In the past, we’ve projected breakouts from artists like Old Dominion, Luke Combs, Jordan Davis, LANCO, Morgan Wallen and many more! The following artists are our 2019 class of Artists to Watch. Whether they’re new to the scene and just start to be heard or someone that we think is going to take the next step in their careers, they are all ones you should check out and keep tabs on.
Abby Anderson
Abby moved to Nashville in 2015 after graduating high school early to pursue her dream of country music. She was a member of the 2018 class of CMT Next Women of Country. The Black River Entertainment recording artist released her ‘I’m Good‘ EP on September 7th to rave reviews. The EP featured her debut single ‘Make Him Wait.’ Abby spent much of the year touring with artists like Chase Rice and Russell Dickerson as well as Brett Eldredge and Devin Dawson on the fall leg of The Long Way Tour.
You can follow Abby on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and her website.
Adam Hambrick
Hambrick really broke into the country music scene as a songwriter, penning some big songs for major acts. He co-wrote Dan + Shay’s ‘How Not To’ and Justin Moore’s ‘Somebody Else Will.’ Inspired by artists like Alan Jackson, Joe Diffie and Mark Chesnutt, he released his debut single ‘Rockin’ All Night Long’ back in September which is crazy infectious. It’s time for the world to hear more of Adam and we think 2019 will do just that.
You can follow Adam on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.
Brown and Gray
Brown and Gray really stepped into the scene in 2018 with their infectious single ‘Top Down.’ We heard it all over The Highway before FM stations began playing the single. And they really impressed us when we saw them live at the WKLB Street Party last year! We think Brown and Gray continues to ride their hot hand into 2019 and really take off even more!
You can follow Brown and Gray on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and their website.
Carlton Anderson
Chances are you’ve never heard of Carlton. But he is absolutely one of our favorite new artists. The native Texan just has this very genuine sound with his traditional voice and plays with contemporary themes in his debut single ‘Drop Everything.’ He was frequently found playing in Honky Tonks up and down Broadway in Nashville over the past few years and you can still find him playing writers rounds in Music City these days. If you love a great smooth, traditional country voice, you MUST check out Carlton!
You can follow Carlton on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.
Caroline Jones
Caroline Jones is someone who had a fantastic 2018 as she opened for some of the biggest stars in country music and beyond. Artists like Zac Brown Band, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Jimmy Buffett and more! When you’re playing for these artists’ fanbases, you’re destined to have a great year. And she’s definitely riding that wave as she will be touring with none other than Kenny Chesney in 2019! How awesome is that? Oh and did we mention that Caroline hails from Connecticut!? A New England girl going on tour with Mr. Kenny Chesney! Yep, 2019 is going to be a helluva year for this talented artist!
You can follow Caroline on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and her website.
She will be playing a show in Boston, MA on January 19th and another show in Uncasville, CT on January 20th!
Dillon Carmichael
GRAMMY award winning producer Dave Cobb has worked with some of country music’s biggest and best stars. Artists like Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Jamey Johnson and many more. And add Dillon Carmichael to the list. For a producer like Cobb to latch onto Carmichael says a lot. And it should, as he is such a rising star with this classic smooth baritone voice that hits you right in the feels. You most likely won’t hear Carmichael on the radio as even Chris Stapleton doesn’t get the airplay he deserves, but that shouldn’t stop Dillon from taking off in 2019. We see a huge fanbase coming together and supporting this Kentucky boy through and through based on his undeniable talent alone. Give this guy a listen!
You can follow Dillon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.
Hannah Ellis
This young lady is another one of our favorite rising acts. She’s opened for everyone from Lee Brice to Russell Dickerson and Jake Owen and she is one of the members of the newest CMT Next Women of Country class! She will even be on the Next Women of Country Tour that will also feature Cassadee Pope and Clare Dunn (and will come through New England!). Her self-titled EP showed so much versatility with piano ballads to up tempo songs meant for live shows.
