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16 Must-Listen Country Artists I Discovered In 2024
Whether it’s a brand new artist releasing music for the first time, a band that’s been around for a while that is breaking through into the next phase of their careers following the release of a particularly well-received album, or an establish act whose catalog has somehow evaded your ears until now, uncovering new music is a beautiful thing.
While there are a lot of downsides to social media, apps like Instagram and TikTok have been an incredible catalyst in helping fans find new music and in helping artists grow their fan base and find exposure. And thanks to streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, there is an endless supply of music at our fingertips waiting to be discovered and appreciated.
With that being said, I have found a ton of artists and bands who are new to me, and as 2024 comes to a close and I reflect on all of those new artists that I have enjoyed throughout the year, I’ve come up with a list of 16 of my favorite that every country music fan should have on their radar as well.
Many of these discoveries have come through aforementioned avenues such as social media and Spotify, but another great way to find new music that I can not stress enough is getting out to shows and making sure to be there in time for the opener. They might just be your next favorite artist.
Check out some of my favorite artists I’ve found this year below.
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
I've been familiar with Bronwyn Keith-Hynes for years as one of country music's premier fiddle players in Molly Tuttle's Golden Highway band, and while I have to imagine I've come across her original music at some point in the past, it never really registered until I dove in earlier this year. And man, I was missing out. Keith-Hynes' talents go far beyond the fiddle, with emotion-evoking vocals that perfectly deliver her beautiful songwriting. This is all on full display in her recently released, Grammy-nominated sophomore project I Built A World.
"Can't Live Without Love" - I Built A World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs_nP9HxvXo
Conrad Moore
An up and coming songwriter hailing from North Georgia, Conrad Moore is just getting started. With only 8 songs in his short but potent catalog, Moore has already proved a formidable songwriter with a unique sound and folk spirit that champions the working man. With more music on the way, you're going to want to keep an eye on Moore in 2025.
"Save the Southland" - Save the Southland EP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTUj1WsZeLc
Fox N' Vead
This Concord, North Carolina based group is on the verge of being the next band to break through in the rough-around-the-edges country grunge scene that has recently boasted Ole 60 and Treaty Oak Revival, among others, as the latest and greatest. With a heavy guitar tone that almost makes the impressive songwriting go overlooked, Fox N' Vead can get you fired up with a rock and roll headbanger, or slow things down and tug on your heartstrings with a country ballad. Either way, they're bound to make you feel something.
"Coulda Been Something" - Barely Getting By
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaQgOmdhsHQ
Holler Choir
With the release of their debut record Songs Before They Write Themselves in January, Asheville, NC based bluegrass/Americana group Holler Choir has made quite the first impression. With great songwriting that is highlighted by breathtaking harmonies and spectacular instrumentation, Holler Choir can do it all, and their music deserves your attention.
"Hard Pill" - Songs Before They Write Themselves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeCi-bgx9Xc
Jenny Don't and the Spurs
Forming in 2012, I am obviously late to the party here, because Jenny Don't and the Spurs have been doing their thing and doing it well for over a decade now. Their latest album Broken Hearted Blue, released earlier this year, is a cohesive yet eclectic collection of songs that speak to the wide appeal of Jenny Don't and the Spurs' diverse catalog that is all linked together through its rooting in country music. Start here if you aren't familiar with their catalog, and you won't stop until you make it all the way back to their debut single from 2014.
"You're What I Need" - Broken Hearted Blue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzxmeHTfx5Y
Kade Hoffman
It won't be long after the first note of a Kade Hoffman tune before you'll notice his deep, raspy vocals and descriptive lyricism that tell captivating stories of the American West. At just 19 years, his song matter and songwriting ability prove him to be wise beyond his years, and it's just a matter of time until the country music masses take note.
"Lady Luck" - Relics and Remnants
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCfqwnHo2f8
Leon Majcen
Inspired by some of music's greatest songwriters ever, like John Prine and Guy Clark, Leon Majcen has proved through just two albums that he is an amazing songwriter in his own right. An avid outdoorsman who hails from Florida's gulf coast, his music draws on his experiences and love for the natural world, and his laid-back gulf coast country sound makes for easy listening that fans all across the country are catching onto. Leon Majcen is a name you're going to be hearing often in the coming years.
