Next Gen Nashville: Meet the Rising Ones of Watch of Country Music (Exclusive)

The future looks bright in Nashville.

From a navy vet to a Voice runner-up, a country rock fan to a musical theater lover, these 10 acts skyrocketed to new levels stardom thanks to their talent in 2026.

Together, they’re shaping the next generation of Music City, representing the very best of what country has to offer and pushing the boundaries of the ever-evolving genre (one act is even signed to Pitbull’s record label!)

Half the crew is also set to make a splash at this year’s Country Music Association Awards on Nov. 18, where Tucker Wetmore, Carter Faith, Avery Anna and Emily Ann Roberts are up for new artist of the year, while Thelma & James are nominated for vocal duo of the year.

Below, meet PEOPLE’s Ones of Watch of Country Music.

01 of 10

Tucker Wetmore

After skyrocketing to fame on TikTok in 2023, the “Brunette” singer upended the notion that Nashville is a 10-year town. “I’ve done about three years of work in one calendar year, and I feel like it would just be the perfect ending to the craziest year of my life,” Wetmore, 27, says of contending for New Artist of the Year at the CMAs on Nov. 18. “I’ve grown into myself as an artist, as a person and as a man this year.”

02 of 10

Carter Faith

She broke through with her debut album, Cherry Valley, and the “Nothin’ Better to Do” singer learned she was up for New Artist of the Year on the tarmac while her plane was delayed. The recognition is a lifetime in the making for a girl who grew up “wanting to be Taylor Swift,” says the North Carolinian, 26, who wrote her first song at 16 and has opened for Kacey Musgraves and Kelsea Ballerini.

03 of 10

Thelma & James

After they’d spent more than a decade as solo artists, MacKenzie Porter, 36, asked husband Jake Etheridge, 38, to write with her one night in 2024 because he was “the only person around.” The result, “Happy Ever After You,” went viral. They scored a record deal as Thelma & James (her middle name and his first) and are now up for Vocal Duo of the Year at the CMAs. “We’ve been surprised how easy it is to work together,” she says.

04 of 10

Ashley Cooke

The “Your Place” singer, 29, released her self-titled sophomore album in August after navigating a heart problem, the loss of both grandmothers and a breakup. “My give-a-damn’s just out the window at this point—in a good way,” Cooke says of how she’s evolved. “I actually care a lot, but I care about the right things.”

05 of 10

Kashus Culpepper

The Alabama native was deployed overseas in 2020 when he picked up a guitar and decided to give music a go, playing for his friends in the Navy. “With the military, I was just a young guy leaving a small town trying to find something bigger,” says Culpepper, 29, who released his first album, Act I, in January and recently toured with Riley Green.

06 of 10

Filmore

The Missouri native, 38, became the first country act to sign to Pitbull’s record label in 2024 and released his fourth studio album, Atypical, in February. At the time, he called himself a “pop-country artist that’s almost made it.” Now, he says, “I feel like we’re making it. It’s crazy that I get to do this for a living.”

07 of 10

Avery Anna

During the pandemic, Anna started making TikTok videos singing in her mom’s bathtub— “because the acoustics were good in there!” she quips. At just 17, she landed a record deal. Now, with popular hits like “Narcissist” and “Blood Runs Thicker,” the Arizona native, 22, is up for New Artist of the Year: “I’m just going to show up as me, and I’m going to have a good time.”

08 of 10

Emily Ann Roberts

After seeing how hymns stayed with her grandmother amid an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, this New Artist of the Year nominee dedicated her life to music. “It made such an impact on me,” says the 2015 Voice runner-up, 28, who released her Thread EP in October. “I’ve just been putting one foot in front of the other [since] and seeing where this dream takes me.”

09 of 10

Corey Kent

The country-rock singer, 32, got fired from his job as a songwriter in Nashville in 2020 and took a job at a pavement company to provide for his family. Three years later his single “Wild as Her” went to No. 1. “We were playing dive bars and honky-tonks, we were touring out of a van, we were just slumming it—and it was like, ‘Man, we’ve arrived,'” he says.

10 of 10

Kaitlin Butts

Born in Oklahoma, Butts, 33, developed an affinity for musical theater at an early age—and now she’s bringing that spark to country music. Her new album Hello, Honky Tonk, which was inspired by Chicago and marks her major-label debut, is a prime example. “I just wanted it to be the most true form of country music and entertainment,” says Butts, who’s toured with Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley.

Read the original article on People