who-is-austin-snell-2026

Who Is Austin Snell? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music (2026)

/in , , /by

Who is Austin Snell? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-austin-snell-2026

Austin Snell // Photo credit: Emma Kate Golden

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Scott Austin Snell
Birthdate – 11/05/1997
Hometown – Dublin, Georgia
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Nirvana, Adele, Keith Whitley, Jason Aldean
Label – Warner Music Nashville
Current record – Colors EP (as of date of article 05/18/2026)

The Beginning:

We first interviewed Austin Snell back in 2023, and now, in 2026, his career has truly blossomed. Snell may be known for his emotionally honest country-rock sound, but long before moving to Nashville or going viral on TikTok, music was simply something that made him feel understood.

“I’ve been a lot of places,” Snell shared, explaining that he was born in Dublin, Georgia before eventually moving to Kentucky during high school. Growing up in a tiny Georgia town with a population of around 600 people, Snell described life as pretty simple. “Not much to do in a small town in Dublin, Georgia, but get in trouble,” he joked.

Even at a young age, music impacted him differently than it seemed to impact everyone else around him. “I remember as a kid, like I would hear these parts in songs or like these lyrics or like these guitar parts or like super specific things that I would fall in love with about a song,” he recalled. “I would share it with my friends, and I would be freaking out over this one line of this song, and they’d be like not that interested in it.”

Raised on both rock and country music, Snell credits his parents for helping shape the sound that would later define his artistry. “My dad showed me rock and my mom showed me country,” he shared. Artists like 3 Doors Down, Nirvana, Nickelback, and Keith Whitley quickly became early influences, informing the music he would go on to make.

While music always felt personal to him growing up, Snell did not originally view it as a career path. Instead, after graduating high school, he joined the military, where music slowly began transforming from something he loved into something he created himself.

“I started playing music because I was bored,” he admitted. While stationed in Charleston after basic training, Snell spent his free time learning guitar and posting covers online after encouragement from his mom. “I would send videos to my mom at the time,” he shared. “She was the only person that cared enough to listen to me sing about it.”

The Turning Point:

Eventually, music became something even more important to Snell, if that was possible. What started as casually posting covers online, turned into something much bigger. Snell started dabbling in creating his own music, falling in love with the craft of songwriting almost instantly.

“I quickly fell in love with songwriting,” he shared. “I just loved the idea of creating something. It was kind of selfishly,” he added. “I was writing songs about things I was going through… it’s kind of just like a journal for me.” Snell continued to study music, listening to the songs he loved and wondering how he would create a song similar to it in his own way.

Armed with a true love for music and a new path in life, the singer-songwriter left the military in 2020 to move back home before making the move to Nashville in 2022. However, just one week after signing his lease, everything changed. “I went to the doctor and they found a tumor in my spine,” he shared. Instead of moving immediately, Snell underwent surgery in February 2022 before finally making the move to Nashville later that spring.

Once in Nashville, Snell originally planned to focus primarily on songwriting rather than becoming an artist himself. “I never really moved to town to be the artist,” he admitted. “I just was so passionate about songs.” However, Snell found himself connecting with fans online. His infectious story-telling on songs like “Excuse The Mess” and “Home Sweet Hell” began to attract listeners online, who deeply resonated with the vulnerability in his music.

“One of the coolest parts about being the artist and playing the shows is to go meet the people after the show and hear those stories,” Snell shared. “It makes me feel a little less alone as much as it makes them feel a little less alone.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, and  Snell has fully stepped into his own as both an artist and songwriter. Most recently, Snell released his new EP, Colors, a project centered heavily around mental health, emotional honesty, and personal growth.

“The entire aura of the project is based around mental health,” Snell shared, admitting that the direction of the project happened naturally over time. “It didn’t really have a thought last year of the project this year and being like, ‘Oh, this is going to be a mental health project.’ It just kind of formed its own life.”

As the artist continued writing for the project, he realized the songs were becoming more introspective than ever before. “Majority of what I was writing was so deep,” he explained. “It was supposed to help somebody through something.”

The title track, “Colors,” quickly became one of the most important songs on the project for the singer-songwriter. “When I wrote that, I was like, ‘This is the title of the EP. It can’t be anything else.’” He also shared that the song holds special meaning personally, revealing that he wrote it for his girlfriend.

At the same time, Snell continues finding purpose in the connection his music creates with listeners. “One of my favorite parts about music and playing shows is to go meet the people after the show,” he shared. “There were so many people that came up to me at merch tables or meet and greets and just spilled their entire story.”

As Colors continues resonating with fans, Snell shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. “I haven’t been this fired up about music [maybe ever],” he admitted, adding that fans can expect plenty more music and live shows still to come this year.

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news and announcements about Austin Snell releases.

To keep up with Austin Snell, follow him on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter.

Austin Snell’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-banson

Who Is Banson? The Story Behind Their Journey to Country Music

/in , , /by

Who is Banson? Lead singer-songwriter and frontman, Josh Oslacky from Banson joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star and the band here…

who-is-banson

Banson

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Josh Oslacky aka Banson
Birthdate – 06/13/1997
Hometown – Park Ridge, New Jersey
Current City – New York City, New York
Musical Influences – Bon Iver, Caamp, Eden, Sam Fender, Radiohead, Red Clay Strays, Kanye West, Parcels, The Lumineers
Current Single – “Anvils” (as of date of article: 5/13/26)

The Beginning:

New York City is buzzing with talented singers, bands, and songwriters in just about every single genre. It is also often truly a hidden gem for country music fans too. Recently we got to chat with Josh Oslacky, the frontman of the NY/NJ band, Banson, all about creating music in New York City, their new single, and of course, their show this Friday at Common Country (Get your tickets here).

“I grew up in Northern New Jersey,” began Oslacky, who grew up split between both New Jersey and New York. “When I was a young kid, both of my parents worked, and I found myself starting with music.” The singer-songwriter shared that his brother was sick growing up, so his parents tried to introduce music to his brother; however, it was eventually, Banson’s frontman, who took a liking to it.

