Country music definitely has it’s share of superstars but the genre also has a deep pool of up-and-coming talent. We saw some of that talent break through in 2015 with artists like Cam and Kelsea Ballerini, Old Dominion and Michael Ray among many others. With 2016 just around the corner, take a look at 15 artists to watch in 2016. Some are artists you may have never heard of before, but we think that you will in the upcoming year. And others are artists that you’ve heard of, have already made a name for themselves, and we just think they will that next step in their careers. We’re excited to see what 2016 has in store for each of these 15 artists.
BROOKE EDEN
Brooke Eden is a singer-songwriter out of Loxahatchee, FL but moved to Nashville to chase her dream of making it big in the music industry. Currently signed to the Broken Bow Music Group family, she’s currently on a radio tour promoting her debut single, ‘Daddy’s Money.’ Eden has incredibly strong vocals and is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and speak out against things like gender inequality and domestic violence- as she does so through her musical outlet. Keep an eye out for Brooke as she’s part of the next wave of strong female country vocalists.
Follow Brooke on Twitter, Facebook, and her official website.
BROTHERS OSBORNE
Yes, we know that Brothers Osborne have been around for a bit. But we think 2016 may be the year that they take that next step in their careers. And with their debut full-length album, titled ‘Pawn Shop,’ being released on January 15th, they will be getting after it early in 2016. We’ve already heard their ‘Stay A Little Longer,’ which is one of our favorite songs of 2015 with one of the best guitar solos we’ve ever heard. The song is climbing the charts and could be their first No. 1 song by the time the album comes out. We’re excited to see what else this album and 2016 has in store for the guys.
Follow the Brothers Osborne on Twitter, Facebook, and their official website.
DRAKE WHITE
We first saw Drake White at the 2015 Tortuga Music Festival and we fell in love with him and his music. His song, ‘It Feels Good,’ is ridiculously addictive, to say the least. How good is Drake White? So much so that Zac Brown headed over to Boston’s House of Blues after his Saturday night show at Fenway Park to watch Drake perform, which led to Zac offering Drake the opening slot on the remainder of his tour dates. We have a feeling that Drake White will be a big name in 2016.
Follow Drake on Twitter, Facebook, and his official website.
GRANGER SMITH
Granger Smith is another guy who has been around for awhile but he finally seems to be catching steam. He performed a number of sold-out shows in 2015 including a few in New England like at Cambridge’s The Sinclair. The Broken Bow Music Group artist is having great success with his most recent single, ‘Backroad Song,’ which is climbing the charts and is currently sitting at number 13. With an alter ego in hand (Earl Dibbles Jr.), we expect to hear a whole lot more from Granger Smith in 2016.
Follow Granger on Twitter, Facebook, and his official website.
HALEY GEORGIA
Country music fans in New England haven’t really gotten to hear Haley Georgia just yet, but don’t let that stop you. The songstress is influenced by everyone from Iggy Azalea to Merle Haggard and ended up moving to Nashville after it was suggested to do so from Liz Rose. Yes, the same Liz Rose that co-wrote ‘Girl Crush’ and many of Taylor Swift’s hit songs. In Nashville, Haley caught the attention of Arturo Buenahora, Jr. and she hasn’t looked back since. She was recently named as one of Spotify’s artists to watch, and we agree.
Follow Haley on Twitter, Facebook, and her official website.
JOSH DORR
We love Josh’s recent single, ‘Rocket.’ And that was even before it was selected as Sirius XM’s Highway Find. The Wyoming native has one heck of a voice on him and we got to see him perform during the Martha’s Vineyard Songwriting Festival and we were blown away with the amount of talent he had. Josh says that 2015 was a ‘roller coaster year’ but we think 2016 will be a great one for Josh.
Follow Josh on Twitter, Facebook, and his official website.
KANE BROWN
One of Kane Brown’s earliest moments came when he was selected as contestant on the X-Factor television show in 2013, but quit the show soon after. And in 2014, his name started becoming more known through a large social media following and videos of him covering some of country’s best. If you haven’t heard Kane sing, give him a listen. He has this deep, deep voice that could compete with artists like Josh Turner. In 2015, he released a crowdfunded EP and sold more than 200,000 downloads of his songs, many of which for his song, ‘Used To Love You Sober,’ which hit No. 1 on the iTunes charts. We’re thinking his 2015 success could continue into 2016.
Follow Kane on Twitter, Facebook, and his official website.
LINDSAY ELL
We’ve been on the Lindsay Ell bandwagon for quite some time now. And we’re perfectly fine with that. Maybe it’s her insane guitar skills and matching vocals that makes us love the Canada native. But she’s so much more than that. When her single, ‘By The Way,’ was released to the public, Ell took to the streets of Nashville and played for 24 hours straight despite some bad weather. And all money she raised through her effort was donated to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. How awesome is that!? Lindsay will be on the CMT Next Women of Country tour, which will come through New England. Don’t miss seeing Lindsay at one of the local stops.
