Universal Music Group Nashville has inked a deal with emerging singer Dalton Dover, who first shot to notoriety after appearing on Season 16 of The Voice in 2019. Since then, he's amassed a significant following on TikTok with his #CatchMeOffGuard series of cover song mashups, earning accolades from Jimmie Allen, Luke Combs, Kidd G and Kameron Marlowe along the way.

Dover’s songs “You Got A Small Town” and “Baby I Am” earned him a spot on Spotify's Hot Country 2022 Artists to Watch and a nod for MusicRow's 2022 Discovery Artist of the Year. As part of the deal, he'll release new music via Mercury Nashville.

“All of us at UMG have been fans of Dalton for a long time,” UMG Nashville chairman and CEO Mike Dungan said. “For months, our staff has filled the rooms at almost every one of his live performances in Nashville. As we worked our way through the legal process, our four label promotion teams were fighting over which label he would go to and who got to work with him. We are thrilled that he chose to be a member of our family and anxious to release the first taste of music with the Mercury logo on it.”

Seen in the photo above are UMG Nashville EVP/COO Mike Harris, Dungan, Dover, UMG Nashville President Cindy Mabe, UMG Nashville EVP of A&R Brian Wright, underscore works founder Charly Salvatore, attorney Bruce Phillips and producer Matt McVaney. Naturally, we weren't invited.