“I was always doing sports and this and that, but I always loved the idea of, like, writing songs. I liked playing other people’s stuff, too. I eventually started to, like, go on YouTube and look up [how do I play this song.] And then from there, that would give me more ideas as to why I saw that that worked well together while I played this other guy song, so maybe I could grab apart from that and put it into something I’m working on on my own. And so I just started to write all these songs, but I never really knew what to do with it because it was always just little pieces of songs, and I couldn’t really sing or anything like that at the time and didn’t really think I was ever do anything with this. “

For the singer, music was something that he loved growing up, but he wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do with it, when he was really young. In high-school, he began to really hone in on his love of music. “I continued to be really obsessed with it and loved music so much,” he shared, adding, “I got a laptop at Christmas time, and I was able to download this music recording software. That’s where I first started to be like “Wow, this is so cool. Like, I can just plug in drums here and I can just plug in a bass line, and this and that.” All along, he was drawing inspiration from artists like Bon Iver and Kanye West.

The Turning Point:

After graduating high-school, Oslacky moved throughout the South, living in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida during his college years. “Those were my adult years,” he shared. It was there that he began taking songwriting more seriously. “That’s where I really started to write full songs.”

While home during college breaks, Oslacky reconnected with Hunter, an audio engineer from back home in New Jersey. Together, the two spent countless hours recording music in Hunter’s basement studio. “We probably did like 50 songs that we never released,” he shared. “It was just a really good experience and exercise to figure it out.”

However, the true turning point came during a music festival trip to New Orleans around 2017 or 2018, where Oslacky watched Caamp perform for a tiny daytime crowd. “I remember watching them and being right there, and I was like, ‘This is the sound that I’ve been looking for.’”

Inspired by the experience, he returned home and immediately began writing music in a new direction. One of the first songs created from that shift was “Hurt.” “We put a banjo in on the chorus,” he recalled, adding that suddenly, “this is it.”

Soon after, another unexpected collaboration helped shape Banson’s sound even further. While writing the song “Cards” at his home in New York, Oslacky heard a violinist playing nearby for hours. After connecting with the musician, Tommy eventually became one of Banson’s key collaborators, helping introduce the fiddle-driven sound that became part of the band’s identity.

Eventually, Oslacky, Tommy, and Hunter locked themselves in a basement studio for three days and recorded Banson’s debut album, Country House. From there, Oslacky slowly began building the full band through chance encounters across New York City, eventually leading to his first live performance just one week after meeting the band’s drummer in Brooklyn.

As the band expanded, so did the music. “I didn’t want to just make Country House 2, 3, and 4,” Oslacky explained. “I wanted us to sound like our own band.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Banson has expanded into a much larger collaborative project featuring horns, fiddle, saxophone, keys, and layered instrumentation that feels both cinematic and deeply personal. Rather than continuing to recreate the same sound over and over again, Oslacky knew he wanted this next era of music to feel bigger and more intentional.

Earlier this year, the band gathered in a studio in Chelsea, New York, spending back-to-back 14-hour days recording what would eventually become their upcoming album, Dog Days. “The newest stuff I was writing was the best stuff I’d ever written,” Oslacky shared, explaining that allowing each band member to contribute their own musicianship completely transformed the process.

Their newest single, “Anvils,” serves as the first real glimpse into this next chapter. “It gives you the full picture as to what we’re doing here on this album,” he explained. Sonically, the track showcases driving drums, layered strings, horns, electric guitars, and emotionally charged storytelling that feels larger than anything the band has released before.

Lyrically, “Anvils” explores themes of shame, forgiveness, relationships, and growing older. “The whole song is built off the first line I wrote for it,” Oslacky shared. “I could carry anvils filled with shame.” The upcoming album, Dog Days, reflects on navigating life in your late twenties, changing relationships, and stepping into new chapters.

As Banson gears up for the release of Dog Days, fans can expect a project that feels deeply personal, collaborative, and fully representative of where the band is headed next. Stay tuned!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news and announcements about future Banson releases.

To keep up with Banson, follow them on Instagram and TikTok.

Banson’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

Who Is Deerock? The Story Behind His Journey to Country EDM

/in , , /by

Who is Deerock? The New York-native DJ joined us to chat about his journey as a pioneer in the country-EDM music scene. Get to know the rising star here…

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Derek Attardi (Deerock)
Birthdate – December 29th
Hometown – Garden City, Long Island, NY
Current City – New York City
Birthday – December 29th
Musical Influences – DOD, Avicii, Lane 8
Current Single – “Hot Out” with Kyle Clark LISTEN HERE
The Beginning:

Country music and EDM might seem like an unlikely pairing, but Deerock is proving otherwise. Derek Attardi, who goes by Deerock is an absolute force in the music industry right now. We chatted with Deerock all about his love for music, how he’s helped put country-EDM music on the map, and his new music.

As a Long Island, New York native, Deerock grew up surrounded by music. “My mom’s side of the family, she has four brothers, and she’s the oldest, and they’re all musicians. I was always around music. Then my brother and my sister who are older than me were always taking me to concerts,” he shared. Adding, “My first show I went to was in New York City at a club called Pacha, and I saw a guy named Audien. He was the guy who inspired me. I went to the show to see the headliner called Knife Party which was a dubstep act, and he was the guy that came on before him, and I loved his style of music. It was really cool to see that, and then this past year, I did a tour with him. We played at five or six different spots, and it was super full circle.”

Despite being a huge music fan, Deerock did not start truly dabbling in his own artistry until college. “I started with music probably around junior year of college. I bought a DJ board and then I started playing the local bars near James Madison University and the fraternities, so that’s kind of how I got into the space.”

The Turning Point:

Deerock continued to hone in on his DJ skills, while completing his MBA at JMU and working a corporate job. “I was working a corporate job, I was pursuing music, and it started to really pop off, when TikTok became a thing and COVID was ending. I was leveraging TikTok to get shows, and I was playing a lot in the college circuit,” he shared.

