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It's almost the end of 2024! We've spent the last few weeks looking back on the last year with our lists of The Best Songs of 2024 and The Best Albums of 2024, but now it's time to look forward to the year ahead.
We've laid our hands on our Holler crystal ball and gazed into it to divine the not so distant future and we predict big things in country music and Americana for these artists in 2025.
So, whether you’re already familiar with them or these are all completely new names to you, these are the 25 artists that the Holler editorial team have picked out as our hot picks for 2025.
Last year we predicted big things for Ella Langley, Red Clay Strays and Zach Top among others and if this list is anything to go by, it's going to be an even bigger year in 2025 for country and Americana than it was this year.
Willow Avalon
If you put all the ingredients for Holler's perfect country singer into a mixing bowl and baked it, you'd probably pull Willow Avalon out of the oven.
A self-described “Southern Belle raising Hell,” Georgia-born New York-based Willow Avalon has added a big splash of NYC cool to her eccentric, classic country sound, falling somewhere between Pageant Material-era Kacey and contemporaries like Maggie Antone and Kaitlin Butts.
The daughter of outsider artist and musician Jim White, she found accidental fame in 2022 on TikTok when she and her pet possum Bowie were featured in one of Caleb Simpson's apartment tours, which led to them being able to make rent through posting videos on TikTok. When accusations of being a nepo-baby began to fly, her father hilariously rebutted them by posting his own MTV Cribs style video of their modest rural home.
Working out her anxieties and heartbreaks through songs like ‘Honey Ain’t No Sweeter’ and ‘Stranger,’ her debut EP, which also features the viral smash ‘Getting’ Rich, Goin’ Broke', gave us a taste of what to expect from the singer before ‘Hey There, Dolly,' 'Tequila and Whiskey' and the Maggie Antone duet ‘Yodelayheewho' put a refreshingly tongue in cheek spin on classic country.
Her eagerly awaited debut album, Southern Belle Raisin' Hell, arrives in January featuring the singles 'Homewrecker,' 'Country Never Leaves' and 'Something We Regret' alongside 11 other originals.
Country music is cool again, and no one is cooler than Willow Avalon.
- Jof Owen
Southern Belle Raisin' Hell is out on 17 January Assemble Sound / Atlantic
Listen If You Like: Lola Kirke, Kaitlin Butts, Kacey Musgraves
Max McNown
Although definitely positioned in the folkier reaches of the country scene, Max McNown gives his sincere, introspective musings enough polish and atmospheric production to entice mainstream listeners too.
McNown’s break-out hit, ‘A Lot More Free’, arrived back in 2023, but blossomed into a viral smash in late 2024, ensuring the Oregon prodigy has a wealth of new listeners as he gears up to drop his brand new album, Night Diving, in January 2025.
McNown’s brooding, intricate storytelling is on full display on ‘Better Me For You’ and the Hailey Whitters-assisted ‘Roses and Wolves’, with Night Diving laying the foundation for what’s shaping up to be a momentous year.
- Maxim Mower
Night Diving is out on 24 January via Fugitive Recordings
Listen If You Like: Sam Barber, Dylan Gossett
Hudson Westbrook
One of the young artists seemingly leading the way when it comes to neo-traditional, red dirt country is Hudson Westbrook, who before the latter half of this year was lost in relative obscurity.
The Texan singer-songwriter released his debut single, ‘Take It Slow,’ in April, followed by June’s ‘Two Way Drive.’ It was his August release, though, that really took things to a new level. His propulsive blue collar love song, ‘5 to 9,’ quickly took over the country corners of TikTok, catapulting him into one of the most promising young artists heading into 2025.
Revitalizing the organic country-rock of red dirt with a neotraditional twist, the rough-around-the-edges singer-songwriter released his debut, self-titled EP this fall while also simultaneously getting tapped for major festival lineups, announcing his own headlining tour and being tapped as support for Ian Munsick's upcoming jaunt.
