The 35 best (and biggest) new country artists of the 2010s

A successful but under-the-radar artist since the mid-2000s, the past couple of years have been the most commercially successful for Brandi Carlile. In 2017, her album "By The Way I Forgive You" peaked at  No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart. She’s also formed a country supergroup alongside Maren Morris, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby called the Highwomen, and their debut single, “Redesigning Women,” is definitely one of 2019’s best tracks. 

After earning a following for his viral videos on social media, Kane Brown scored his first record deal in 2016, and the rest is history. Since then, he’s released a slew of chart-topping hits, including “Lose It,” and “One Thing Right,” a collaboration with EDM superstar Marshmello that’s been certified platinum. Expect Brown to see some crossover success in the coming years — he’s already been courting it with collaborations with artists outside country like Camila Cabello and Khalid. 

This Texas native exploded onto the country scene in a major way just four years ago, and she’s already won one of country music’s highest honors. At this year’s CMA Awards, Maren Morris’ 2019 album, "GIRL," took home the Album of the Year trophy. She’s also part of the all-woman supergroup Highwomen and a chart crossover success story thanks to her smash hit song “The Middle,” a collaboration with producer Zedd. 

Comprised of brothers T.J. and John Osborne, the Brothers Osborne are the most compelling new duo in country music. Their 2016 album, "Pawn Shop," peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. Country Albums Charts, and its 2018 follow-up, "Port Saint Joe," was also a chart-topper that earned the duo serious critical acclaim. 

One of the strongest new voices in country music, Luke Combs is also the definition of a crowd-pleaser. With party-friendly hits like “Beer Never Broke My Heart” and romantic ballads like “Beautiful Crazy,” he’s attracted a wide-ranging and seriously devoted fan base. Combs’ trajectory to the top has been rapid, and he scored his biggest achievement yet at the 2019 CMA Awards when he was crowned Male Vocalist of the Year. 

This rough-around-the-edges Georgia native scored indie successes before his major label debut, including “Dirt Road Anthem,” a wildly popular tune that was later a huge hit for Jason Aldean. Since 2010, Gilbert’s released four full-length albums, including 2019’s "Fire & Brimstone," which peaked at  No.1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart after it was released in October. 

After winning the 10th season of reality singing competition "American Idol" in 2011, Scotty McCreery’s debut album went platinum. In the middle of the decade, though, McCreery sort of disappeared from country music, as he parted with his former label. In 2017 McCreery’s comeback began with the release of “Five More Minutes,” a song he wrote in tribute to his late grandfather. It marked McCreery’s first No. 1 hit and revitalized his career. 

When Easton Corbin released his self-titled debut album in 2010, it immediately scored the artist two back-to-back No. 1 hits in “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll With It.” After some mediocre chart performance in the mid-’10s and being dropped from his label in 2018, Corbin independently released a single called “Somebody’s Gotta Be Country” in January, which could mean that a comeback is imminent. 

Crowned this year as the CMA New Artist of the Year, Ashley McBryde's debut album, "Girl Going Nowhere," was one of the best albums of 2018. With a classic voice and a wry, pensive songwriting style and a killer stage presence, the future looks ridiculously bright for McBryde. 

Even though his first album was released in 2009, Justin Moore really started to make his mark on country music in 2011 with the release of "Outlaws Like Me." Two of its first three singles hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and he followed up that success in 2013 with Off The Beaten Path, which features Moore with Charlie Daniels and Miranda Lambert. 

Dustin Lynch shot to the top of the charts with his self-titled debut album in 2012, thanks to his unique blend of party tunes and pensive ballads like “Cowboys and Angels.” Since then he’s been a fixture on the charts, and expect for that to continue well into next year — he’s got plans to release a new album titled "Tullahoma," named for his hometown in Tennessee, in January 2020. 

It took a little bit of time for Kelsea Ballerini to claim her place as one of the biggest vocalists in music. Her 2015 debut, "The First Time," earned her three No. 1 singles, but things really kicked off for Ballerini with the release of 2017’s "Unapologetically," an album that earned her both a Grammy nomination and critical acclaim. No longer considered a “new artist,” Ballerini was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2019 CMA Awards alongside Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. 

A rock-inflected favorite of country traditionalists everywhere, five-piece Blackberry Smoke is one of the 2010s’ biggest country music sleeper hits. The band’s been around for almost 20 years but became well known to fans everywhere with the release of its fourth album, "Holding All The Roses," which scored the band its first No. 1 on the Billboard Country and Americana charts. In 2016, the group teamed up for "Like An Arrow," an equally successful record that features an appearance from the late Gregg Allman. 

This Oklahoma-born band is currently on hiatus, but it brought some of the best Red Dirt-influenced music of the 2010s with songs like “Gin, Smoke, and Lies” and “Long Hot Summer Day.” A true indie success, the duo’s self-titled 2015 album was a surprise hit on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 17 on the all-genre chart. 

The son of Nashville artist Thomas Rhett Akins Sr. and a serious charmer, Thomas Rhett is both a wildly successful solo artist with 19 charted Billboard hits, including “Die a Happy Man” and “Craving You,” and a talented songwriter who’s penned tracks for Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line and more artists. 

Now a bona fide global superstar, Kacey Musgraves has a career trajectory that seemingly knows no limit. A winner of six Grammy Awards, including this year’s Album of the Year, Musgraves got her start on singing competition "Nashville Star" before penning Miranda Lambert’s smash “Mama’s Broken Heart” alongside Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally and releasing her 2013 solo debut, "Same Trailer Different Park." Since then she’s released three critically acclaimed albums, including this 2019’s "Golden Hour," a genre-bending record that’s earned her a worldwide fan base. 

Arguably one of the most polarizing acts in modern country — some fans love their “bro-country” vibe, others totally hate it — there’s no denying the success of Florida Georgia Line. The duo of Tyler Hubbard and Bryan Kelley is one of the most successful country acts of the 2010s, and the influence spans far beyond songs like “Holy” and “Cruise” — the two are also successful producers and sought-after songwriters. 

A true country supergroup styled after Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard’s The Highwaymen, four of Nashville’s best female artists came together to form the Highwomen. Combining the immense talents of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires, fans can expect greatness from the Highwomen if their 2019 debut is any indication. 

Though he’s been criticized by traditionalists for bringing too much pop influence to country music, Sam Hunt’s sound clearly resonated with fans of the genre. His massive hit, “Body Like A Back Road,” is the second-longest-running No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and the highest charting country song on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 to date. In October Hunt released “Kinfolks,” a hint of a future album that’s set for release sometime early next year. 

Texas native Danielle Bradbery quickly became one of the most exciting new voices in pop-country when she won The Voice’s fourth season in 2013 at the age of 16. Since then she’s released two successful albums, including 2017’s I Don’t Believe We’ve Met, which peaked at No. 6 on the Country Albums Chart. 

At a time when bro-country dominated the country radio airwaves, traditional-leaning troubadour Jon Pardi was a breath of fresh air. He got his start touring alongside Dierks Bentley and has since released a slew of hit singles, including the No. 1 smash “Dirt On My Boots.” In September 2019, Pardi returned with a new record titled "Heartache Medication," a fan-pleaser that features performances from Nashville favorites like Lauren Alaina and songwriting contributions from Eric Church, Natalie Hemby and Miranda Lambert. 

This duo of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney has truly been unstoppable since the success of their single “Tequila” from the duo’s self-titled third full-length album. This year alone, they’ve recorded a duet with Justin Bieber and won the CMA Award for Vocal Duo of the Year. 

Prolific songwriter Cole Swindell, who’s penned hits for Luke Bryan, Craig Campbell and Thomas Rhett, saw plenty of success as a solo artist in the 2010s. His self-titled debut spawned multiple hit singles, including “Ain’t Worth The Whiskey,” which peaked at No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart. 