The rising star found himself playing more and more shows, including a ton in the southeast of the country. “I knew I was going more into a country music market. So when I would go to the schools, I would try to incorporate an original song of mine, I would take the vocal off and I would put a country vocal over it, and the kids loved it,” shared Deerock. “I saw so much traction towards that, and I thought that was what country/EDM is.”

“It started doing so well, that I had a mix series on Soundcloud called ‘Get Up It’s Game Day,’ which was kind of like play this before a sports match or you’re tailgating or you’re pregaming for a party. Then I made a mix series in 2021 called, ‘Get Up It’s Country EDM,’ which is the same as ‘Game Day,’ just country vocals over the top. It was 25 minute long mixes, where people could listen to it, and people loved it, and I got a lot of traction for it.”

Although he saw so much success in the country-EDM space that he was helping to cultivate, it wasn’t until 2025 that Deerock really went all in. “I had been doing country-EDM since 2021/2022, but I had always kept it on the back end, just feeding the beast, but starting this past November, I’ve been putting it on the front end,” he shared.

“The stuff that I’m making is keeping it as country authentic as possible, but just adding a dance beat to it. I’m not trying to take away the elements to the song. I guess the vision is I grew up listening to EDM in the 2014-2017-ish era, which I thought was beautiful because it was mostly a full verse, a chorus, and a bridge, and nowadays, a lot of the EDM is typical house music where there’s a repeated vocal. It’s allowed me to make music that I love and have vocals and lyrics and all these beautiful melodies that stand out.”

Today:

Flash forward to right now, Deerock is absolutely crushing it in the country-EDM music space. The DJ is playing all across the country, including at the ACM Awards this May, as well as, bringing his tour, Deerock’s Club Rodeo to a ton of different cities this summer. (New Yorkers, be ready this August!)

Most recently the singer collaborated with Kyle Clark on a reimagined version of Clark’s song, “Hot On.” According to Deerock, this collaboration was a long-time coming. “So I heard this song a while back, when he first released it, and I fell in love with the song. […] I  really wanted to redefine what I think country-EDM is. This was a song I loved from Kyle, so I hit him up, and asked if he was interested in a reimagined, country-EDM version and re-releasing it. He was interested in it, and he sent me over the stems and all the tracks, and I took some of them out and added my own, and I sent it to him, and he loved it. I kept all of the original elements that made it such a good song, and I added my own little drum kick and my piano and my synths to it, and it sounded really good. Anyone who loved this song will still love his new one that has more of a dance beat to it.”

The new version is summer-ready and breathes new life into the already fun-loving song. Deerock’s talent and intellect is taking the country-EDM space to new heights and bringing new fans to both genres at the same time. We’re manifesting a collaboration with artists like Russell Dickerson and Mitchell Tenpenny in the future, and who knows what else!

Deerock is ready for stardom. “The whole country-EDM space, there’s so much real estate to take over and I’m excited to be a frontrunner. Avicii kinda started it and now Diplo is big, but I think the end goal is to get where Diplo is and he has a Diplo’s Honky Tonk at Stagecoach. I want to have a Deerock’s Club Rodeo at some of these country festivals and have a stage of my own.” Stay tuned for more!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about future Deerock releases.

To keep up with Deerock, follow him on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook.

Deerock’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-maoli

Who Is Maoli? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

/in , , /by

Who is Maoli? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-maoli

Maoli

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Glenn Awong; “Maoli”
Hometown – Maui, Hawaii
Current City – Maui, Hawaii
Musical Influences – (please name 3-5) George Strait, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, traditional Hawaiian music as well as Reggae
Label – One RPM
Current Single – “Feels Like Love” (as of date of article: 04/27/2026)
The Beginning:

Today’s spotlight shines on an artist who redefined the parameters of country music and garnered millions of fans while doing it. Glenn Awong, who goes by Maoli is an incredible singer-songwriter who spans the gamut of country music fans everywhere. Keep reading to learn more about his story.

“I grew up in a little town in Haiku, in Maui, upcountry Maui,” began Maoli. “I did a lot of my upbringing over there. There’s a lot of country style living out there, so I’m very familiar with the country lifestyle.” Maoli’s Hawaiian upbringing brought both music to his life and the country lifestyle that many artists write songs about.

Since the two main genres in Hawaii are traditional Hawaiian music or Reggae, which Maoli shared is called, “island music,” the singer was immersed in the different sounds that island living brought to his ears; however, he still recalls an early love of country music.

“I fell in love [with country music] because my grandfather is into country music. It wasn’t big back then in Hawaii, but country living, we’ve always done that. So my grandpa would listen to country music, and what I fell in love with when it came to that style of music was the storytelling. They would talk about red dirt roads and gravel roads and horses and working hard, and that’s actually the lifestyle I lived my whole childhood, so I could really relate to it.”

The Turning Point:

For Maoli, making music and telling his story was always really important to him; despite, the fact that he didn’t know that he could make a living being an artist.

“I did know at a young age that I had decent talent, but I didn’t know at that age that I’d be doing this at this type of level because if you see where I come from, things like this just don’t happen to people where I’m from. It’s very humbling and I’m super grateful for all of this. […] But I did know that I loved doing this,” shared the artist.

As Maoli began to hone his talent, he began blending the influences that he loved growing up. “I grew up on George Jones, George Strait, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks because over here in Hawaii, a lot of people like to kinda do what I do, and mix the genres together because Hawaii is really a reggae-island vibe. And I can’t take credit for that because there’s a lot of OG artists that have done this [mixing] before me. The only difference is I gave it a bigger stage.”

While Maoli started in Reggae music, boasting nine independent albums and over a half a billion streams worldwide, his connection to country music came back around 2018. Now, he’s finding mainstream success in blending the genres “We like to grab those melodies and those story-telling lyrics and just make it our own. That’s what we do, it’s very easy for us,” shared the singer, adding, “We just came off of a sold-out tour in Australia, and seeing thousands of people singing your songs, I just still have to pinch myself sometimes. I never thought I’d be on the other side of the world and people are buying tickets to see me.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Maoli is living in Hawaii, but making music with incredible talent in Nashville. Namely, the singer teamed up with hit producers Dann and David Huff on new music.