Combining the classic, steel-soaked sentiments of ‘90s country icons like George Strait with the sleeker, polished edges of Parker McCollum, Westbrook sits comfortably at the crossroads of Texas dancehalls and commercial country, and we imagine he’s only going to keeping digging at that gold mine into the new year.
- Lydia Farthing
Hudson Westbrook's Debut Self-Titled EP is Out Now Via River House Artists.
Listen If You Like: Parker McCollum, Cody Johnson, Wyatt Flores
Gabriella Rose
In November, Gabriella Rose flippantly uploaded a clip of a “ridiculous” new song - as she described it - called ‘Doublewide’. By the following week, it had become ubiquitous across TikTok, with Rose’s witty, playful songwriting and traditional, ‘90s-leaning twang standing out in a sea of Bloke Folk Bros.
When ‘Doublewide’ was finally made available to stream, it was accompanied by a handful of stripped-back, acoustic offerings that indicate that Gabriella Rose will be staying true to the enchantingly DIY aesthetic of the lead single.
The rest of the Wait Til I Get My Money Up EP also highlighted Rose’s penchant for darker, stormier textures compared to the tongue-in-cheek frivolity of ‘Doublewide’, showcased on the likes of ‘Mississippi Mama’.
While the decision to make this EP entirely acoustic is admirable, we can’t wait to hear Gabriella Rose alongside full production when she (hopefully) drops her debut album in 2025.
- MM
Wait Til I Get My Money Up is out now via Independent
Listen If You Like: Kaitlin Butts, Hannah Juanita
Belle Frantz
The 21-year-old native of Greenwood Springs, Mississippi has been making waves in Nashville for the past year and taking countrypolitan to the TikTok generation, drawing comparisons with Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline.
Her debut Why I Sing This Way EP features her takes on George Jones' 'Grand Tour,' Conway Twitty's 'Hello Darlin'' and 'The Last One to Know,' originally a hit for Reba McEntire, back in 1987, a good decade and a half before Belle Frantz was even born.
These might be big footsteps to walk in, but Frantz is more than capable of following in them with the kind of giant, heartbreakingly melancholy voice that only the true greats of country music are blessed with.
- JO
Why I Sing This Way is out now on UMG Nashville.
Listen If You Like: Lee Ann Womack, Reba McEntire, Carly Pearce
Braxton Keith
If you're on the lookout for the next big thing in neo-traditional country music, we've got just the artist for you - Braxton Keith.
Keith's career took a significant turn with the sudden success of his hit 'Cozy', which garnered viral support for its sun-kissed yet sorrowful tenderness. This accomplishment led to him signing with Warner Music Nashville, a testament to his potential and the impact of 'Cozy' on his career.
With his thick, vulnerable voice and whisper-spoken vocals on a sorrowful song like 'Blue', Keith possesses the neo-traditional values of his contemporaries like Top and Randall King, but with the mainstream, commercial flourishes of Jon Pardi and Midland, like with the emotional 'Fall This Way'. It makes for an altogether richer and more colourful proposition.
Head into 2025 with Keith's latest EP, 'Blue', and you won't be disappointed.
- Ross Jones
Braxton Keith's latest EP, 'Blue', is out now via Warner Music Nashville.
Listen If You Like: Zach Top, Jon Pardi, Walker Montgomery
Mackenzie Carpenter
If you want to know the mastermind behind some of your favorite songs from the last few years, look no further than Mackenzie Carpenter.
Frequent writing partner and bestie to award-winning entertainer Megan Moroney, the fellow Georgia native has her golden pen marks all over songs like ‘I’m Not Pretty,’ ‘Indifferent,’ ‘28th of June,’ 'Hair Salon,' 'God Plays a Gibson,' 'Mustang or Me' and 'The Girls.' Not to mention her own stunning songwriting at work in her small but mighty catalogue of tunes.
Since signing with Big Machine’s The Valory Music Co. in 2022, Carpenter has delivered one infectious hit after another, starting with her debut ‘Can’t Nobody’ and weaving through beloved favorites like ‘Don’t Mess With Exes,’ ‘Throw You Back,’ ‘Sound of a Heartbreak’ and more.
