ryan-and-rory-daniel-brown

Who are Ryan and Rory? The Story Behind Their Journey to Country Music

Who are Ryan and Rory? The new duo joined us to chat about their journey to country music. Get to know the rising stars here…

ryan-and-rory-daniel-brown

Ryan and Rory // Photo credit: Daniel Brown

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Ryan Follesé & Rory John Zak
Hometown – Ryan – Nashville, Tennessee + Rory – Raleigh, North Carolina
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Reba
Label – BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville
Current Single – “This Town” (as of date of article 7/29/24)

The Beginning:

This week we shine our spotlight on two rising stars that are not new to the music industry, but are reinventing themselves as a killer duo. Ryan and Rory comprised of Ryan Follesé & Rory John Zak are two talented singer-songwriters that have joined forces to create an incredible new act. We chatted with the rising stars about their journey to country music, their debut EP, and everything in between.

Both Ryan and Rory found music at early ages. Ryan grew up in a musical household in Nashville. “I’ve had kind of quite the journey to be here,” he shared. “Both my parents, Adrian and Keith are both country songwriters and have been for quite a long time, so I grew up in a super musical house, writing stupid little songs from the time that I could talk or sing, and then my first love was country music because I didn’t really know there was another kind of music until I was 8 or 9 years old.”

On the flip side, Rory grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina with a knack for music. “I’ve been back and forth to Nashville for the last ten years now, but my parents figured out from when I was 3 or 4 years old that I was going to be some sort of musician or singer or something. […] Around 13, 14 years old, I started going out and playing clubs and bars and pizza joints around the Carolinas and stuff like that,” he shared. Adding, “I got a call when I was 17 years old from a spot called the Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach and I became their youngest ever, full-time lead singer of the cast and I was there for a good 3 or 4 years, and performed six nights a week, and that was a huge blessing at the time.”

While Rory was performing at the Opry in North Carolina, Ryan was fronting a rock band called Hot Chelle Rae. “Of course, as I got older, I was like I’m going to join a rock band because I’m not going to do what my parents are doing, so I started a rock band,” he shared. “We toured a bunch on that for a long time, we did really well, and of course you always go home, and the music I originally fell in love with is the only thing I can write anymore, and that’s what led us together.”

The Turning Point:

Ryan and Rory’s mutual love of music drew them together. While they both grew up on country music, naming artists like Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, and Tim McGraw as some inspirations, they credit LOCASH for bringing them together initially 8 years ago. “We have to give it to LOCASH man, I met Rory at a LOCASH concert and a family friend of ours mentioned that we should get together, and we’re here, and we could not fit better together,” shared Rory. “We got a picture right in front of the merch booth, and we still have that picture somewhere, we ended up getting reconnected about a year and a half ago.”

The duo also credits small-town Nashville for bringing them together. “We do have a mutual friend and a family-friend of mine who’s someone who used to work with my dad, and she just knows everybody,” began Ryan. “She knew I was trying to do something like this, and I had been working on a small-batch of songs and now the batch is gigantic since we started this thing and go to writing together, but this friend was like if this is what you’re trying to do, you guys should reconnect. It was kind of like that ‘Stepbrothers’ moment. “Did we just become best friends.” And it really did feel like that.”

Ryan and Rory just clicked, and almost immediately started cranking out music together, including their debut single, “Pour Decisions.”

Today:

Flash forward to today Ryan and Rory are ready to take the country world by storm. The duo just released their self-titled debut EP on Friday (7/26), which features six songs in total, including their debut single, “Pour Decisions.” While many artists struggle to narrow down the songs, Ryan and Rory found the process to be easy.

“For us, these six songs raised their hands for us. We have so many songs, but I swear it just wasn’t that hard, and I’m proud to say it wasn’t that hard, which means we did a good job writing them, but they did a good job picking themselves for us,” shared the duo. “Everyone of these connects to some arc or piece of our lives, something we’ve lived, are living, are dreaming of doing or something that’s around the corner, it was just fate.”

Rory added, “It’s only six songs, but these six songs really feel like the rollercoaster you go on when you listen to 12 songs or a full-length album, and you know, we’re in the process of picking the back half right now, and writing for it, and I can’t wait to keep building the story.” 

While all six songs truly speak to their unique blend of artistry, standouts include songs like “This Town” and “Cowboy Cry.” On the latter, the men were inspired by strong and opinionated women in their lives. “I’m married to a very strong, opinionated woman, and it’s one of my favorite qualities about her,” begins Ryan, “and there’s just so many cowboy songs about the guy riding off into the sunset and leaving this girl behind, and that would not be the way it goes in my life with my mom and my wife and all the women that I know, and I just wanted to write it from a different perspective, the cowboy is the cowgirl.” The song came at the eleventh hour, and we are really glad it did!

Ryan and Rory are just getting started, and fans can expect more music coming down the pipeline soon. Make sure to jump on the bandwagon ASAP!

Connect:

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

To keep up with Ryan and Rory, follow them on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook.

Ryan and Rory’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 Michael James? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

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

who-is-michael-james

Michael James // Photo credit: Holden Barder

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Michael James Dupkin
Birthdate – 06/08/1999
Hometown – Massapequa, New York
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Kenny Chesney, Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen, Bon Jovi, Anne Wilson
Current Single – “Good News” (as of date of article 7/8/24)

The Beginning:

As a New York-based company, we always love highlighting the rising talent that the tri-state area brings. Today’s spotlight article, Michael James is a country music singer-songwriter, who grew up on the south shore of Long Island, a place that’s close to our heart. We chatted with the singer about his upbringing, his journey to country music, and his new album that’s out now!