Most recently, Maoli released a beautiful and honest song called, “Feels Like Love.” “I wrote that song in Nashville. The idea behind it was I had been through a divorce six years ago, and that broke me to the core. I was going through a really tough time in my life for a good two or three years,” he shared candidly. “As you heal from that, yeah you heal and you move on in life, you can always use those experiences in songs because even though you’re healed from it, other people might not be. I figured the idea would be that I would talk about it and be vulnerable, and share that there is love after heartache. […] I thought at the time that that needed to be heard, and just giving people hope.”

For Maoli creating music that his fans love is paramount, and “Feels Like Love” truly fits the bill. As he embarks on this evolved journey in music, the singer-songwriter promises even more music to come, bigger stages, and more collaborations to await. “There will be a lot of music that I’m going to be releasing, some great songs too. I’m going to be doing some collaborations too. […] It’s with some people that I feel are a really big deal.” Stay tuned!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about future Maoli releases.

To keep up with Maoli, follow him on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Maoli’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-brooke-lee

Who Is Brooke Lee? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

/in , , /by

Who is Brooke Lee? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-brooke-lee

Brooke Lee // Photo credit: Hannah Van/@staygoldhan

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Brooke Lee
Birthdate – 01/06/2000
Hometown – Charlotte, North Carolina
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – P!NK, Miley Cyrus, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks
Label – Spirit Music/2Mix Music
Current Single – “This Roof” (as of date of article: 04/20/2026)

The Beginning:

There’s nothing we love more than highlighting incredible female artists in country music. Today, our spotlight shines on talented singer-songwriter, Brooke Lee, who recently released her stellar project, Desert Darling. Keep reading to learn more about the project and Lee’s story.

“I’m from Charlotte, North Carolina originally. I grew up around music. My grandparents were pastors, so from the age of three, I remember going in and watching my grandfather play piano and sing,” began Lee. “When I was thirteen, I went with my dad to see a rock band called Blue Monday and at the venue, there was a lead that was a female front, and she was so entertaining and engaging, and that was kind of the moment for me where ewe was like, “Can I do that?!” It was so cool.”

Lee caught the bug for music early, finding music to be both healing and enticing from a young age. “I always knew that I wanted to be involve with music as much as I possibly could. It was a very healing thing for myself growing up listening to it,” shared the songstress. “I love everything from Led Zeppelin to Joan Jett, but I grew up listening to artists like P!NK and Miley Cyrus, Sheryl Crow, and Stevie Nicks. […] My dad is a gym coach, and he found an iPod in the lost and found, and when I was in fifth grade at the end of the year he gave it to me, and it was all Rihanna and Pink, and everything in that world. I didn’t really grow up much on country music, which is fun now because I listen to the melodies that I create and it leans more Pop.”

The Turning Point:

With an eclectic music taste and a true passion for singing, Lee found herself starting her first band at just fifteen years old. She played cover songs around town with her guitar player, truly honing in on her performance skills. Just a few years later, she took her first trip to Nashville, Tennessee, and that’s when things really started shifting. “Something about being around all these creatives was just so magical and inspiring to be around. It was a no brainer for me to move to town.”

“I started dipping my toe into the country music scene and visited Nashville for the first time. I fell in love with it, and also was like how am I going to make a career out of cover songs like Joan Jett and all of the other people that we were covering, so it was fun diving into the country scene.” Then at twenty-one, the songstress officially made the move to Music City.

While in Nashville, Lee found herself on the performing side of things first. “I definitely started more on the performing. I played three nights a week every week before I moved to town. I started coming out here to Nashville before I moved, and around then is when I really started diving into it,” she shared. The singer also worked at Free People, where she made a connection that would change the trajectory of her blossoming career.

“I ended up dressing this songwriter who was at this company for publishing and I asked her for some advice. […] She ended up sending a cover I had posted to Derek Wells, who started Artist Development at this publishing company called Spirit, and a year later, they ended up signing me to my first publishing deal. […] It was my only offer on the table, and I felt like I was just thrown into it, and now I’m grown in it, and I love it so much.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Lee has grown into her artistry and her honest songwriting. “I’ve always been someone who likes to write in color, and I feel like a lot of things that I write about are a poem that I thought about in the moment,” she shared, adding, “I want the listeners to be right where I was when I was inspired to write a song. I love the whole storytelling aspect of country music.”

Lee’s incredible knack for story-telling is on full display on her recent EP, Desert Darling. “We started talking about a project a little less than halfway through the year last year, and I wanted to start out 2026 with a project and a staple piece of who I am. Like this is Brooke. I knew I wanted it to be a chapter and for there to be a storyline,” shared the singer-songwriter.

For Lee it was important to connect to fans, while remaining true to her story so far. “We started digging into what are the stories that helped me grow most and what are the most important stories that I need to say. My mom growing up called me a wild child, so my whole thing is to stay that way and keep that youth in you and kids in you, so I wanted to tell stories that other wild childs can connect with. The whole thing is my nineteen to twenty-five, and it kinda starts out with the free-sprite spring break love, and throughout it moves to a place where you’re on your own and standing freely on your own.”

The entire project is a cohesive story that any person can find a piece of their heart in; despite, being deeply person to Lee. “One of my favorite parts of it is in the first track of the EP it talks about feeling weightless and having that feeling because of someone else, and then in “Just Because,” the last track, it ends with feeling weightless because of your own self, and knowing that you can live life for you and you’re allowed to do that,” she shared, adding, “It was also crazy personal because my band got to play on it. All these people that walked through this with me got to be on the project and it was really special.”

This marks just the beginning for Lee, who is embarking on an a new era in her career and in her life. She promises more new music up her sleeve, as well as, shows coming soon. Stay tuned!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Brooke Lee announcements and releases.