A country darling in the making and one of the most clever songwriters in the genre right now, the Georgia native offers the perfect balance of tongue-in-cheek relatability and tell-it-like-it-is boldness, while also never shying away from the real pains of heartbreak and the vulnerable intimacy of falling in love.
It's an unabashedly intoxicating combination that we'll continue to drink up as she readies new music for 2025.
- LF
MacKenzie Carpenter's latest single, 'Boots On', is out now via Big Machine Label Group.
Listen If You Like: Megan Moroney, Carly Pearce, Lauren Watkins
Gigi Perez
Similarly to a number of other viral hits mentioned in this list, Gigi Perez’s sapphic anthem, ‘Sailor Song’, took a little while to truly take off - but once it did, there was no stopping it, as the ethereal ode surged to the pinnacle of Spotify’s Viral 50 US ranking and the UK singles chart.
The swelling melody, the aching lyrical sincerity and the enigmatic vocal delivery combine to make this an undeniable earworm. Perez followed up ‘Sailor Song’ with ‘Fable’, which consolidated the New Jersey singer-songwriter’s willingness to tackle thorny issues related to faith and grief.
With striking unreleased teasers such as ‘Crown’ being sprinkled into Gigi Perez’s setlist of late, the fast-emerging trailblazer’s ascent is showing no signs of slowing in 2025.
- MM
Gigi Perez's latest singles, ‘Sailor Song’ and ’Fable’, are out now via Island Records.
Listen If You Like: Lizzy McAlpine, Maggie Rogers
Ty Myers
The buzz around Ty Myers began to hum in the summer of 2023 with the release of his viral single ‘Drinkin’ Alone’. That, however, was nothing compared to the drone that has been stirred up today for the newcomer and the all-out clamor that’s still to come.
The Austin, Texas teen spent much of 2024 releasing hit after hit, singles like ‘Let ‘Em Talk’ and ‘Worry is a Sickness’ appearing on his latest EP, Ends of the Earth. Armed with a Tyler Childers-esque croon and the song stylings of an equally seasoned country veteran, Myers has steadily won the hearts of many.
And to think, he still has a full-length debut album to release. With the arrival of The Select in the New Year, followed by a sprawling headline tour next spring, this newly minted star is only bound to shine brighter.
- AP
The Select is out on 24 January via RECORDS Nashville/Columbia Records.
Listen If You Like: Tyler Childers, Wyatt Flores, Sam Barber
Ken Pomeroy
You'll be hard-pressed to find another songwriter in 2025 who'll hit you with a beautiful yet devastating song like Ken Pomeroy.
Possessing the destructive, cataclysmic poeticism of Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker mixed with the atmospheric, cinematic wilt of fellow 25 NAF 2025 inductee Gigi Perez and Justin Vernon, Pomeroy floats in the richness of her soundscapes, allowing her to examine and eviscerate you with her powerful takes on self-reflection.
Take this line from her 2024 single, 'Cicadas'; "I put salt in my wounds just to prove I could do it. Pretend it's not burning, you say I'm concerning you, the way I'm never learning".
Defiant, brazen and exposed, Pomeroy strengthens us in her honesty, the sort of enduring power that knows no bounds.
- RJ
Ken Pomeroy's latest single, 'Cicadas', is out now via Rounder Records.
Listen If You Like: Gigi Perez, Cassandra Lewis, Phoebe Bridgers
Jason Scott & The High Heat
Though they released their first song back in 2021, it feels like Jason Scott & The High Heat are really coming into their own as they head into 2025.
Signing with independent label Leo33 in September – also home to artists Zach Top, Jenna Paulette and Ashland Craft – the five-piece wasted no time in showing fans their ever-evolving sound through their High Country Heat EP the following month.