“I grew up in Massapequa on Long Island, on the south shore. My life was kind of always finding ourselves at the beach somehow. That’s why I loved that beachy, country sound when I found country music,” began James. “I also loved classic rock CD’s that my parents had in their closet. We’d listen to Bon Jovi and Guns N’ Roses. I was about thirteen when my dad took me to a Kenny Chesney concert, because he had just started getting into country. I honestly had no idea what to expect or who that guy even was, but once I saw him play at MetLife Stadium with Tim McGraw, Jake Owen, and Grace Potter, it was an instant spark of like. That’s exactly what I want to do. I don’t know how to do that or where to go to do that, but entertaining people on stage is what I wanted to do.”

James became obsessed with country music after that show. He resonated with that ‘beach-country’ sound that artists like Chesney, Jake Owen, and later Zac Brown Band and Florida Georgia Line do so well. “I’m not going to fake being a cowboy or a farmer, I didn’t grow up country, country, like people in Texas or Oklahoma, but there’s a style of country we can all relate to, just growing up in that environment on a beach. I just write what I know,” he shared.

The Turning Point:

Despite loving country music and knowing that it was his true calling, James hesitated to lean into it. “It was always in the back of my mind. I kind of went through middle school, high school, and even early college just being that fan. I knew in the back of my mind that I really wanted to be on stage, but I had such stage fright.”

He admired his brother who would sing covers and play guitar during open-mic nights in his college years. This led James to purchasing a guitar of his own. “I am the kind of person that goes all in, so I knew I was all in once I bought that guitar. However, I wasn’t going to say it out loud because I knew my parents would definitely shut it down right off the bat, because I wasn’t that good in the beginning. I knew it was going to take over my life and with time and practice, the songs started getting better.”

Armed with a guitar in hand, James used YouTube to teach himself how to play and write songs. “I started playing around Long Island a little bit. I would play backyard parties and post videos online, and I started to get good reactions,” he shared. Adding, “I think having the reactions to the music and the support starting to grow, that just gave me confidence to take it full time.”

Then two and a half years ago, James made the move to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue his dream.

Today:

Flash forward to today, James is writing and recording music in Nashville. He recently released his brand new project, a record called Good News, which features ten songs, including the title track and “God Bless My Mama.”

“The record is really my life over the past few years. I always wanted to be true and write what I was living, I never wanted to be fake, and it took me a while to figure out who I was and what songs I wanted to write. My life these past few years have just been a journey of faith, and I wanted to do it in a country aspect. It really is my everyday life, my faith and how it’s grown, and what I’ve come to know, and all the lessons I learned over the last few years,” shared the singer. “I can’t really fake who I am.”

Good News perfectly blends the singer-songwriter’s coastal lifestyle and love of country music with his faith. While “God Bless My Mama” is an ode to his mother and mother’s everywhere, “Good News,” is the song that was inspired by that interesting blending of genres. “It does definitely sit right between those two genres, country and Christian, and that’s the song I’m most excited for, and that’s why I titled the album after that.”

Another standout on the project, a song called, “Everything” shows off a different side of the budding artist. “This song called, “Everything” is like a live show song, and I love live shows. That’s what I really focus my writing on when I’m in writing rooms. I think how can we write a song that people relate to and has energy for a live show. I like upbeat stuff, I like energy. How do we bring the energy into the room right now, so that song is definitely one I would bring up on stage, and it’s just a wholesome live song to the core.”

Fans can anticipate James playing these songs out at a live show sometime soon. Stay tuned and keep your eyes and ears peeled for shows by heading to James’ website here.

Connect:

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

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

Michael James’ 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-brinely-addington

Who is Brinley Addington? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

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

who-is-brinely-addington

Brinley Addington

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Brinley Addington
Birthdate – September 6th
Hometown – Kingsport, Tennessee
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, James Taylor
Label – Adding Tone Records
Current Single – “Belle Of The Bar” (as of date of article 6/24/24)

The Beginning:

The unsung heroes of country music are the songwriters. Today’s spotlight artist, Brinley Addington is a true songwriter through and through. While he did the artist thing for several years, his true talent lies in his belief in the song, the story, and the songwriting process. We caught up with Addington to chat all things music and everything in between.

“I’m originally from East Tennessee […] I have been in Nashville for fifteen years, so It definitely feels like home now,” began the singer-songwriter. “I grew up on what I heard in church and traditional sounding country music. Some of my big influences were Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, and even going back to Alabama.”

According to Addington, his love of country music stemmed from 90s country music, but he quickly went back in time, adding artists like Glen Campbell and Conway Twitty to his music collection. At just three years old, Addington recalls his first musical memory. “I’ve always loved country music. I always knew, since I was three years old, when my grandparents brought me to the Grand Ole Opry, that’s where I fell in love with it. I became obsessed with country music,” he shared. “The first memory I ever had was being at the Opry and the curtain coming up and that feeling of “what is this?” There’s something about the music that always spoke to me, just the stories and the songwriting, there’s just so much to it.”

For Addington, country music was always his dream.

The Turning Point:

Flash forward to 2008, the singer-songwriter finally made the quick move to Nashville, Tennessee. “I transferred to Belmont University in Nashville,” he shared. “When I moved to Nashville, it was always my intention to be a performer, be a star as they say, and be the guy out front, and I pushed really hard on that for really about 10 years.”

Early in his career, Addington honed his skills as a songwriter and as a performer, but eventually decided to pull back on the artist side of things. “I gave it all I had, I made all the contacts I had, I was writing songs the whole time, and right around 2018 I kind of took a break. I was feeling kind of burnt out and I backed up and really started working on my songwriting. I kind of stopped touring. I just wanted to be at home a little bit more,” he shared.