To keep up with Brooke Lee, follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.

Brooke Lee’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-jaxson-free

Who Is Jaxson Free? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

/in , , /by

Who is Jaxson Free? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-jaxson-free

Jaxson Free

Quick Facts:

Full name – Jaxson Free
Birthdate – 12/14/1999
Hometown – Raleigh, North Carolina
Current city – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical influences – Justin Bieber, Rascal Flatts, Wayne Free (my dad), J. Cole, Eagles
Label – Goat Island
Current Single – “LET U GO” (as of date of article: 04/13/2026)
The Beginning:

If you’re a fan of the swag that Justin Bieber has mixed with incredible songwriting skills, then you’ll love today’s artist. We chatted with Jaxson Free all about his unique talent, his songwriting accolades, and how he got started in music. Make sure you keep reading to learn more about this story.

“I was born in South Carolina. We moved to Charlotte then Raleigh, North Carolina when I was seven or eight, and I did all my growing up there,” began Free. “My Dad is a musician himself, and he plays for a couple of different bands. […] He plays for the Embers, and that’s when I would go on the road with him a bunch and see how the road life was, and I honestly fell in love with that. Being around music all the time, I was always banging on the drums or picking up the guitar, just making noise with all that stuff. Me and my brother would fake put on concerts in the house and stuff.”

Free grew up enamored with music, knowing from an early age that music was going to be his livelihood. Throughout his childhood, he discovered all sorts of music and became a fan of different genres. “Songwriting influence, my dad would always write these songs and he would cut demos of them, and I would fall asleep to them at night. I would listen to them all the time. For a split second, I thought my dad was Justin Timberlake for real. […] Justin Timberlake’s album, the Justified Album is one of the best. Any Pharrell influence, I love,” he shared, adding, “My mom would always play Rascal Flatts in the car. Keith Urban, Sugarland, I would hear those songs all the time. […] I actually really loved that too.”

For Free, he connected to the storytelling of country music, the vibes of other genres, and the poetry in rap. “My dad in his band, played a bunch of beach songs and Motown songs, and I loved those too. I loved chords and melody. […] Then I found rapping with J. Cole and all the words, it felt like poetry, and I loved the emotion you get out of it.”

The Turning Point:

At just fifteen years old, the singer-songwriter wrote his first song, a rap song. “I was actually a rapper at first. I fell in love with J. Cole. […] I started out doing that, and then I did the independent artist thing strictly by myself from 2015 through 2020. I started getting buzz from different labels.”

Still an independent artist, Free continued to work on his career, posting online, and networking whenever he could. Eventually he connected with Goat Island’s Kos Weaver, who encouraged him to come out to Nashville to write. “In 2021, Kos was like “how would you feel about coming out to Nashville for a little while?” I didn’t even know that this whole scene was a thing. […] I came out here, and I just fell in love with it. I think we wrote twelve songs in five days,” he shared, adding, “I knew I wanted to move out here.”

He ended up making the move and shortly after earned his first cut as a songwriter with Kane Brown’s “Whiskey Sour.”  Free went on to get two more cuts with Brown including, “Losing You” and his first number one at country radio, “Thank God.” The artist has become one of the most in-demand songwriters; penning hits for everyone from Morgan Wallen, Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett, Jelly Roll, Lana Del Rey, Quavo and more.

Today:

Flash forward to today, Free is officially emerging as the artist he’s always been. He recently released a song called, “LET U GO” which showcased his honest and thoughtful storytelling, as well as, his ability to create a sonically-impressive song. “We originally wrote it for pitch because I was heavy in songwriting more when we wrote it. After we wrote it, I always thought in the back of mind that I would put this song out if no one takes it because it felt so cool and it felt so me,” he shared.

However, most recently Free shared another new song with fans called, “Don’t Come Lookin,” which is just as impressive. “We wrote it down in Costa Rica. We were down here on a writing retreat, and it was kind of a similar thing that we writing it for pitch down there, but we just all sat by the pool and grabbed a guitar, and we wanted to make a stripped down, just swaggy country song that’s about how you moved on from a toxic thing and came back,” he shared. “I knew I lived that so the whole spiel was talking to this person and telling them I hope you find what you’re looking for but you’re not going to find what you’re looking for here because I moved on. I think a lot of people can relate to it.”

The song releases mark just the beginning for Free as a signed artist. He is sure to release even more songs this year, including a feature that he has yet to share his partner on. “I got a ton of music coming,” shared Free. Stay tuned!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about future Jaxson Free releases.

To keep up with Jaxson Free, follow him on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook.

Jaxson Free’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-dylan-conrique

Who Is Dylan Conrique? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

/in , , /by

Who is Dylan Conrique? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-dylan-conrique

Dylan Conrique // Photo credit: David Od

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Dylan Conrique
Birthdate – 04/13/2004
Hometown – Loomis, California
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Ella Langley, Joshua Slone, Hannah McFarland
Current Single – “Polaroid” (as of date of article: 04/06/2026)

The Beginning:

Today’s spotlight artist is a star in the making. Dylan Conrique has been on the music and the acting scene, since she was a young girl. Now, in her early 20s, Conrique is making the best music of her life, as well as, the most honest music she has ever released. We chatted with the singer-songwriter about her upbringing, her move to Nashville, and of course, everything she has coming soon.

“I was born in the Bay Area, but I grew up in Northern, California. I listened to country music on the radio getting dropped off at school every single day. Country music has always been something that I listened to all the time,” began Conrique.

At an early age, the singer was mesmerized by artists like Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, and Jason Aldean. She recalls listening to it every single day going to school, and finding some early inspiration in the story-telling aspect of the country genre. “My mom used to own a horse stable in the Bay Area, so I have country roots, and my parents are in Texas now, and me and my brother live in Tennessee, so a lot has changed, but we went back to our roots with that.”