Where their 2022 debut album, Castle Rock, introduced the world to their southern rock meets psychedelic rock, LSD-laced brand of Americana, the new project took on a much more countrified sound that, if built upon in the new year, will find the Oklahoma City collective rising through the ranks of today’s best Americana and country groups in no time.
Already boasting nearly 35,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and having shared stages with the likes of Blackberry Smoke, Randall King, Band of Heathens, Eli Young Band and more, it’s safe to say that Jason Scott & The High Heat have a long and trippy road ahead of them.
- LF
Jason Scott & The High Heat's 2024 EP, 'High Country Heat', is out now via Leo33.
Listen If You Like: Whiskey Myers, The Cadillac Three, Tom Petty
Clover County
If Clover County doesn't become one of the biggest breakthrough stars of 2025, then there is no justice in this cruel world and we will spend next Christmas miserably chewing down on our Holler trucker caps bemoaning how the world was too stupid and unfeeling to ever understand ‘Bootgazey' as a concept.
Having spent 2024 opening up for Lord Huron, Medium Build and Morgan Wade, Clover County released a handful of singles leading up to her debut EP Porch Lights in November, as she hopefully paves the way for her debut full length later in 2025.
Growing up amidst the orange groves and sunny climes of the 'Theme Park Capital of the World', Orange County, Florida, Clover County began songwriting at the age of 13, teaching herself to play from her dad’s collection of 1980’s songbooks, drawing inspiration from documentaries and interviews with influential women in music, such as Stevie Nicks, Carole King, Taylor Swift, Ella Fitzgerald and Dolly Parton.
The name “Clover County" - the nom de plume of A.G. Schiano - is a tribute to all the places she's called home from Orlando to Denver, Atlanta to Birmingham and eventually on to Athens. Her debut single ‘Outlaw,’ was fixed to the top of our Best Indie Country Songs playlist when it was released at the tail end of 2023 and everything she released since has been like a gift from the gods to our ears.
From the deliciously dreamy ‘Glass & Gold,’ with its ethereal guitar swells and Cocteau Twins references to ‘Black Leather Daydream,’ which added a dash of Angelo Badalamenti into her mix of slacker pop and countrified folk, and the out and out Alvvays-esque indie pop of 'Ultraviolet.'
- JO
Clover County's The Porch Lights EP is out now on Under Cover Lover Records via Thirty Tigers.
Listen If You Like: Jess Williamson, Waxahatchee, Bella White
Owen Riegling
Canada's new favourite son, Owen Riegling, a rising star in both the contemporary country and folk music scene, is making some waves at home and abroad with his unique blend of rural storytelling and modern musical influences.
It's easy to see why. When Riegling, with his distinct rural lilt, sings, "I was raised on a little patch of heaven, wheat fields and old dirt roads" on his hit single 'Old Dirt Roads', you can't help but be drawn in. His unique style, unforced and smooth, makes you believe in his journey back home and the nostalgia of times past.
That empathy that seeps from his songwriting is only embellished by the warmth of a Lumineers-esque singalong like this. It's also evident in the vulnerability of 'A Part of Me' and even on the trap-beat-enthused party hop of 'Love (The Sweater Song)', which would give Montevallo-era Sam Hunt a run for his money.
Owen Riegling has already shown some depth with his debut project Bruce County (From The Beginning), and we're ready for more from him in 2025.
- RJ
Owen Riegling's 2024 project, Bruce County (From The Beginning) is out now via Universal Music Canada.
Listen If You Like: Riley Green, Jackson Dean, Kameron Marlowe.
Emily Zeck
Following the success of her plucky 2024 single ‘Trailer Park Tiki Bar’, Emily Zeck will undoubtedly be riding that coastal cowgirl wave into the New Year.
The Georgia-born, Central Florida-raised artist has been a fast rising star of late, enrapturing audiences with her unique brand of mid-century surf rock-meets-modern honky tonk. With the cheeky charm of Loretta Lynn and the vocal chops of Kacey Musgraves, Zeck offers one heck of a listening experience, serving up a head-scratching blend of throwback style with a quirky edge. It’s something unlike anything being spun in country music today.