A Texan who’s made his way through the music industry entirely independent for most of his career, Cody Johnson’s now finally getting the national attention he deserves. At the 2019 CMA Awards, Johnson was up for New Artist of the Year despite a career that spans more than 20 years, which means that it’s likely that he’s only headed for more success in the next decade. 

Sturgill Simpson is a modern outlaw and individualist to a fault, and country music nerds have debated for years about whether he is actually a country artist. However you characterize him, Simpson has released some of the best hard country tunes of the past decade via his 2013 debut, "High Top Mountain and Metamodern Sounds in Country Music," an endlessly trippy country record that was a sleeper hit in 2015. This year Simpson released a rock record with Japanese influence, so who knows what the heck he’s got up his sleeve next. 

After getting his start working alongside Holly Williams, the granddaughter of Hank Williams Sr., and writing Tim McGraw’s “Truck Yeah,” Chris Janson became a star in his own right with the 2015 release of his debut album, "Buy Me A Boat." Its title track, co-written by Janson, has been certified platinum after moving more than a million units since its release. 

Madison "Maddie" Marlow and Tae Dye earned instant recognition with their debut single, “Girl In A Country Song,” a tongue-in-cheek skewer of the songs that objectify and demean women. They’ve since toured with Carrie Underwood and released singles including “Shut Up And Fish” and “Die From A Broken Heart.” In 2019, the band released its most recent effort, an EP titled "One Heart to Another."

Bringing together the supreme talents of Miranda Lambert, Angaleena Presley and Ashley Monroe, Pistol Annies brought some much-needed sass and snark to the world of country music with 2011’s "Hell on Heels." The band went on a short hiatus between 2013 and 2017 before returning with the much-anticipated "Interstate Gospel" in 2018, a record that hit No. 1 on the U.S. Country Albums chart and peaked at No. 14 on the all-genre Billboard 200. 

Over the past decade, Brett Eldredge has topped the Country Airplay chart five times, with relentlessly catchy singles like “Don’t Ya’ and “Mean To Me.” Of his four full-length albums, two have been certified gold by the RIAA, and seven of his singles have been certified platinum. 

No one really expected the success of Camaron “Cam” Ochs’ debut single, “Burning House,” which earned her a Grammy nod and has since been certified double-platinum. Cam followed that success with “Diane,” a ridiculously catchy, modern flip on the “other woman” trope in songs like Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” 

One of Nashville’s most sought-after songwriters ahead of his 2015 debut album, "Traveller," Chris Stapleton has been unstoppable since its release. He’s won five Grammys, including the 2018 trophy for Best Country Song for “Broken Halos,” and 10 CMA Awards since then, along with selling upward of 6 million copies of his cover of “Tennessee Whiskey,” originally made famous by George Jones. 

An American Idol runner-up in 2011, Lauren Alaina is currently continuing her reality TV streak as a finalist on "Dancing With The Stars." In a music sense, though, Alaina has blossomed over the past decade, releasing three top-10 albums, and “What Ifs,” a chart-topping collaboration with fellow newcomer Kane Brown. 

One of the biggest surprises in country music over the past decade, Lil Nas X took over the genre in 2019 with the release of “Old Town Road.” A controversy ensued, and Billboard removed the hit song from its chart because it didn’t fit the parameters that define the genre. Ultimately, though, Lil Nas X had the last laugh — the remix of “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus has charted at No. 1 in countries across the world and has been certified diamond by the RIAA for moving more than 10 million units. 

Since 2010, Michael Ray has released two successful albums and won the affection of fans everywhere thanks to charming hits like “Real Men Love Jesus” and “The One That Got Away.” 

Yet another country star who competed on "The Voice," Wallen’s stardom didn’t exactly spring from that font. He was eliminated from the show during its “Playoffs” round, but Wallen was undeterred. A couple of years later, he signed to Big Loud Records and toured alongside Florida Georgia Line after releasing his debut single, “The Way I Talk.” His full-length debut came in 2018, and with it, the massive hits “Whiskey Glasses” and “Up Down,” both of which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart.