On the heels of a star-studded Coachella yr, the Empire Polo Grounds is gearing as much as get nation. Stagecoach, an annual music pageant boasting among the greatest names throughout the style, will run from April 25 to April 27 this yr.
This yr’s headliners have been extremely booked and busy not too long ago. Grammy winner Zach Bryan is bringing hits from his 2024 album, The Nice American Bar Scene, on Friday. Jelly Roll additionally dropped a document titled Superbly Damaged and carried out on Saturday Evening Stay’s fiftieth Anniversary live performance. Lastly, Sunday’s headliner, Luke Combs, had followers having fun with “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” from the Twisters soundtrack and his fifth LP, Father & Sons, final summer season.
Even Lana Del Rey is popping up, extra totally crossing into the style together with her upcoming album and lead single, “Henry, Come On.” In 2025, there isn’t a strict rule for what nation music will be, and the stacked picks from the pageant organizers mirror that concept. (You can too catch T-Ache, Creed, and even the Backstreet Boys!)
Even with these main acts, there’ll nonetheless be loads of rising performers which are value testing throughout Stagecoach.
So, earlier than you dance the day away beneath the California solar with cowboy boots and a chilly beer, listed below are Uproxx’s suggestions on 5 gifted artists that ought to be in your pageant radar.
Brent Cobb
With six studio albums and a Grammy nomination to his identify, Brent Cobb has confirmed he’s a robust but underrated drive. In spite of everything, it was Luke Bryan who inspired Cobb to maneuver to Nashville within the 2000s, which paid off immensely for the singer-songwriter, who has penned tracks for Bryan since, in addition to Miranda Lambert and Kenny Chesney. Most not too long ago, followers might need seen Cobb on Chris Stapleton’s All-American Street Present Tour or Luke Combs’ 2023 world tour.
Cobb’s most up-to-date document, Southern Star, comprises ten calming tracks paying homage to a bygone period. That stated, they’re additionally catchy as hell. Cobb reveals off his vocal shapeshifting means between the album’s mild title monitor and the groovy pacing on “Livin’ The Dream.” It doesn’t matter what the setlist winds up being, it’s positive to be a deal with.
Alana Springsteen
24-year-old Alana Springsteen made her debut on the nation scene in August 2023 together with her first album, Twenty One thing. All through the document, she channels her expertise navigating all the pieces from breakups to dancing round to her greatest musical inspirations, all whereas encountering the confusion of rising up. Oh, and it includes a collaboration with Chris Stapleton on the susceptible “Ghost in My Guitar,” setting the usual for Springsteen’s vivid future.
As for Springsteen’s efficiency at Stagecoach, it’ll mark her first time on the pageant, and she or he has some surprises in retailer. “Stagecoach has such a singular vibe, and I’ve been trying ahead to taking part in it for some time,” she shared with Uproxx. “Making my debut this yr looks like the proper method to kick off this subsequent chapter. I’ve been engaged on numerous new music, and I can’t consider a greater place or crowd to start out sharing it with!”
Tiera Kennedy
Tiera Kennedy made headlines final summer season as a featured singer on Beyoncé’s “Blackbiird” and a backing vocalist on “Tyrant” from Cowboy Carter, however the 26-year-old has been a star to look at for some time now.
After dropping a couple of EPs and being mentored by Shania Twain on a country-themed actuality present, Kennedy self-released her debut album, Rooted, in October 2024. The lead single, “I Ain’t a Cowgirl,” is an emotional story of standing up for your self that reveals her lyrical expertise and refined vocals. Different highlights from the document embrace “Rattling, If He Don’t Love Me,” a high-energy collaboration with Jordin Sparks, and “You Don’t Get It,” the place Kennedy calls out a heartbreaker.
For these heading to Stagecoach, Kennedy’s set is one to not miss, merely to say you noticed her early.
Carter Religion
Nashville-based songwriter Carter Religion was beforehand named Billboard’s Nation Rookie of the Month in March 2022. That very same yr, she made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry and has continued to construct her profession since. Religion’s web site describes her as a “cowgirl hippie and generally type of trippy,” and that daring nature crosses over into her inventive imaginative and prescient.
A living proof is her model new single, “Grudge,” with its buzzy surf-inspired guitar, bluntly addictive lyricism, and skill to channel Dolly Parton. Religion doesn’t maintain again about somebody who criticized her life selections and her songwriting, including, “I’m fairly positive Jesus even thinks that you simply’re a b*tch… I can maintain one hell of a grudge.”
Religion continues opening for Carly Pearce on tour and has many solo reveals scheduled within the months to return. It appears 2025 can be a defining yr for her.
Waylon Wyatt
One other rising nation star on this listing, Waylon Wyatt is the youngest of this bunch, however he has already constructed an enormous and devoted fan base. He bought out his total Til The Solar Goes Down Tour within the US earlier than he might attend his senior class promenade. It’s arduous to consider Wyatt solely has one EP beneath his belt from final November.
Nevertheless, the eight-track launch discovered a breakthrough hit in “Arkansas Diamond.” With over 65 million streams on Spotify, the love music finds Wyatt backed by a easy acoustic guitar, propelled primarily by his distinctive and welcoming twang. This instrumentation stays the identical for Wyatt’s total EP, giving a refreshing tackle nation music when most younger rising artists choose to weave in poppier components.