Even her recently released holiday collection, Coastal Country Christmas, is a departure from the generic Yuletide swill that so often gets tossed around this time of year. She introduces listeners to a sun-soaked Santa in ‘Christmas Without Snow’ and paints a simple festive moment in ‘Little Red Truck’. If a Christmas couplet is that good, just imagine what the next few months will hold for the artist.
2025 kicks off in a big way for Zeck, as she heads over to the UK for the first time for a headline tour presented by Joy Concerts and Holler Live.
- AP
Emily Zeck's latest single, 'Trailer Park Tiki Bar', is out now via Soul Arch Surf Club.
Listen If You Like: Loretta Lynn, Kacey Musgraves, Maggie Antone
Pug Johnson
Imagine if John Prine were a Texan. That’s how Pug Johnson is often described.
The Beaumont, Texas-bred up-and-comer arrives fitted with a similar wit and charm as the legendary singer-songwriter, armed with the same storytelling chops and ability to turn a sharp phrase into words to live by. He also comes equipped with a broad sound, one that marries all of his coastal Texas influences from Cajun to Tejano, swamp to swing.
Johnson may be heading into 2025 a relative unknown, but that won’t be for long. He’s set to hit his stride with his upcoming album, El Cabron, a release that will see him entering into the New Year no-holds-barred and ready for anything.
- AP
El Cabron is out on March 28 via Break Maiden Records / Thirty Tigers.
Listen If You Like: John Prine, Willie Nelson, Hayes Carll
MaRynn Taylor
2024 was quite the year for MaRynn Taylor who notched nearly 40 million career streams, released her vulnerable and reflective Get To Know Me EP and took the stage alongside Dylan Schneider at iconic venues like Los Angeles’ Troubadour and Nashville’s Exit/In.
Yet there’s something about 2025 that feels like it’ll blow this year's achievements out of the water… which may have something to do with Taylor’s opening slot on Kelsea Ballerini’s gargantuan 36-date arena tour come January.
Both belonging to the independent Black River label, much of the Grand Rapids native’s music thus far feels reminiscent of Ballerini’s early work, including ‘Every Single Summer,’ ‘Small Town Spinnin’’ and ‘Get To Know Me.’ However, infused into Taylor’s young craft are the influences of all the great leading ladies of country music that came before her.
Adopting elements of Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Martina McBride and others, Taylor pulls from these iconic torchbearers while also delivering songs that are wholly her own and altogether infectiously catchy.
- LF
MaRynn Taylor's latest single, 'Season 2 of Friends', is out now via Black River Entertainment.
Listen If You Like: Kelsea Ballerini, Maddie & Tae, Kellie Pickler
Olivia Ellen Lloyd
Olivia Ellen Lloyd is one of those artists that other artists absolutely love. Like John Prine and Kris Kristofferson, she's a songwriter's songwriter with an effortlessly easy way with words and a lovely, sad-sounding Appalachian lilt.
With her forthcoming album, Do It Myself, due out in March 2025 - the follow up to Loose Cannon from 2021 - she makes a mark in the sand for any other Album of the Year contenders next year with a record inspired by the rich sounds of New York City, the peaceful quiet of her small hometown upbringing in Shepherdstown in the West Virginia Hills and everything she's seen in between, singing about grief, love, loss and distance with the raw emotionality of the greats of traditional Americana.
The first taste of the album comes in the form of the beautifully acerbic feminist anthem, 'Every Good Man,' a wistful country shuffle that blends the languorous charm of Lucinda Williams with Emmylou’s warm, self-assuredness as she sticks it to a chauvinistic ex-lover.
Spring can't come soon enough for us.
- JO
Do It Myself will be released on 21 March 2025 on Wright Lloyd Records.
Listen If You Like: Margo Cilker, Courtney Marie Andrews, Caitlin Rose
Noah Rinker
If you thought bloke folk had plateaued, meet Noah Rinker, the guitar-strumming, harmonica-humming star-on-the-rise.