Follow Lindsay on Twitter, Facebook, and her official website.
MAREN MORRIS
Chances are that you’ve heard of Maren Morris by now. The Texas native hit the top spot on the Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart with the release of her major-label EP in November. She ended up being one of the most streamed new artists on Spotify and also received a record deal with Sony. That EP drew high praise from her peers in the genre, almost like the praise that Chris Stapleton received for ‘Traveller.’ We’re thinking that Morris could be the female counterpart of Stapleton based on her raw talent and sound. Morris is another one of the promising female voices coming up through country music and could lead this new class similar to how Kelsea Ballerini did in 2015.
Follow Maren on Twitter, Facebook, and her official website.
MORGAN MYLES
We first talked to Morgan Myles in 2014, and we immediately knew there was something special about this young lady. A one time Berklee College of Music student, she released her debut solo album in 2009, has toured throughout Europe, has opened for stars like Reba and Hank Williams Jr., and even performed at the 2010 Olympics. Morgan is fresh off the release of her music video for ‘Whiskey Dreaming,’ which was released on CMT.com on November 9th. Now, Morgan is set to release her ‘Miss Morgan Myles‘ EP on January 8th. With an incredible and soulful voice, 2016 should be the year that Morgan really gets the recognition that her voice and talent warrants.
Follow Morgan on Twitter, Facebook, and her official website.
STEVE MOAKLER
You may not know his name right now, but you will soon. And chances are, you know at least one song that he has written- Dierks Bentley’s ‘Riser.’ We got to see Steve perform in Cambridge, MA with hit songwriter Lori McKenna and we loved what we heard from him. Moakler will be releasing an EP in early 2016, which is being produced by GRAMMY award winning Luke Laird. With that, it’s fair to say that the EP will be something special. Watch out, here comes Steve Moakler.
Follow Steve on Twitter, Facebook, and his official website.
TARA THOMPSON
This young lady has country music in her blood as she is the cousin of Loretta Lynn. Yes, that Loretta Lynn. Pretty cool, eh? But don’t just think she’s making the rounds in the genre because of her relation to the country music legend. Tara Thompson is talented on her own and will also be on the CMT Next Women of Country tour. Signed to the Big Machine Label Group, Thompson is set to release her single, ‘Someone To Take Your Place,’ to country radio on January 19th. Between the single and the tour, 2016 looks to put Tara Thompson on the map of country music.
Follow Tara on Twitter, Facebook, and her official website.
TUCKER BEATHARD
Many fans got their first taste of the 20-year old singer-songwriter on Maddie and Tae’s Start Here tour. And since then, Tucker has been tapped to join Chase Rice in early 2016 before accompanying Dierks Bentley to Ireland and UK in April. Tucker will also be playing at the Tortuga Music Festival with other artists like Dustin Lynch, Sam Hunt, Old Dominion, Blake Shelton and many, many more. Pretty good company to be in! This is what Tucker has been working to for a long time as he’s kinda been in the industry since the day he was born- his father is a famous songwriter that has written songs for Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, George Strait, and Tim McGraw just to name a few. But getting back to Tucker, he released his five-song EP to Spotify and fans loved what they heard and definitely elevated the expectation of what’s to come from Tucker and his debut album. We’re excited to see what 2016 has in store for Tucker.
Follow Tucker on Twitter, Facebook, and his official website.
TYLER RICH
The Golden State has been producing some really great country artists in the past few years and Tyler Rich is another that you can add to that list. Currently on tour with Dustin Lynch, the Californian grew up around some of country’s legends like George, Garth, and Alan Jackson. He got his first guitar when he was 14 and that was it for him. Tyler released his first single, ‘Radio,’ to iTunes earlier this year and has gotten the chance to open for some of the genre’s best. We love his song ‘I Can Teach Ya’ and we look forward to hearing more from Tyler Rich in the future.
Follow Tyler on Twitter, Facebook, and his official website.
WILLIAM MICHAEL MORGAN
With a voice as smooth as a good Tennessee whiskey, William Michael Morgan is the final name on our 2016 Artists to Watch list. And it seems the world has already gotten to know William Michael Morgan more and more as 2015 comes to an end. With a voice like his, it’s no surprise. The Cadillac Three’s Kelby Ray told us that WMM reminds him of Keith Whitley, which is one helluva compliment! Traditional country lovers will love what the Mississippi native has to offer but even the modern country music lovers should too as his voice is simply that good.
Follow William on Twitter, Facebook, and his official website.