world and what their purpose is, if that’s what you’re around most of the time.”

With a sound that fits neatly alongside indie folk contemporaries like Hovvdy and Skullcrusher and ever-present reference points such as Mazzy Star, Gracie Gray’s forthcoming album, Magnet, was three years in the making, and delves into the magnetic pull that brings people together, offering listeners a profound reflection on human nature.

“Making this album was incredibly challenging and rewarding at the same time,” Gray says. “I feel like these songs showed and continue to show me parts of myself I couldn’t get to any other way. And, in a technical sense, producing and mixing it grew me in a very different way. A huge part of this solo project is just giving myself room to grow and do whatever I want, no rules. Even if I can’t do what I’m attempting to in the eyes of some people, I’m trying to and I’m having a lot of fun.”

Magnet is out on 26th July on Hand In Hive Records

Listen If You Like: Plains, S.G. Goodman, Adrienne Lenker

For more of the monthly editions of Holler's 10 Artists You Need To Know, see below: