2019 MusicRow Awards Category Profile: Discovery Artist of the Year

Following Monday’s (May 13) announcement of this year’s nominees for the 31st annual MusicRow Awards, we take a look at a newly-added category for this year’s awards, the Discovery Artist of the Year category. The MusicRow Awards will be presented at a private ceremony on June 26.

See the full list of MusicRow Awards nominees.

Winners are determined solely by MusicRow Magazine subscribers. Voting closes on May 21 at 5 p.m. If you do not have a subscription, you may subscribe to receive a ballot.

2019 Discovery Artist of the Year nominees:

Caylee Hammack‘s debut single “Family Tree” is an upbeat invitation to her upbringing in Georgia, where she felt like a “hippie in a hillbilly town.” She co-wrote and co-produced the song that is flying up the charts. It was the most-added debut song by a female artist upon impact at country radio in over three years. Coming up, Hammack will share her unique flair and killer voice on tour with Miranda Lambert.

HARDY dropped his first name and released his debut single, “Rednecker,” the latest chapter in his evolution from songwriter to artist. His songwriting credits include “Simple” (Florida Georgia Line) and “Up Down” (Morgan Wallen ft. FGL)—which yielded an additional nomination for Breakthrough Artist-Writer of the Year. As a recording artist, HARDY works with Producer of the Year nominee Joey Moi.

Tyler Rich‘s debut single “The Difference” reached No. 1 on SiriusXM and he’s following that with new track “Leave Her Wild.” The Northern California native offers a pop-laden version of country on his self-titled EP, so his slot on CMT On Tour: Here Tonight alongside headliner Brett Young is a perfect fit. Rich is also a co-writer on the single “Night Visions,” recorded by AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys.

Seaforth is gearing up for the impact date of their debut single “Love That” later this month. The song is the title track of the EP they duo co-produced with 2019 MusicRow Awards nominee Dann Huff. Seaforth is comprised of Tom Jordan and Mitch Thompson, who named their group after the suburb of Sydney, Australia where they grew up. They co-wrote all four songs on the EP and have honed their performance skills on the road with Kane Brown, Brett Young, and Mitchell Tenpenny.

Tenille Townes is an artist with perspective. Her debut single “Somebody’s Daughter,” about a homeless woman, isn’t a likely choice for an introduction to radio, but her unapologetic viewpoint attracts fans longing for songs of substance. Raves MusicRow’s Robert K. Oermann, “The lyric is simply brilliant, and her delivery of it is superbly heart tugging. Sign me up for the fan club.” Townes teamed with Producer of the Year nominee Jay Joyce for her debut album, due out later this year. In the meantime, the Canadian-born artist will be on tour with Miranda Lambert, following jaunts with Maren Morris and Dierks Bentley.

Hailey Whitters’ artist career has been bubbling since the release of her debut album four years ago. Today she is ready to boil—with new music and a spot on Maren Morris’ tour as well as Brent Cobb’s. Whitters tells the story of her journey on new single “Ten Year Town.” MusicRow critic Robert K. Oermann says, “Eloquence and truth in every perfectly crafted line. If there’s a better song about being an aspiring country female artist, I’ve never heard it.” As a renowned songwriter, Whitters has cuts by Little Big Town (“Happy People”), Alan Jackson (“The Older I Get”), and Martina McBride (“Low All Afternoon” and “The Real Thing”). Whitters’ album The Dream will be released later this year.