Having made a name for himself early on in 2024 with the release of his smash hit ‘Save My Soul’, the Central California native has been consistently perking ears with his dreamy acoustic artistry.
In his first few offerings, Rinker harbors the intensity of Zach Bryan, the complexity of Josiah and the Bonnevilles and the freshness of recent successes like Dylan Gossett. What can be heard on his summer EP, After Dark, though, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what this young musician has to offer.
Heading into the New Year on the heels of his sweeping new single, ‘Wherever I Go’, Rinker is no doubt going places.
- AP
Noah Rinker's latest single, 'Wherever I Go', is out now via Warner Records.
Listen If You Like: Zach Bryan, Josiah and the Bonnevilles, Dylan Gossett
Zara Alexandra
La Honda Records has a track record for finding the finest songwriters and artists in country music, and they are carrying on that form with Zara Alexandra.
Signing with the label following the release of her excellent album Osage Oranges Comin Down, the Colorado based-rancher turned songwriter released the first taste of whats to come with 'It's a Wild Thing', an adventurous, romantic two-stepper that will have you sweating out a dance like its the heat of summer through the next few months before we hopefully get a new album.
Her songs have the playfulness of Emily Nenni and Hannah Juanita with the hardened rural observation of Noeline Hofmann and Riddy Arman, a wondrous combination that makes Alexandra a beacon of hope for the future of country music in the new year.
- RJ
Zara Alexandra's latest single, 'It's A Wild Thing', is out now via La Honda Records.
Listen If You Like: Noeline Hofmann, Emily Nenni, Hannah Juanita
Dom Glynn & His Sunday Best
What do you get when you have an Englishman from Birmingham, UK, playing the sort of vintage two-steppin' tunes that country's founding fathers would be proud of? The unique and intriguing sound of Dom Glynn & His Sunday Best.
Having cemented themselves on the British circuit with their good-time residencies at The Dukes of Highgate and the Spiritual Bar amongst Camden high street, Glynn and his ragtag group of harmony-raising musicians are deserving of ears across the pond and beyond.
Take 'Do It All Again'; it's an ode to being hungover and powering through despite not knowing why. It possesses the delectable humour and joy of Jesse Daniel with the sorrowful beauty of Wilco and Billy Bragg's Mermaid Avenue era.
Dom Glynn & His Sunday Best are a wildcard we'd bet on every time, and you should too. Their potential is exciting and hopeful, promising a musical journey worth embarking on.
- RJ
Dom Glynn & His Sunday Best's latest single, 'Do it All Again', is out now.
Listen If You Like: Jesse Daniel, Jack Browning, Benjamin Tod.
Chandler Walters
When forming his F-1Trillion team, Post Malone pin-pointed Chandler Walters early on as one of his go-to songwriters, with Walters ultimately co-writing stand-outs such as ‘I Had Some Help’, ‘Losers’ and ’What Don’t Belong to Me’.
Walters got his start in Music City when ERNEST watched one of his popular steel-guitar videos on TikTok, with ERN promptly inviting Walters to join his band, and later, his Ern’s Cadillac Music publishing house.
While his biggest hits have leant towards a more mainstream, pop-infused sound, such as Bailey Zimmerman’s ‘Fix’n to Break’ and ‘I Had Some Help’, Chandler Walters is a traditionalist at heart. As he revealed in his recent conversation with Holler, Walters is currently at work on his debut solo album, and the mission is clear: “We're bringing country music back”.
- MM
‘I Had Some Help’ is out now via Mercury Records/Republic Records
Listen If You Like: ERNEST, Zach Top
Lanie Gardner
Having grabbed our attention with the larger than life '80s influenced country rock of 'Chasing the Wind,' her contribution to the soundtrack to Twisters: The Movie earlier this year, Lanie Gardner showed us her sensitive side on her debut 10-track album. A Songwriter’s Diary was a set of reflective, deeply personal coming-of-age songs that perfectly captured the complexity and confusion of those transitional years.
