NASHVILLE ONES TO WATCH—AND WHY

The changes in Nashville are strongly evident in the way acts now come to market and achieve exposure. The traditional inside-out approach of “come to town, get a publishing deal, do-meet-and-greets across the country and then start a single at terrestrial radio” is now only one of many possible routes to success.

The blueprint for building an artist fanbase has also become more diverse, whether it’s Chris Stapleton having a needle-moving TV moment months after his album’s release, Kane Brown crushing on social media, Maren Morris and Luke Combs breaking new ground on streaming services, Brantley Gilbert touring his ass off or Eric Church—the ultimate outsider—servicing his album directly to fans. These are just some of the examples of artists breaking by doing things their own way: from the outside in.

In 2017, this path is becoming more the norm than the exception. In this section we present three acts embodying this change: Ryan Hurd, Devin Dawson and Jillian Jacqueline. Each one, assisted by a passionate, patient team, is forging a singular path to the big show.

Follow the links for an inside look at each act.