Lineup

Jon Pardi’s recently announced fifth studio album, “Honkytonk Hollywood,” promises to deliver the most liberated, shapeshifting record of his career. With 17 diverse tracks, the album infuses his signature twang with fresh energy, while staying true to his fearless nature. Known to “apply new ideas to country’s old sounds” (Los Angeles Times) and “bring authenticity back into Country music” (People), Pardi has been leading the charge to modernize honkytonk with roaring guitars and a roaring, good-time spirit. The Capitol Records Nashville artist has spent over a decade blazing down the highway, with four Top 5 albums to his name— including 2016’s Platinum-certified No. One CALIFORNIA SUNRISE and the 2019 CMA and ACM Album of the Year-nominated HEARTACHE MEDICATION. Known for his punchy, against-the-wind bravado, 14 RIAA-certified singles feature six No. Ones (like the back-to-back 6x-Platinum “Head Over Boots” and “Dirt On My Boots), 9.3 billion global streams and international headlining acclaim. Yet his restless spirit remains. The charismatic star’s HONKYTONK HOLLYWOOD TOUR will find Pardi headlining arenas and amphitheaters across the US this spring after headlining some of Australia’s biggest venues and festivals. For more information, visit JonPardi.com. 

Koe Wetzel never met a genre wall he couldn’t tear down: The Texas singer-songwriter has earned a rabid audience for his songs that mix country, rock, hip-hop, and even Nineties grunge. His 2016 album Noise Complaint endeared him to fans with its no- holds-barred lyrics about drunken nights, broken hearts and stints in jail, and included the Gold-certified hits “Love” (feat. Parker McCollum), “Something to Talk About” and the infamous “February 28, 2016.” Wetzel’s 2020 major label debut, Sellout, only furthered his legend with the Platinum-certified “Drunk Driving” plus the Gold-certified “Good Die Young” and “Kuntry & Wistern.” The 2022 follow-up, Hell Paso, hit No. 3 on Billboard’s Country Albums and spawned hits on both the country and rock charts, including the Gold-certified “Creeps” and “Cabo.” To date, Wetzel has 2.8 billion total streams and has created a genuine experience with his live concerts, which he describes as “total chaos.” In 2023 alone, he sold more than 275,000 tickets, and appeared for a third time on POLLSTAR’s Top Worldwide Tours. Wetzel will play prominent festival sets this summer and open for Morgan Wallen on the superstar’s One Night at a Time Stadium Tour in Texas, while also headlining his own Damn Near Normal World Tour. His new album, 9 Lives (Columbia), is available everywhere now as lead single “High Road” feat. Jessie Murph arrives as his debut Country radio single. 

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. Visit jacksondeanmusic.com for more information and upcoming tour dates.

Ontario native, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Meghan Patrick blends her tough-as-nails exterior with a casual, cool narrative, showing the world that women can be sexy, strong, and gritty. A back-to-back CCMA Female Artist of the Year with 19 CMAOntario Awards, Patrick’s latest album, Golden Child, peels back the layers of her journey through self-reflection and a deeper sense of authenticity. The title track hit the top 10 on Canadian Country Radio and continues to climb into the top 30 on US Country Radio. Her versatility and powerful storytelling set her apart as one of country music’s most compelling voices. 

Matt Cooper has his own theory about why songs need to exist. They’re not for the songwriter, he says, but for the listener who might be healed by its message.

“Songs are a way for people to not feel alone,” Cooper says. “Music has a way of healing things, and that is why I write songs and release them. Songs don’t belong on a shelf. They need to be out in the world.”

Cooper, a Jacksonville, Florida, native has been writing songs since his freshman year of college at University of Central Florida, where he played baseball before being wooed by the creative arts. He acted in plays and made his debut on the live stage, but his calling was setting his feelings to music. He took a job selling cars, and in six months raised enough money to go to Nashville and record: “I became a damn good car salesman,” he laughs.

Now signed to Quartz Hill Records, Cooper is poised to release a new batch of songs that will help listeners navigate life’s peaks and valleys. Or, as the title of his new single says, life’s “Highs and Lows.”

Cooper, like many of us, has firsthand experience. While he was scoring a breakout streaming hit with his cinematic song “Ain’t Met Us Yet,” Cooper was also coping with his mother’s battle with cancer. He and his father, and his two younger brothers, were caregivers during the final years of his mom’s life. When she died in 2023, Cooper was lost, questioning both his future and his faith in God. He found solace in relationships and turned it into “Highs and Lows.”