You can follow Hannah on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and her website.
Hardy
Hardy is another guy who made his first big break in country with songwriting. He is one of the co-writers on Morgan Wallen’s smash hit ‘Up Down’ as well as Florida Georgia Line’s ‘Simple.’ And the guys of FGL knew Hardy had the star power as they invited him to join them on stage several times this summer on their festival circuit appearances. Hardy released his ‘This Ole Boy’ EP back in October which features the fun ‘Rednecker.’ Watch out 2019, Hardy is comin’ for ya.
You can follow Hardy on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.
Mitchell Tenpenny
By now, you’ve heard of Mitchell. He took 2018 by storm with his debut single, ‘Drunk Me,’ hitting the top of the charts just a few weeks ago. We fell in love with his sound back in 2017 which led us to bringing him to our festival in August where he absolutely killed it. Now, all we see is videos on social media of massive crowds singing his songs back to him. His ‘Telling All My Secrets‘ album was one of the best debut releases we’ve heard in a long time- which is why you’ll find it on another of our lists that you’ll see in a couple days! Not many people had a better 2018 than Mitchell but we think 2019 could be even bigger. We wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Alcohol You Later’ is the next Number One in Tenpenny’s catalog.
You can follow Mitchell on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.
Rachel Wammack
This young lady caught our attention with her mesmerizing vocals and her powerful piano ballads. Her poignant debut single, ‘Damage,’ caught our attention the first time we heard it and we were absolutely hooked. And she showed off her talents while she was on tour with Brett Young this past fall and winter. In a time where country radio needs more female voices, Rachel Wammack is here to answer the call.
You can follow Rachel on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and her website.
Ray Fulcher
You may not know Ray Fulcher by name but you know his work- guaranteed. He just happens to be the co-writer on 8 of the tracks on Luke Combs’ ‘This One’s For You‘ record including ‘When It Rains It Pours.’ Pretty impressive stuff from the Georgia native who is also a performer in his own right. Combs isn’t the only who who has recognized Ray’s talent as he has shared the stage with artists like Old Dominion, Keith Urban, Lee Brice, Kid Rock and many more. He will be joining Luke Combs on his headlining tour this summer- including a show at the Bank of NH Pavilion in Gilford. So make sure you check out Ray’s music and go see him live with Luke Combs later this year!
You can follow Ray on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.
Riley Green
We fell in love with Riley in 2018 as he captivated us with his debut single, ‘There Was This Girl.’ I mean, this song is so catchy. It’ll have you bobbing your head and singing along on the first listen, guaranteed. Hell, his whole EP is special. He’s an absolute star in the making that is going to take the world by storm in 2019. Trust us.
You can follow Riley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.
Ross Ellis
Ross was named a ‘Highway Find’ on Sirius XM The Highway in 2017 and ever since has been a staple on the satellite radio channel. We particularly love his single ‘Ghosts,’ which really shows off his unique voice. Ross has also had some success with songwriting as Tim McGraw cut ‘Neon Church’ last year- a song that Ross co-wrote with Ben Goldsmith and Ben Dennis. He’s set to play the iconic Stagecoach festival in April but we’re expecting even more from Ross in 2019!
You can follow Ross on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.
Travis Denning
No that isn’t David Ashley Parker from Powder Springs but it is the man behind the debut single, Travis Denning! After a few years of playing bars in Georgia, Travis made the move to Nashville in 2014 where he scored a publishing deal that led him to cuts by Jason Aldean, Michael Ray, Justin Moore and Chase Rice and eventually a record deal with UMG in 2017. Fans love his debut single ‘David Ashley Parker from Powder Springs’ with its upbeat sound and relatable theme of a fake ID. Denning is set to join his fellow Georgian in Mexico later this month for Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa. He also has a headlining tour set for next month and a brand new single, titled ‘After A Few,’ which will be released next week.
You can follow Travis Denning on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.