"Blue Sky" - Leon Majcen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knONo5y9tf8
Lillian Hackett
There's something special brewing in the Shenandoah Valley. While it's easy to focus on all of the great music that's coming out of Kentucky right now, this Appalachian region to the east has fostered a budding music scene that is home to artists like Jake Kohn, Brennan Edwards, and Low Water Bridge Band, among others, as well as 18 year old Lillian Hackett. With only two songs released to streaming platforms thus far, the young Virginia native is very much still in the nascent stages of her career, but with powerful vocals and impressive songwriting, as well as a tight-knit music scene supporting her, she's bound to blow up at some point.
"Tennessee"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV7JJK9nJYU
Luke Trimble
There's so much good music coming out of Kentucky these days that it seems as if it's become difficult for young artists to separate themselves from all of the other amazing artists in the state and gain the recognition they truly deserve. But Luke Trimble is up there with the best of them. Hailing from the town of Paintsville, the same place that brought us country music powerhouses Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton, Trimble's songwriting is heavily influenced by his home state, but it will resonate with listeners no matter where they're from.
"Pike County Queen"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zlMoNquVyk
Mac Leaphart
Spanning from the release of his debut album Line, Rope, Etc. back in 2009 to Motel Breakfast earlier this year, Mac Leaphart has churned out four record over the past 15 years, and each one is full of spectacular songwriting. Whether he's transporting you to a far-away place with his descriptive lyricism, telling a captivating story, or pulling on your emotions with a heartbreaker, Leaphart's catalog makes it clear that he is a disciplined songwriter uninterested in chasing trends or unauthentic popularity - He values his craft and writes for the sake of the song, just as the greats before him have done.
"Pony, MT" - Motel Breakfast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVqSOCYz7Fg
Madeline Hawthorne
As a musician who grew up in New England and now hails from Bozeman, MT, Madeline Hawthorne has seen a lot of places in her life, and her experiences along the way inspired her deftly penned sophomore record Tales From Late Nights & Long Drives. With a catalog that spans sonically from lyric-centric balladry to more upbeat honky-tonk and rock and roll tracks, Hawthorne has a lot to offer for fans of country music, and a growing catalog of spectacular original music to prove it.
"Long Drive to Bozeman" - Tales From Late Nights & Long Drives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SDIgseoRo4
Nether Hour
"Long As I Ain't Alone"
While their latest single "Long As I Ain't Alone" is a full blown country tune, Nether Hour admittedly might be the least country band on this list. But as they emerge from the Austin, TX bar scene as one of the city's premiere up and coming bands, in the same way that established country acts like the Turnpike Troubadours, Shane Smith & the Saints, and many others have done in the past, it's difficult to completely disassociate Nether Hour from the city's country music scene. Their unique brand of rock and roll incorporates undeniable elements of funk, blues, rock, and country, and their music will appeal to fans of any of those genres.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWpdwgVzRK4
Noeline Hofmann
Whether you recognize the name or not yet, I am sure you have heard Noeline Hofmann's breakout hit "Purple Gas." Inititally recorded by Zach Bryan after he had heard it on social media, Hofmann wrote the song and contributed vocals on his recording before she had even released any original music of her own. She quickly followed that up, though, with her debut project of the same name, and proved that she's got plenty more where that came from. Hailing from the Canadian province of Alberta, Hofmann's career is off to a hot start, and the sky is truly the limit.
"August" - Purple Gas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7rojpCNcVc
Rob Leines
Rob Leines is a road warrior, and he is band are on a mission to bring their loud and rowdy brand of country and southern rock & roll to a honky tonk near you. And let me tell you, that is not a party you want to miss out on. A clever songwriter who knows how to command a crowd, Rob Leines is fresh off the release of his third album Headcase, and with plenty of momentum behind him, he's on the verge of breaking through to a bigger stage in his career.
"Double Wide" - Headcase
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5mVf8tfM-s
Shadowgrass
This five-piece jamgrass outfit is a must-listen for anyone who likes bluegrass music, and especially for anyone who appreciates the heavily improvised nature of a jamgrass show. Comprised of five incredible musicians who each bring something different to the table, Shadowgrass in its earliest form began when three of its members, barely teenagers, jammed together at a fiddle convention in Elk Creek, VA a decade ago. Now, years later, they haven't looked back, adding a few more members and touring heavily to bring their music to anyone who will listen across the country.
"Carl's Breakdown" - Shadowgrass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzKA5CLvCuk
Zach Meadows
Having lived in various places elsewhere in the Southeast throughout his life, Zach Meadows thought the prospect of recording an album was far fetched when he made the leap and moved to Nashville a couple of years back. But luckily things fell into place, and Meadows' phenomenal debut album titled Road To Nowhere is proof that it was meant to be.
"Highway To Birmingham" - Road To Nowhere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9eM0uQ8Vgw
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