A compilation of songs that Gardner wrote in high school following on to her college years, it took the listener from girlhood to womanhood in Burnsville, North Carolina, with all the heartbreaks, happiness and ambitions she experienced along the way.
An unflinchingly tender portrait of where it all began for her with music that set her on a path to even bigger things, all beginning by signing a record deal with Broken Bow Records Music Group and BMG Nashville and a publishing deal with Big Machine.
- JO
Lanie Gardner's A Songwriter's Diary is out now on Bee String Records under exclusive license to This Is Hit
Listen If You Like: Ashley Cooke, Avery Anna, Lauren Watkins
Waylon Wyatt
As we await to see if 2025 will actually mark the end of Zach Bryan's larger-than-life career and reign in country music, the question may be arising of who the next Zach Bryan will be. Well, you needn't look further than Waylon Wyatt to fit the bill.
The high-school-student-turned-viral-newcomer quickly turned heads last November with his debut single, ‘Everything Under The Sun,’ yet his December follow-up, ‘Arkansas Diamond,’ is the one that’s really left a mark. Garnering nearly 50 million Spotify streams in less than a year, and drawing major Bryan inspiration, the acoustic-driven tune set the stage for the young singer-songwriter, who has since released his debut EP, Til The Sun Goes Down.
With only 8 songs to his name thus far, most of them being stripped-back acoustic tunes that in one way or another feel very reminiscent of what giants like Bryan and Tyler Childers have done throughout their careers, Wyatt offers gravelly, raw vocals that unapologetically shine against his sparse sonic landscape.
The 17-year-old is unpolished and imperfect, and it's that rugged country-rock sound that will keep listeners coming back for more.
- LF
Waylon Wyatt's Debut EP, 'Til The Sun Goes Down', is out now via Music Soup / Darkroom Records.
Listen If You Like: Zach Bryan, Sam Barber, Tyler Childers
Kashus Culpepper
If Southern soul legend Al Green and vocal powerhouse Chris Stapleton had a love child, it would be Kashus Culpepper.
With a voice that’s equal parts haunting and warm – full of pain and passion – and handfuls of songs just as moving, the Alabama-bred sensation is one to watch in the New Year.
Culpepper hit it big in 2024 with the release of his tune ’After Me?’ to viral acclaim. From there, the hits just kept on coming, soulful country offerings like ‘Who Hurt You’ and ‘Out Of My Mind’ following and drawing more and more fans to his undeniable talent. Yet, there’s still so much more on the horizon for this quickly rising star.
While a debut album has yet to be announced, fans can expect big things from Big Loud’s newest hitmaker.
- AP
Kashus Culpepper's latest single, 'Pour Me Out', is out now via Big Loud Records and Mercury / Republic.
Listen If You Like: Al Green, Chris Stapleton, Leon Bridges, The Red Clay Strays
Cameron Whitcomb
In this age of mysterious TikTok algorithms and neatly-trimmed back-stories, ‘authenticity’ seems to have become a buzzword of sorts. On a daily basis, fans attempt to sift through innumerable videos of up-and-coming artists playing their acoustic guitar in the middle of a random forest, as they attempt to satisfy their longing for something a little less glossy and ready-made.
Cameron Whitcomb is exactly that, with the ‘Quitter’ crooner possessing a powerful rasp and gravitas in his delivery, which accentuates the rawness of the topics he tackles.
Unafraid to bare his soul and delve into his past struggles with addiction, ever since his Top 20 finish on Season 20 of American Idol, Whitcomb has amassed an impressive array of singles. From the gentle, drawn-in swagger of ‘Shoot Me Dead’ to the raucous battle-cry of ‘Love Myself’, Cameron Whitcomb nimbly flits between folk, alt-country and full-blown rock, as he cements himself as a prime contender to be anointed Nashville’s ‘next-big-thing’.
- MM
‘Medusa’ is out now via Atlantic Recording Corporation.
Listen If You Like: Tyler Childers, Wyatt Flores