“I took a break and started focusing on writing songs. I put a few songs out in 2020 just for fun and because we were all stuck at home. During that time, I really fell in love with songwriting and it started to kind of love me back a little bit. I always loved it and it was always the songs for me that made me love country music, but during the time, it felt like this is finally starting to make sense for me.”

In 2021, Addington earned a big hit with Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris’ song, “Chasing After You.” “It gave me a lot of confidence and peace, and what God has for me moving forward.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Addington just released his first-ever songwriter-focused project. The 12-song project is called, Nobody’s Favorite, featuring 10 songs written by the singer and two outside cuts. “This is my first ever truly songwriter project. These are songs that I’ve written, ten of the songs that I’ve written that are some of my favorites of all time that I feel like are my stories to tell. The outside cuts sat around and I just loved them in my heart, and couldn’t believe no one recorded these,” shared the singer-songwriter.

Each and every song on the project is as meaningful as they come; however, the tittle track is one of the most special on the project. “It’s a special album and all we put into it, and the album title is special to me. I had that title for years, since I think 2018. I thought of it as this underdog battle cry, I’ll show you, I’m nobody’s favorite, but I’ll show you, and it felt really negative at the time […] I felt misunderstood and discounted, but then I met my fiancé, and it became I was nobody’s favorite, until I was hers, and it made it a lot sweeter for me,” he shared. Adding, “These songs were nobody’s favorite, but mine really, so I was like, ‘ya know, this might be this battle cry for the underdog, but it’s also okay to like what you like, and things that are your favorites, don’t have to be anyone else’s favorite.’”

While putting a pause on his artist career was bittersweet, Addington seems to have found balance in his personal life and his career. You can catch the singer at writer’s rounds, as well as, anticipate more music to come. Until then, make sure you check out Nobody’s Favorite!

Connect:

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

To keep up with Brinley Addington follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Brinley Addington’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-caylee-hammack-Kirsten-Balani

Who is Caylee Hammack? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

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

who-is-caylee-hammack-Kirsten-Balani

Caylee Hammack // Photo Credit: Kirsten Balani

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Caylee Hammack
Hometown – Ellaville, Georgia
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Label – Capitol Records Nashville
Current Single – “The Hill”  // as of date of article: 6/18/2024

The Beginning:

This week we are re-introudcing you to an artist that we have loved for years, Caylee Hammack. Hammack a true artist in the country music genre in every sense of the word. We chatted with the singer-songwriter about her journey so far, as well as, her brand new music, and everything in between.

“I was raising in South Georgia and I think I was probably 11 or 12 when I saw an info-commercial for the golden classics of country music,” shared Hammack. “As the names were passing and scrolling up the commercial and its playing snippets of a Tammy Wynette song and a little bit of a Johnny Cash song, and Loretta Lynn, and Patsy Kline, I sat there for 15 minutes just watching this commercial, and I wanted to hear more.”

This core memory led to Hammack falling in love with the country music genre, opening up her curiosity around music and its healing powers. “I got curious, so when I found out that Loretta Lynn was playing in Columbus, Georgia, about an hour away from us growing up, I begged my Daddy to go,” she shared. “He went with me, and I remember just seeing her and listening to her story, and it captivated me, and I looked around the room and it captivated everybody. The stories are what everyone loved and the stories behind the songs that they already loved and already knew. I saw magic that day. There is something sacred about the community that could be built around stories and songs, and I sort of became obsessed with it.”

Despite loving country music, Hammack still desired to follow her first dream, to be in the medical field and to attend medical school; however, when she had a sudden medical scare at the age of sixteen, music was there for her. “I started writing songs when I was laying in bed, not able to move around that much after the surgery, and as I’m sitting here, full bent on “I’m going to go to medical school one day and I’m going to become a doctor,”” she shared. “It slowly but surely shifted, […] I just realized that I was better at making words rhyme, and telling stories than having the strength that doctors have. […] I kept doing music and kept connecting, and slowly I realized it made me the happiest.”

The Turning Point:

Hammack spent her teenage years honing her craft, before making the move to Nashville, Tennessee at the age of nineteen.” I was sleeping in my car, got downtown, I used a fake ID to get in the bar, it was Honky Tonk Central. I played with the band and the bass player who was the band manager of all those bars or a couple of those bars down there he had told me to come to Tootsie’s the next day to try out and audition officially.” 

The singer got the job and spent two and half years cutting her teeth in Nashville on Broadway. “I played down there, and then I got my publishing deal, I was writing everyday as well. I finally got the connection of my favorite person in the world, Cyndi Forman, my publisher,” shared Hammack.

The songstress continued to write songs, first as a staff-writer, but then in 2017, tragedy struck. “I had a house fire while I was on a writer’s retreat with Tenille Townes, Eric Paslay, and Brothers Osborne and I lost about 60-70% of everything. It was a beautiful blessing though, because I realized in the midst of everything I was losing a lot of material goods, I found out how loved I was and how many people cared for me and helped me go through that.”

Through this experience and the support of others, Hammack felt ready to release her own music, and subsequently, landed a record deal with Capitol Records Nashville. “It’s just kind of been a wild journey ever since. After that, we go to release the first album and we had to release it during 2020, which was kind of odd. It was very solitary. […] I was eager to get the music out, and I thought that music would be appreciated and a comforting thing during a hard time for all of us, but having to sit at home and wondering if people were connecting, almost drove me crazy,” she shared. Expressing the mixed emotions that came with the time.