The Turning Point:

At around eleven years old, her family recognized her natural talent, and they picked up and moved to Los Angeles, California. “We moved to Los Angeles for music and acting, but the acting kind of took over because who was doing music when they were eleven year old touring, so I got signed to a label when I was fifteen, but I wasn’t sure what kind of music I wanted to make, but naturally I was writing Pop music because everyone in LA thrives on Pop music.”

Conrique found a ton of success in the acting sphere, but was starting to feel disconnected from her music, despite signing a deal at just fifteen years old. “Then I hit this wall at some point in 2023 I would say, where I felt like the music I was making wasn’t really true to myself. I felt like my ballad were starting to lean a little more country and I started to write some more stuff that was from the heart. My writing was just changing.”

The songstress started taking trips to Nashville in 2024 and writing with songwriters there. “I started writing country music, and I was immediately obsessed with it. I knew it was authentic and real to me because I wasn’t getting sick of the songs and I was enjoying performing them at well. It just came easy to me,” she shared, adding, “I make heartbreak country. […] I’m great at writing break-up songs and sad songs. One of my biggest influences right now is Ella Langley.”

After being in LA for a long time, Conrique moved back to the Bay Area temporarily before making the big moves to Nashville. “I moved back home after being in LA for a long time. I had lived there on my own for a couple of months, but it wasn’t really working for me anymore. […] I had already taken a couple of trips to Nashville, and done weeks of writing, so I felt like there was a sign for me to do something. It was a big move. I never thought I would leave California, but I love living in Nashville now.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Conrique has set her sights on a career in country music, where she can be herself and share her true stories. “When I went to Nashville, I finally found my sound,” she shared.

Despite loving her journey now, the singer has had some trials and tribulations, since moving to town to start over in her career. The mixed feelings about her journey had led the singer to create some of her most honest and vulnerable music to date, including her latest single, “Polaroid.”

“I was about four months into living [in Nashville], and I feel like I hit a reality check. It was a little humbling driving around the city seeing billboards of people putting out albums. I was feeling a lot of emotions about starting over in the industry. It felt like Nashville is a ten year town, and it was weird because I had put so many years into LA, but those don’t count in Nashville. It was a bit humbling, reality check,” she shared.

The experience led her to feeling emotions she didn’t know she would feel. It was a glass-half empty experience for the singer. “Because it was so inspiring, but humbling, it made me so sad that I was starting over, and I hated that feeling. I was being negative about it, and before my session, I was balling my eyes out, and I was on the phone with someone just venting to them. […] I was in a state trying to figure it out. It was a lot, so I went into the session, and it was kinda obvious that I was crying, and Nicole was like, well, “it’s kind of like a polaroid. When you take a picture, it’s not clear until it’s developed.” And after she said that, it kinda all made sense.”

Her single, “Polaroid” was born out of this experience. “I kinda wrote it for myself, but I also wrote it for anyone else who’s starting over, and feeling like they are not on the right path.”

This is just the start for Conrique, who already has more music and live performances coming down the pipeline soon. Stay tuned, and make sure to jump on the bandwagon — she’s one to look out for!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Dylan Conrique announcements and releases.

To keep up with Dylan Conrique, follow her on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter.

Dylan Conrique’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-mary-kutter

Who Is Mary Kutter? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

/in , , /by

Who is Mary Kutter? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-mary-kutter

Mary Kutter // Photo credit: Shannon Flack 

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Mary Kutter
Birthdate – February 5th
Hometown – Springfield, Kentucky
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Faith Hill and Dolly Parton, as well as the storytelling of Elvis Presley
Label – BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville
Current Single – “Bed of Roses” (as of date of article: 03/30/2026)

The Beginning:

There’s few things we love more than championing badass, powerful women in country music. Today’s spotlight artist fits that description perfectly. We chatted with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville recording artist, Mary Kutter about her journey to music, her upbringing, and of course, new music. Keep reading to learn about her dynamic story.

“I grew up in central, Kentucky, literally where all the bourbon is made,” began Kutter. “I grew up a normal kiddo. Now, my mom, whenever I was six years old, she decided it would be really good for my brother and me to take piano lessons, and there was this lady Ms. Janine, who lived probably about ten minutes away from our farm, and she started giving us weekly piano lessons.”

The songstress credits her piano teacher, Ms. Janine for discovering that she could actually sing. She recalls playing with the teacher’s kittens one day and singing to them in front of her teacher. “I would sing to the kittens, and Ms. Janine was like “this girl could sing.” […] Every week I would go in and do my little piano lesson, and she would sing with me too.” Her first performance ended up being at her piano concert, where she performed a Mozart piece and then surprised the audience with her vocal rendition of the song, “Moon River.”

From then on, Kutter continued to cultivate a love of music, finding inspiration in story-telling, writing, and even classic rock music. “I do love story-telling songs. I love Reba, she has range for days, but she knows how to tell a story. I feel like Dolly Parton is the same way, but as a little girl, my daddy and I would drive thirty minutes each way to go to the grocery store, and he would crank up his favorite music, which was classic rock. […] We were listening to AC/DC, The Who, Alice Cooper, and I think that’s how I caught the bug a little bit.”

The Turning Point:

Kutter’s journey to country music happened organically and over time. While she was playing shows near her hometown and the surrounding areas, she still didn’t quite know much about the music industry or Nashville. “I never knew how to do it in a career space, but there was this fella that owned a couple of radio stations outside of Louisville, Kentucky, and we had met, when I was singing at an event that his radio station was hosting. […] Well, he wanted to have a live music variety show and he wanted me to host it, and that ended up being kinda my segway to Nashville,” shared the songstress, adding, “I didn’t have any experience doing any of that stuff, but I started hosting that show, and we had three or four guests every week, and I ended up starting to write with some of those folks in Nashville. […] I don’t think I understood how the business worked at all, but that’s how I got to, and I started writing some songs that opened up the door for me to the music world.”

For Kutter finding her place in the industry was a process; however, she knew that she always found herself in writing “Writing was an outlet for me. […] I always loved writing stories and poems and songs. I know I’m not the only person who feels this way, but sometimes we’re able to express ourselves better through music. It’s interesting that whenever I started writing for different artists that different songwriters are known for different things. […] For me, different folks wanted to pull me in to help tell their personal stories.”

