Luke Bryan

Jackson Dean

Fast-rising Country singer/songwriter Jackson Dean is quickly earning a reputation for his old school, gritty, lyric-driven, outlaw style of Country. Mature beyond his years, Jackson opted to move out to a cinderblock, concrete floor, one-room shack on the back of his grandfather’s property with no heat and no plumbing at just 18 years old. An adventurous and carefree spirit, the 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist, is also an old soul and skilled artisan whose pastimes include making leather goods, wood-burned art and disappearing into the woods to sleep under the stars. Bringing that same sense of adventure and downhome vibe to his songwriting, the “modern-day Country rambler” (Taste of Country) burst on the scene, showing people how real music can be with his atmospheric, musically-forward debut album GREENBROKE (out now via Big Machine Records). The Maryland native’s single, “Don’t Come Lookin’” was the fastest debut to reach No. 1 in 2022 and cemented Jackson as the youngest solo male Country artist to reach the top of the charts with a debut. Landing spots on the Billboard Hot 100, the soundtrack for Netflix’s The Ice Road and a John Dutton scene in Yellowstone, the song 80 million streams. Following an early career of local performances in his hometown, Jackson has joined bills with superstar acts like Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Brantley Gilbert, Kane Brown, Jake Owen, Brooks & Dunn, Lee Brice and Brothers Osborne and found himself on the bill for credible events like Austin City Limits and Stagecoach. The young talent will wrap up 2022 by joining HARDY on the Wall-to-Wall Tour before hitting the road in 2023 with Blake Shelton and Carly Pearce for the Back to the Honky Tonk Tour at the top of the year. Visit jacksondeanmusic.com for more information and upcoming tour dates.

Alana Springsteen

Columbia Records NY/Sony Music Nashville artist-songwriter Alana Springsteen is TWENTY SOMETHING. Making her anticipated debut as a three-part album, her first installment, TWENTY SOMETHING: Messing It Up, delivers a bold introduction with “you don’t deserve a country song.” Hailed by Billboard as possessing “a classic female voice packed with angst and determination,” E! News praises “one of Nashville’s most buzzworthy emerging artists,” as PEOPLE applauds Springsteen as representing “the future of country music.” Quickly nearing 100 MILLION streams, the 22-year-old is among the Class of 2023 for CMT’s Next Women of Country and MusicRow’s Next Big Thing; a Celebrity Ambassador for the Ryan Seacrest Foundation; and previously named a Country Artist to Watch by Pandora. Next supporting Adam Doleac’s ‘BARSTOOL WHISKEY WONDERLAND’ TOUR, she’s appeared at the Grand Ole Opry and has already been spotted on the road with Mitchell Tenpenny and LANY.

Conner Smith

Just 22 years old and already a seasoned veteran of Nashville’s elite songwriting community, Conner Smith has become one of Country’s most hotly-anticipated new artists – an uncommon talent mixing prime-of-life passion with old-soul perspective. After penning his first song at 6 and scoring a publishing deal at 16, the Country prodigy wrote five of the six songs on his Zach Crowell-produced 2021 debut collection DIDN’T GO TOO FAR (The Valory Music Co.). The charismatic effort laid an artistic foundation that earned Smith 2022 Artist to Watch status from Spotify, Amazon Music and Opry NextStage, while also making him the only Country artist on Pandora’s Ten List 2022 and securing 2023 recognition from MusicRow Next Big Thing, CMT Listen Up, and more. Often hiding deep-thinking themes in plain sight, Smith scored his first Top 40 hit with the young-at-heart “Learn From It,” and followed up with a love-savoring new single “Take It Slow,” which has quickly racked up over 60 million global streams to date. Tracks like “I Hate Alabama,” “Orange and White” and “Summer On Your Lips” mine unexpected insight from vivid everyday stories, and as Smith continues to grow up in full view of his fans – both on the page and the stage – CMT calls him “an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.” That momentum will keep building in 2023, as Smith follows a year of touring alongside Thomas Rhett, Parker McCollum and Ryan Hurd with upcoming select dates opening for Chase Rice, and promises a new batch of “next level” music, further mixing in-the-moment energy with timeless meaning. For a full list of tour dates and more, visit ConnerSmithMusic.com.

DJ Rock