Regardless, music continued to be magic in Hammack’s life. “Getting to write music, it’s been a very beautiful outlet for me. It’s bewildering to me sometimes that people can connect to it to the point where I can actually make a living out of it. I’m so grateful that people connect to these songs because it heals me to share it with them.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Hammack has entered a new music era. Kicking it off with a brand new song called, “The Hill.” “The song is about hand-holding the last straw that is about to break the camel’s back, and trying your best to keep the straw in the hand. It’s a white-flag in the middle of a battle, so that you don’t lose the war and you don’t lose the battle, the love in the middle of the war. I just felt as if a lot of people have been in that situation and that people could connect to it,” shared Hammack.

The single was written over Zoom with Tenille Townes and Logan Wall. “We made a demo, and it kind of stayed in the catalog for a bit, but it kept coming up. […] It was really cool as I was creating this record and kind of basing it off the trials and tribulations of trying to find love and finding love within yourself and others along the way, it kind of just became this heart-centered album, and I feel like “The Hill” is one of the more vulnerable, passionate songs on the record.”

Hammack’s new song speaks to her talent as both a singer and as a songwriter, as well as, a lover of music. “It felt very pivotal to have it as the first song off this album because it has a more organic nature to it that feels sincerely me, and it also has a little bit of a Celtic influence based off of some of the UK touring that I experienced,” she shared. Adding, “It’s just an appreciation for different types of music that I’ve been kind of immersed in.”

“The Hill” is the first song off Hammack’s new album that is slated for release sometime in 2025. “Until then, we’re going to roll out song after song and immerse people in the sonic playground that this album is going to be. When it does come, it’ll be like a garden in full bloom after planting the seeds 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 future Caylee Hammack releases.

To keep up with Caylee Hammack, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Caylee Hammack’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-callie-twisselman

Who is Callie Twisselman? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

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

who-is-callie-twisselman

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Callie Twisselman
Hometown – Cholame, CA
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, George Strait, Britney Spears
Label – Cash is King Entrainment (own label)
Current Single – “In My World”  // as of date of article: 6/10/2024

The Beginning:

This week our spotlight shines on a talented singer-songwriter. Nashville transplant, Callie Twisselman shared all about her journey to country music, her new songs, and what fans can expect moving forward.

“I grew up on a grain and cattle ranch in California. I basically grew up with the country lifestyle and music was a huge part of my life,” shared the singer. “My mom was a singer in a local country band, so I knew I had a love for singing, but being in that lifestyle, really influenced my songwriting and the stories I tell.” For Twisselman, singing and country music went hand in hand from an early age.

Throughout her upbringing, the singer-songwriter recalls many moments in her life that confirmed her love for the genre.“Growing up I would ride horses and I was the youngest of four siblings. We all just grew up in the middle of nowhere, so there wasn’t a whole lot going on out there, but I would always find things to entertain myself with and keep me busy, and singing just happened to be one of those things that took my interest,” she shared. Adding, “I was always watching music videos on the TV when those were a big thing like the CMT countdowns. I remember watching the Shania Twain’s music video for “Man! I Feel Like A Woman,” and that was really what stayed in mind. I thought that she was such an amazing artist and I wanted to be just like Shania Twain.”

Artists of the 90s, like Shania Twain and even Pop artists too influenced Twisselman’s music taste and storytelling abilities in her own music. “When I was young, I was singing the National Anthem everywhere that I could. Then I decided that I should sing my own songs, so I said “I’ll just write them.” I wrote my first song and I didn’t know how to play any instruments or anything, but I wrote it, and I just shoved it away in my closet. One day mom found it when she was cleaning my room,” she shared. “I was all embarrassed because it was my first song, but then after that it clicked and I was hooked. I had a love for songwriting. After that, I picked up the guitar and that made it even better to write music and it blossomed into something special.”

The Turning Point:

Armed with a true passion for country music, Twisselman would make trips back and forth to Nashville, Tennessee in an effort to grow her talent and her fanbase. “I would go back and forth a lot before I moved, just recording different music and meeting people, but everybody told me I needed to move if I was going to take it seriously,” she shared. Adding, “Then I met my manager on one of my trips. […] He was the final person who told me to do it that I actually listened to. He helped me out when I got here and got me in with songwriting and demo-ing music.”

Twisselman finally made the official move to Nashville in 2017, despite some nerves that she would miss home. “Everybody here is pretty much chasing the same dream, and it’s been really inspiring and my songwriting has gotten better. The first month I was here I wrote like ten songs, and I used to write that in a year in California. It’s just been inspiring, and I love it.”

Nashville provided the songstress with a platform to really fine-tune her talents as a vocalist and as a songwriter. “It’s been amazing ever since. I’ve been doing a lot of songwriting, performing, and putting out music.”

Today:

Flash forward to present day, Twisselman is on the brink of releasing a new project. 2024 is shaping up to be the biggest year in her career so far. “This year is going to be the year. It’s been a couple of years, since my last EP, and I’ve been writing and getting it all together, ready to release, and it’s now the time.” To kick off a new era of music, the singer recently released a song called “In My World.”

The new song is a fun pop-country song. “I have my new single, “In My World” out right now, which is a lighthearted, fun song that I thought would be a good little start to get back out there,” shared the singer. Adding, “I wrote “In My World” when I was by myself one day at home. I was just kind of daydreaming, thinking about things, and I was like “what if I had all these things” and it just worked out. I was like, ‘I’m going to make that a song.’” […] I decided to record it and it felt like the perfect song to release first.”

Twisselman hopes that fans will see the positive message in the single and, of course, have fun while listening to it. Along with the new project, fans can also anticipate an exciting collaboration coming down the pipeline soon. “As far as my project, coming soon, fans can expect some of the same type of vibes, but there’s also more serious and slow songs as well. I’m hoping to drop an EP as a whole by the end of the year or the beginning of the year. I’ll be releasing singles until then.”