Kutter’s songwriting put her on the map of major record labels in Nashville, ultimately landing her a deal this year (2026) with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville.

Today:

Flash forward just two months later, the singer-songwriter is on this wild ride, working on more music and playing as many shows as she can. Her debut major-label single, “Bed of Roses” marks just the beginning for the songstress.

“I had this vague idea of a housewife murders her husbands, puts him in the back with the rose garden, and the day before the writing session, I got a phone call that was honestly really heartbreaking. There was a person I really respected in the industry for a long time. I didn’t know them personally, but my manager Adrian had called me up and said he got some bad news. He said that he had talked to them about my artistry and very long-story short, they said that they didn’t think I had the vocal chops to be an artist, that they didn’t think I was pretty enough to be an artist, and they even talked about the way I talked. I was just kinda shattered,” shared the singer.

Instead of dwelling on it (although she was heartbroken), she took herself to Nissan Stadium to see her favorite band AC/DC in concert. “I remember looking down at the stage that night, and I had never felt farther a way from the stage, literally and figuratively. All my dreams felt so far away,” she shared, adding, “It started kinda striking me that every single song that you would know the song just from the introduction and also what hit me was at the end of every chorus, at least their hits, they would have this chanting section. […] I was like “Wow I want to write a song like this.” And I text my two co-writers that I was going to write with tomorrow.”

Kutter took her pain and heartbreak into the writer’s session the next day, and “Bed of Roses” was born. “The next day happens, and the sadness had kinda turned to spice a little bit, and I start telling them what this business person had said. I said if they don’t like the way I talk, I’ll take the whole song. […] We settled on having a sung chorus and a spoken verse,” she shared. “The song kinda turned into a metaphor for me, killing off the negative voices and burying them.”

The single is just the beginning for Kutter, and we cannot wait to see what she unveils next. Stay tuned!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Mary Kutter announcements and releases.

To keep up with Mary Kutter, follow her on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter.

Mary Kutter’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-meels-photo-credit-Jim Hughes

Who Is Meels? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

/in , , /by

Who is Meels? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-meels-photo-credit-Jim Hughes

Meels // Photo credit: Jim Hughes

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Amelia “Meels” Einhorn
Birthdate – October 10th
Hometown – Mill Valley, California
Current City – Mill Valley, California
Musical Influences – Paul McCartney, Loretta Lynn,
Label – Lost Highway
Current Single – “Out West” off of Across The Raccoon Strait EP (as of date of article: 03/16/2026)

The Beginning:

This week we interviewed a singer-songwriter who is a true artist in every sense of the word. Amelia Einhorn who goes by Meels is a force to be reckoned with in the industry right now. She just releases her latest project, Across The Raccoon Strait, and 2026 is shaping up to be a huge year for the singer. Keep reading to learn more about her story.

“I was born in Boston, but I grew up for most of my life in Mill Valley, California,” began Meels. “I’ve been playing piano since I was five. My grandmother was a concert pianist, so she put my mom in piano, and then my mom put me and my three sisters into piano when we were super young. I was kinda the only one that took to it.”

At a very young age, Meels was fully enamored with music, finding herself in every artist she listened to, and learning more about herself as she created her own music. “I grew up on a lot of 60s and 70s folk. My mom played a lot of Peter, Paul and Mary and John Denver growing up. I don’t really see John Denver and see him solely as a country artist, but Back Home Again is one of my all time favorite records, and I think John Denver is what really got me into country music and folk music early in my life.”

For Meels, music was a creative outlet. As she got older she added banjo and guitar to her resume, and she even wrote her first song at just fourteen years old. “I always say that I’m a songwriter first, performer second, even though I love both equally. When I wrote my first song, just the release that I felt and how therapeutic it was for me, I knew it was something I was going to do forever. It was a turning point for me,” she shared, adding, “I had just gone through a horrific friend break-up that rocked me, I was so sad, and so I was feeling sad, and I asked mom to take a personal day from school, and she’s the best, and let me. And I had another family friend that would bring over instruments all the time, and he brought over a ukulele and I had never played it in my life, and I looked it up, learned some chords, and wrote my first song on the ukulele that day.”

The Turning Point:

Meels always saw herself as an artist, taking her dream of playing music professionally across to the East coast to New York City, where she attended college. “I went to NYU the Clive Davis School of Recorded Music and then, I just knew from a young age that music was always something I wanted to pursue.”

While at college, Meels honed her skills as songwriter and music-maker, recalling the days from her youth where she discovered the therapy music provided. “I had started kinda recording covers with a family friend whose in the music industry, and I posted a cover of Vance Joy, “Riptide,” sepia-filter, pressing play on the computer for the track, and he saw the video and texted my dad that I could really sing, and told me I should try to write some songs,” she shared, reminiscing about the early days of her songwriting.

Eventually, upon graduating college, Meels was hungry to release music of her own. “I was like I’m an artist and I need to release a project, and I actually went to Nashville [and made my first EP.] It was basically the best songs that I wrote in college,” she shared, adding, “It did fairly well for me releasing independently, and I started positing pretty religiously on socials too.”

Despite loving the project, the indie-pop genre that she found herself in still didn’t’ feel right for her style and her voice. “I  felt like I was constantly searching for a genre that felt right for my voice and my songwriting, and there was this summer where my boyfriend, whose also my creative director, we worked really loses on the Meels project together – he started playing a lot of classic country music, and I just took a deep dive into Loretta Lynn and Marty Robins, and Willie Nelson. I took this deep dive, and all of sudden this music started pouring out of me. I had found a genre that felt so right for me and my voice and my songwriting style.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Meels found her home at her label Lost Highway and even found her own style of music, something she calls, “critter country.” “Eventually was hooked up with my manager, Jake, and all of a sudden things started snowballing from there, and I started talking to these labels. This record has been done for a long time, and I have been teasing the songs for probably a year before it finally came out, but I think finding Lost Highway felt so perfect and the perfect partner for me,” she shared.

Since moving to Los Angeles to live with her grandma, signing her deal, and created her now released record,  Across The Raccoon Strait, Meels has been relentless about getting her music out there.” I was playing as much as I could, and I made Across The Raccoon Strait at that point. I was sending it before it was even mastered, I was like, “here’s my music, would love to play at your venue.” I was sending it to whoever would listen to it.”

With the project officially out in the world, Meels’ momentum is at an all-time high. The EP as a whole is a cohesive project that truly speaks what she is capable of an artist int he folk-Americana space. “”The Wizard” is the most personal song for me. It’s just a very special one. I also love “Marsha June” is right now, my favorite because I wrote it about my grandma, the one I moved in with in LA, and it’s all about her story, and sonically, the outro of that song is my most proud moment as a producer, as an arranger. It sounds exactly like it did in my head, and that was literally the coolest moment.”

Across The Raccoon Strait is one of those projects that fans are going to play again and again. Meels will also be playing he songs live all season long, as she embarks on a ton of touring. Stay tuned for what’s to come from the talented artist!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Meels announcements and releases.

To keep up with Meels, follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Meels’ music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

who-is-abbie-callahan-catherine-powell

Who Is Abbie Callahan? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

/in , , /by

Who is Abbie Callahan? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about her journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

who-is-abbie-callahan-catherine-powell

Abbie Callahan // Photo credit: Catherine Powell

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Abbie Callahan
Birthdate – 09/17/2001
Hometown – Iowa City, Iowa
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Patsy Cline, Sierra Ferrell, Kacey Musgraves, Sabrina Carpenter
Current Single – “2:38” ft. Brendan Walter (as of date of article: 03/09/2026)

The Beginning:

This week, we chatted with talented singer-songwriter, Abbie Callahan all about her upbringing, her music, and where she’s headed.

“I grew up in Iowa City. I was there until I moved to college, but nobody in my family does music at all, it’s just me. I really wanted to be a surgeon until I was sixteen, and we visited Nashville for the first time, and that’s where I really saw live music.”

Despite not being surrounded by musicians, Callahan was always a big music fan. “Growing up, we listened to a bunch of pop radio, my mom loved that, and as I grew up and learned about streaming, I started listening to the Tyler Childers kinda country and early Chris Stapleton.” She even recalls participating in the school talent show in elementary school. “I moved schools when I was in fourth grade and I did the talent show to make friends at the new school. […] We had a karaoke machine just for fun, and I said, “I’ll try singing.” So I knew I could kinda sing, but I didn’t think of it as a job at all.”

The songstress took her love of music and starting writing songs as a way to process her teen feelings. “It was so cliche. My mom was very proactive of us, so she said no dating until you’re sixteen, so when I was sixteen, I was like there are so many new feelings and that’s when I started writing crazy songs.”

The Turning Point:

Despite thinking she was going to be a surgeon one day, Callahan’s trip to Nashville changed the trajectory of her career. “I really wanted to be a surgeon until I was sixteen, and we visited Nashville for the first time, and that’s where I really saw live music. And I fell in love with Broadway in Nashville, and all the country music going on,” she shared, “That’s when I was first introduced to it. I was just enamored with it, and I went home writing songs and two years later, applied and went to Belmont. It was kind of a big switch, but it wasn’t really a big part of my upbringing, but then I saw it, and I was like, “oh that’s what I want to do.”

Since her mother was in education, Callahan knew she was going to attend college, but had to find a way to get an education and play music. “I really just wanted to move to Nashville and start playing shows, but my mom wanted me to figure out how to get a degree under my belt. […] I found Belmont, so I started doing college classes while I was in high-school, so I finished a year of college before I move to Nashville which was really helpful, I did songwriting, and I came here during COVID, so I didn’t meet a ton of people but it gave me a change to sit in my dorm and gave me a chance to write good songs.”

The songstress started playing on Broadway in Nashville, honing her skills as both a performer and an artist “Playing on Broadway was a master class on how to perform and how to be on stage. It paid for college and also to put out some of the songs I wrote in school.” Eventually, the industry took notice of the singer-songwriter, offering her, her first publishing deal. “My publisher found me on Instagram playing Whiskey Fest or something. […] It kinda fell into my lap. I wasn’t really looking for a publishing deal. Obviously I wanted it, but I didn’t really know how.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Callahan continues to find her place in country music, a genre she has fallen in love with. She continues to write as often as possible, while connecting with her fans across her socials. Most recently the singer released a song with Brendan Walter called, “2:38.”

“Last summer I wrote that with Ryan Hurd and Michael Lotten. I had been in my publishing deal for two years, so it was about right after I signed. I was so nervous because I had never written with an artist I had heard of before. […] It was one of those weeks where I felt like I couldn’t think of anything new. […] I was up late the night before for probably no good reason, and the time was 2:38, so I wrote it down in my notes, and I don’t know why it inspired, but it did, so I brought that into the room with Ryan and he loved that. […] I met Brendan [Walter] at a writer’s round in Nashville, and he’d always been very supportive and friendly, and eventually my publisher sent it to him, and asked him if he wanted to be on it, and he said, “hell yeah.”

While different than her viral song, “Simon Says,” both songs speak to Callahan’s undeniable talent as both a singer and a songwriter. “It’s a really honest song, and the reaction to it has been amazing. So many people have commenting their stories with it. It’s been really inspiring to keep making music that is that honest,” shared the singer, when asked about “Simon Says.”

We expect even more coming from Callahan this year too! “I’m going on my first tour dates with Carter Faith this winter. That’s something I’m very excited about, and then we’re going to see if anything clicks on social media. If it does well, we’ll put that out. Everything I’m teasing right now is up for consideration, and I’ve been writing a ton.” Stay tuned!

Connect:

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Abbie Callahan announcements and releases.

To keep up with Abbie Callahan, follow her on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook.

Abbie Callahan’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.