With independent country growing more popular by the day, it’s no surprise that some of the most talented, rising stars in the subgenre are not only experiencing massive success online but also being scooped up by major labels. Today, Dylan Gossett is the latest independent star to not only experience viral success online with over 4.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify but also to be signed to a major label. He joins fellow independent powerhouses such as Zach Bryan, Charles Wesley Godwin and Colby Acuff as the latest formerly independent acts to sign to a major label over the past…
Author: Brennen Kelly
Brennen Kelly
Hailing from the Chicagoland area, Brennen graduated from Valparaiso University with a BA in Communication and a minor in Cinema and Media Studies. After covering Arts & Entertainment at his university's newspaper, he began writing for Country Chord in March of 2023. Known for his love of independent country and authentic songwriters, Brennen has a long-history of championing the likes of Zach Bryan, Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers and many others.
It’s officially December, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and that means it is time for Christmas music. Country artists are no strangers to Christmas tunes, with legends such as Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard releasing songs to modern-day stars, Cody Johnson and Kacey Musgraves releasing full Christmas albums. Today, however, one of today’s most notorious outlaws, Koe Wetzel, has thrown his hat in the Christmas ring (or should I say wreath?). Wetzel teased the EP’s release back on November 20 on Instagram with a Reel of a drunken Santa sitting at a bar with the caption “Time to wake this…
It’s no stretch to say that Tyler Childers is one of the founding fathers of the independent country renaissance that we are currently in. Debuting in 2011 with Bottles and Bibles, Childers was often called one of the most exciting voices in the indie country scene. With the release of Purgatory in 2017, he began to gain national attention. With multiple Grammy nominations and Americana Award wins, Childers has firmly planted himself as a staple in the independent country and Americana scene. With so many incredible tracks in his discography, it felt like an impossible task to pick just 10…
If you were a country fan in the 2010s, the name Franke Ballard is sure to ring a bell. The Sunshine & Whiskey singer experienced some major radio success following the release of his debut album, also titled Sunshine & Whiskey back in 2014. All three of the singles present on the record, the title track, Helluva Life and Young & Crazy, all went #1 on Billboard’s US Country Airplay chart. With a hot start to a career that shockingly netted Ballard more #1s than Kip Moore, one would think that he would have a discography that spanned multiple albums…
There was a time when Charles Wesley Godwin was the biggest hidden gem in all of country. With the release of Seneca in 2019, Godwin firmly planted himself in the independent country zeitgeist. Since then, Godwin has been one of the most prominent names in independent country. From touring on multiple runs with Zach Bryan and releasing a song with him to signing a major label deal with Big Loud earlier in the year, it seems the sky is truly the limit for the Lyin’ Low singer. Today, I’m charged with the seemingly impossible task of ranking all three of…
If there was any debate on who the most popular artist in country music is, last night all but settled it. Last night at the Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs), Morgan Wallen took home the most awards with a whopping 11, just edging out Taylor Swift (10) for most awards of the night. It’s one thing to dominate the country genre; it’s another thing to dominate the entire awards show. That’s exactly what Wallen did last night at the BBMAs. On top of winning every single country award that he was nominated for including artist, male artist, touring artist, album and…