Connect:

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

To keep up with Callie Twisselman, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Callie Twisselman’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-waylon-wyatt

Who is Waylon Wyatt? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

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

who-is-waylon-wyatt

Waylon Wyatt

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Waylon Wyatt Potter
Birthdate – 10/16/2006
Hometown – Hackett, Arkansas
Current City – Hackett, Arkansas
Musical Influences – Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton, Turnpike Troubadours, Waylon Jennings
Current Single – “Stranger To Me” (as of date of article 6/3/24)

The Beginning:

The country music industry is buzzing with new talent. Today, we’re spotlighting the young and promising newcomer, Waylon Wyatt. While only 17 years old, Wyatt has already proved to have star power with a sound that fans of artists like Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers will flock to.

“I started writing songs when I was six years old. I wrote this one song called, “How To Be a Man” and it sounds just like how you think a six year old would write a song,” began Wyatt. “I honestly didn’t start taking it seriously until I was about fifteen, and that’s when I started listening to Tyler Childers after seeing him on YouTube, it was “Feathered Indians” and I just fell in love with the sound, so I kind of went off of his sound.”

Despite drawing inspiration from artists like Childers and the Turnpike Troubadours, Wyatt recalls being exposed to every genre of music throughout his upbringing. “I’ve been influenced by music my whole life. My parents have always been big music fans. My mom’s big into bluegrass and metal. Our musical taste is not limited to anything even though I’m known to write mostly a folky, country sound and everything. I can listen to anything as long as it’s catchy.”

While he gravitates more towards the sounds of red dirt contemporary,  the lyrics are what matters most to him. “I love the idea of writing songs and singing them on your own. It feels like a lot more emotion can be put into songs that you write yourself.”

The Turning Point:

Even though Wyatt has been writing and enjoying music since he was young, it was not until a little later on that he really started to take his talent seriously. “When I was sixteen years old I started trying to write my own songs. That’s when I came up with the idea for “Everything Under the Sun.” His single drew in many fans and followers to his social media and the song has amassed almost 7 million streams on Spotify alone.

“The very first known video proof of me actually putting music out was on TikTok, and it’s my song “Everything Under The Sun.” I had just got that song finished, and that was the very first time I had performed it all the way through, it was that TikTok,” shared the singer. Who added, “Basically that was my first video that I put out and it was all because of a friend of mine told me I should put it out because he loved it so much, and he thought other people should hear it.”

Despite some trepidation, Wyatt decided to share the song, which would go on to attract the eager ears of a record label in California. “I had just finished getting off work with my dad, and I was still wearing that hat that had the company name on it, and a record label from California reached out to me because of the phone number that was on the hat.” he shared. “They contacted my dad’s business on Facebook and that’s how we scheduled everything. We scheduled a phone call with them, and then not even a week later, their team was down here and not even two weeks later I was signed with them.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, and Wyatt’s star power is shining even brighter! While the singer still only has a few songs out, he has been teasing many songs on TikTok and social media. Including songs like, “Out of The Blue” and “Leave it Where it Lies.” The singer also shared that he wrote a song called, “Pretty Little Liar,” which he is eager to share with fans.

As of right now, Wyatt’s newest song is a track called, “Stranger To Me.” “A lot of people think it’s a love song, but it’s actually based off a friend I had that we had to go our separate ways even though I still appreciate him and love him to death. We had to go our separate ways because he fell into a bad crowd, and I didn’t want to have the guilt by association of still being affiliated with him. Now that I’m making a name for myself, I didn’t want to have that looking bad on myself, and I know it may seem a little selfish, but it’s reasonable.”

For Wyatt, the song is deeply personal. “The idea came to me because I was going through it in the moment. That’s one of the very few songs that I wrote and can actually relate to to be honest, and that song is a lot more powerful to me in a lot of ways because I relate to it.”

This is just the beginning for the newcomer, but it is safe to say that he has already garnered a loyal fanbase. Fans can catch the singer out on the road with Drayton Farley at two of his live shows, as well as in Nashville this week for a Spotify event during CMA Fest. Stay tuned for more!

Connect:

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

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

Waylon Wyatt’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-tiffany-woys

Who is Tiffany Woys? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

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

who-is-tiffany-woys

Tiffany Woys | Photo credit: Robert Chavers

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Tiffany Woys
Birthdate – July 28th
Hometown – Sacramento, California
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Celine Dion
Current Single – “Took Back”  // as of date of article: 5/27/2024

The Beginning:

Today’s spotlight artist shares a story of evolution that many people can relate to in one way or another. We first introduced you to singer, Tiffany Woys back in 2019, when she was a champion for bringing life to songs written by other people. Today, after some major life changes and a new-found love for songwriting, Woys updates us on her life and her new music.

“I was born and raised in Sacramento, California,” she begins. “In Northern California, there is a lot of country music, but there isn’t a lot of opportunity […] I always knew I wanted to do music.” Woys recalls falling in love with big voices at an early age, thanks to an early introduction to Celine Dion from her mom.

“My mom listened to Celine Dion a lot with me growing up, and I knew I wanted to sing. That was always a big deal to me, I wanted to sing. We didn’t have any songwriting communities in Sacramento, so that I didn’t do, I just wanted to hold a microphone and sing. Then when I heard LeAnn Rimes for the first time, that was really what sparked county music for me,” she shared.

Woys also credits powerhouse vocalists in the county genre like Jo Dee Messina, Faith Hill, and Martina McBride as some of her early influences. “I really fell in love with the vocalist. I love when you can hear someone and know instinctively who they are,” she shared, adding that presently, she also draws inspiration from artists like Lauren Alaina and Carrie Underwood.

Despite loving music, neither Woys nor her parents knew how to pursue a career in country music, so the singer followed her parents wishes and went off to college to pursue her degree. “Everyday I would commute home from my college, and I would visit a vocal coach, and I was like, “I’m not giving this up, there’s absolutely no way.” 

The Turning Point:

Armed with a desire to pursue country music, upon graduating college, Woys did just that. “I ended up coming home from college after I graduated, putting together a band, and toured the entire west coast, basically performing three to four hours a night, two to three days a week for five years, just building a team and trying to figure out how to do this,” she shared.

Around the same time, the songstress started making trips to Nashville, Tennessee to build out a team. “I knew it was always going to be country, and I commuted back and forth to Nashville for five years, building a team, kind of slowly… getting a publicist, an entertainment attorney, and the last thing I got was a manager. My manager was the one that was like, ‘Listen, you have to be in Nashville.’ I was waiting for somebody to say that to me.”

In 2017, Woys packed up her apartment and booked a one-way ticket to Nashville. Upon getting to Music City, the singer became a true advocate for the songwriting aspects and cutting music that she related to that was written by other artists. “I was really unapologetic about how I wanted to be a vehicle for songwriters. […] I’m a huge support of the songwriter. I don’t consider myself a songwriter yet, I consider myself a co-writer,” she shared, while discussing her journey.

Eventually, Woys realized the healing-power of songwriting, which led to her next endeavor.

Today:

Flash forward to today, Woys is about to release her newest project, I’m Your Woman (out 5/31/24). The record is the first project that the singer co-wrote on, and her most personal project to date. “I think I needed more life experience. […] I don’t think I had something so ground-shaking that had happened in my life to push me into the direction of where I felt like I had to say something, I felt really good about relating to other people’s words and putting them out there.”

I’m Your Woman features eight songs, with six of them co-written by the singer, including a deeply personal song called, “Took Back.” “Took Back” is my favorite. It’s really the one that catapulted this whole project. It’s also probably the most vulnerable I’ve ever been in music. […] This song was kind of about the idea of the ring being taken back, and it was kind of like the last gut punch you can get at the end of that story. […] It symbolized a future and a promise that ultimately will never happen. I also wrote this song from the perspective of me having a conversation with him, a conversation I never got to have.”

The record as a whole was born out of Woys trying to make sense of her broken engagement.“I had to experience things. I moved across the United States alone, getting engaged, having it fall apart, losing friends, losing loved ones, I think all of that had to happen for me to have something more meaningful to say,” she shard. Adding, “Love will never go out of style, so that’s what I prefer to sing about, so this record absolutely shares the story of me falling in love here in Nashville, spending five years getting to know somebody, getting engaged, and then it falling apart, and then it starting over again. That’s the journey that this record takes you on.”

Fans can look forward to the record releasing on Friday, as well as, catch Woys on her podcast, ‘what’s mine is yours.’ 

Connect:

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

To keep up with Tiffany Woys, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Tiffany Woys’ 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-hueston-angelo-martinez

Who is Hueston? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

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

who-is-hueston-angelo-martinez

Hueston | Photo credit: Angelo Martinez

Quick Facts:

Full Name – Cory Hueston
Birthdate – 12/11/1992
Hometown – Lantana, Florida
Current City – Lake Worth, Florida
Musical Influences – Keith Whitley, George Jones, Ray Charles
Label – Silver Wings Records
Current Single – “Every Time Is The Last Time” (as of date of article 5/21/24)

The Beginning:

The reasons why artists like Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll have garnered millions of fans is not only because of their talent, but because of their authentic nature. Today’s spotlight artist laces that authenticity throughout his music. Cory Hueston, who goes by Hueston has lived and breathed music since an early age, and it is evident in the trajectory of his career thus far that he is as honest as they come.

“I was originally born in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. I moved to Florida when I was about seven, eight years old,” began the singer. “My mom really worked so many jobs to keep a roof over our heads that me and my brothers were just kind of running around the streets, being little hoodlums, and got into some bad things, had a lot of pain, had a lot of struggle, but when I found guitar, it was just one of those things that I picked it up and the pain went away. I was just happy.”

Hueston recalls having to grow up fast, but that music was always there for him. “The second I picked up that guitar I just knew that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life, and I’ve been doing it,” shared the singer, who found inspiration in so many different music genres throughout his upbringing. “I found a freedom in music. I found a home.”

Hueston is influenced by true artists. “I’m so into so many different things,” he shared. “I’m a huge hip-hop fan, I’m a huge R&B fan, I’m really into classic artists like Ray Charles, Etta James. I love the whole 60s, 70s rock era. I love Janis Joplin, I love The Doors, Hendricks. There’s so many different classic artists that I love, but also when it comes to country, I’m a huge George Jones fan and I’m a big Keith Whitly fan.” The singer also credits the music genius of Kanye West as a big inspiration. “You just get a paintbrush out and there’s no walls, you just paint a picture and you’re free. [Kanye] has been such an inspiration in that way.”

The Turning Point:

Since picking up the guitar, Hueston has been crafting music. “That spiraled into playing in bands and then that spiraled into becoming a singer. I was always writing music, but I didn’t know I was a singer that just kind of happened naturally,” he shared.

“I lived in Florida for many years. I started building and playing in bands and built out kind of like my musical talent here, and then ended up moving to New York City to chase the dream around eighteen. I lived there for a few years. Around 21, 22, ended up making connections in LA, and moved out there, did the whole music thing, and then eventually came back to Florida. Now, my hub is Nashville. I live in Florida, but I’m always in Nashville.”

While Hueston resided in New York City, he saw his dreams come to fruition. “ I started a band called The Broncos in New York City. We were supposed to be the next big thing,” he shared. Adding, “We got signed, and we ended up imploding because we were young and had big egos. Label dropped us. My dreams were crushed. Then I just made the decision, literally the day after, I was like I’m going to do the solo thing that I’ve really been wanting to do, and I dropped my song “Tidal Wave.” 

Spoiler alert – the single did not advance his career, but it did set fire to his tenacity. “I loved it. I’m one that really thrives in chaos and uncomfortabiliity. I just find that there’s true growth in it. […] I just stayed consistent and for about five years I build the Hueston brand and just dropped music, and I had a couple of viral moments and all of a sudden every label in Nashville is blowing me up.”

Eventually, Hueston took a meeting with Cindy Mabe at UMG Nashville. “I chose her, because I just know that she knows what this is,” he shared about signing his record deal with UMG’s Silver Wings Records.

Today:

Flash forward to today, Hueston is cranking out new music, as fans await his record. Most recently, the singer-songwriter dropped his single, “Every Time Is The Last Time.” It is the perfect blend of some of his rock and hip-hop influences with a country lyric. “When it comes to the rock and soul stuff that’s the feeling, that’s emotions, that’s the pain, that’s the bleeding on the record. And when it comes to hip-hop, that’s the swag and the vibe,” he shared.

The song came together quickly, according to the singer. “Me and my producer B Sims, we work on most of my music together. […] He’s also a fantastic writer too and always has great ideas. We were in an uber, and I can’t remember if he said it or I said it, but one of us said, “yeah, every time is the last time.” Some dumb shit about nothing, and we looked at each other and we were like write that down real quick, that could be a title,” he shared. Adding, “I just saw an image of you have this love interest or this kind of romantic situation, but you know it’s not going to work, it’s not the thing you should be doing, and every time you’re like this is the last time I’m doing this, and then you find yourself back in it.”

“Every Time Is The Last Time” is just the beginning for Hueston. He teased even more music to come. “Theres’s so much music. I’m going to be dropping so many singles, but there is an album. The album is finished. It’s incredible. Can’t give you the date yet, but that will be on the way this year at some point.”

In the meantime, fans can catch Hueston at various shows this summer, including opening dates for artists like Jelly Roll. Check out his list of shows here!

Connect:

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

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

Hueston’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-lily-rose

Who is Lily Rose? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music (2024)

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

who-is-lily-rose

Quick Facts:

Full Names – Lily Rose Williamson
Birthdates – 09/11/1993
Hometown – Atlanta, Georgia
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, Keith Urban
Label – Big Loud Records / Back Blocks Music / Republic Records
Current Single – “Back Pew”  // as of date of article: 5/13/24

The Beginning:

Back in 2021, we introduced you to viral, country newcomer, Lily Rose. In the past three years, Rose has garnered millions of fans and has become much more than her viral sensation, “Villain.” We reconnected with the singer-songwriter and chatted about her journey thus far and her new music that came out last week (5/10).

“I’m from Atlanta, Georgia, and my parents always had music playing in the house and took the plunge of letting me get a drum set and a guitar when I was a kid. They always just let me chase my dreams,” shared Rose, reminding us exactly how essential music was to her upbringing. Rose spent her childhood cultivating her sound and really delving into the music that she loved. According to the singer, she grew up listening to many different genres of music, taking inspiration along the way.

She credits her parents for her early musical influences, as well as their unconditional support in her and her interests. “My parents would take me to concerts when I was just eleven years old. And they let me stay and watch the guys in Mexican restaurants sing ‘one more song’,” she laughs. “They always fed into whatever my passions were and I think it’s really important for parents to do that outside of sports and academics.”

The Turning Point:

After graduating high school, Rose attended school in Athens, Georgia, where her love of music really hit its peak. “That’s where I started playing music and being on stage, and really tried to do the Lily Rose thing and not just write songs in my bedroom anymore,” shared the singer.

Despite wanting to move to Los Angeles to pursue music, Rose made the move to Nashville, after realizing that country music could be her future, thanks to Sam Hunt. “He’s kind of my North Star, and always has been when it comes to country music,” she shared. Adding, “When I was about to move up to town, I always wanted to move to LA and come and write country, but I just didn’t see myself being a country artist, until Sam came on the scene in 2014 and changed my whole perception of country music.”

Around the same time that Rose started to cut her teeth in Nashville, she download TikTok, which went on to change her life. “I moved up to Nashville, and I was here working every part-time job I could think of just trying to get a deal, and then I posted “Villain” on TikTok at the end of 2020, and everything changed, and here we are.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Rose just released her best music to date. Her new EP, Runnin’ Outta Time speaks to her journey thus far, as well as, her true, authentic nature that is evident across her catalog of music. “I think everyday is different. There are some days where I’m like “hey I’m proposing to my girlfriend in a week, let’s write a song about it,” and then this next chapter of music, I kind of had to recenter myself a bit, and truly figure out who I am in the amidst of really crazy partying culture and trying to be the best me I can be at the same time. It just depends on the day, but I always try to be the most authentic that I can.”

The new project features six songs that all tell a unique story, while still feeling relatable to the listener. “‘Parking Lot’ is the oldest of them all. We wrote that in 2021, and I’ve always loved it. It never was really moving the needle in the A&R meetings in what we were going to cut, so I just started to play it out with Sam Hunt, and it kind of convinced everybody. But the other five songs, we’ve written in the last ten months,” shared the singer.

According to the entertainer, she really found her Nashville crew in songwriting, which allowed her to create this body of work. “We can attack [writing songs] whole-heartedly, and these six songs are kind of an example of where I’m at in my life right now. The crossroads of one street being I’m going balls to the wall partying, we are touring and I’ve been married for a year, and we’ve been celebrating and just having the time of our lives, and the other street of always trying to be the best version of myself that I can, always trying to be the pest person, sister, wife daughter, friend, while also trying to make sure I’m doing it all, while working on my relationship with God. So it’s all this really cool layout of what my life has looked like these last ten months, and we put it into songs.”

While this EP may be the best body of work Rose has put out thus far, in the words of the stellar singer,“I feel like we’re just getting started.” Fans can catch the singer on the road with Luke Bryan this season. Checkout all of her tour dates here and stay tuned for even more new music!

Connect:

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

To keep up with Lily Rose, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Lily Rose’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-walker-county-trea-allen

Who is Walker County? The Story Behind Their Journey to Country Music

Who is Walker County? The singer-songwriting duo joined us to chat about their journey to country music. Get to know the rising stars here…

who-is-walker-county-trea-allen

Walker County // Photo credit: Trea Allen

Quick Facts:

Full Names – Ivy Dene Potter & Sophie Dawn Walker
Birthdates – April 10 (Ivy Dene)  & March 19 (Sophie Dawn)
Hometown – Sulphur Springs, IN
Current City – Nashville, Tennessee
Musical Influences – Dolly Parton, The Chicks, Miranda Lambert, John Prine
Current Single – “The Thing About Fences”  // as of date of article: 5/6/2024

The Beginning:

Today’s spotlight shines on incredible sister-duo, Walker County. Walker County, comprised of Ivey Dene Potter and Sophie Dawn Walker are a force to be reckoned with in country music right now. We chatted with the songstresses’ about their path towards music, their new independent project, and everything in between.

“We grew up in a town of 390 people, and we only had each other to write with,” began the Indiana natives. “We started playing music together when we were 9 and 12, and we started to play music with our dad, Billy Walker. He was a big influence. He played bluegrass all our childhood and played for a church band.”

As soon as their father realized they could sing, he invited them to pursue their gifts. “We just learned a love for all music really early on, so when it was time for us to do our own thing, we loved our bluegrass. […] I remember the first song that we got to cover that we chose was “Red High Heels” by Kellie Pickler. We definitely looked up to those female artists,” shared the singers who found inspiration in many different genres of music. “Our dad grew up playing bluegrass, but he also would play every genre of music in the house. We listened to anything and everything.”

Armed with a passion, the duo took a trip with their family to Nashville in 2007. “We opened up the guitar case, and street performed for a little bit,” shared Walker County. Adding, “We went back down and played for like an hour and a half, and made $200 bucks, and I thought we were rich of course, and we went to the mall after […]. We ended up going back to Indiana, and started to play wherever we could, fairs and festivals, and that really took over our lives. We started playing every weekend, all through 2014, until we made the move to Nashville, and we’ve been in town ever since.”

The Turning Point:

Walker County continued to hone their talents and their storytelling through their upbringing. Eventually, at just nineteen and sixteen years old, the singer-songwriters made the move to Nashville, Tennessee to further their careers.

“We moved to Nashville with a record deal at nineteen and sixteen. We moved to town with the idea that in the next two years we would have music, and that just didn’t happen. That season of our lives, we had a lot of growing to do and learning the ins and outs of the music industry, some of it heartbreaking and some of it exciting,” shared the singers, as they reflected on their journey.

While in Nashville, they spent years writing and cultivating their sound. “Nashville was definitely a writer’s bootcamp for the first two years we lived here.” Despite continuing to write music almost daily, Walker County was not getting the opportunity they wanted to put out all the music they were creating.

This led to the women finally deciding to bet on themselves. “It was just a season in our lives that needed to happen, but we had been there for nine years, and last year at Sophie’s birthday dinner, we were sitting with a friend of ours, a singer-songwriter named Paul Sikes, and we were just sitting there pouring out our frustration of not being able to release the music we want and having this catalog of songs that we’ve been dying to put out to the world, and just not getting the opportunity to, and that’s when Paul was like “girls, let me produce this record. Let’s put out every song that we always wanted to put out. We don’t need the record label to do this, we can do this on our own.”

Walker County went on to do just that and took a leap of faith.

Today:

That leap of faith culminated in Walker County finally releasing their debut album, Painted Ponies. The eleven song project features songs like “The Thing About Fences,” “Handwritten,” and the title track. Each of the songs speak to their incredible songwriting prowess, their knack for crafting a relatable song, and of course, their journey thus far as they navigate the windy road that is the music industry.

“I think there’s a song on this album from every year we’ve been in town. It’s really cool, because it definitely tells our journey and our story in the music industry,” shared the singers. “We really didn’t have any rules while picking this album, which was so freeing. […] We really wanted this album to be one that you listen to from start to finish, and for it really to tell a story. It’s evident that we had a good time making this album.”

The record is a true embodiment of what happens in music when there are no boundaries. “We just sat and listened through the songs, and we wanted the record to make sense, but we didn’t want to be held back by how many tempos we had on it, how many ballads, what this song meant, we just wanted it to live with the songs in it. No rules, no fences. We just wrote down our favorites, and I think the songs that stuck out were the songs we knew the day we wrote them that they were going to special songs.”

Fans can look forward to even more music from Walker County coming out hopefully this year. The ladies will also be playing at fairs and festivals this season, as well as, heading back to CMA Fest. For a full list of shows, head to their website here.

Connect:

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

To keep up with Walker County, follow them on InstagramTwitter, and Facebook.

Walker County’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.