2023 MusicRow Awards Category Profile: Discovery Artist Of The Year

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Following the announcement of this year’s nominees for the 35th annual MusicRow Awards, we take a closer look at the Discovery Artist of the Year category. The award will honor a Nashville developing artist who demonstrates significant talent and potential to rise.

This year’s winners will be announced online on all MusicRow platforms on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Presenting Sponsor of the 2023 MusicRow Awards is City National Bank.

Click here to see the full list of MusicRow Awards nominees.

Winners are determined solely by MusicRow Magazine subscribers. Voting is now open and closes on Aug. 18 at 5:00 p.m.

To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow subscriber here.

Since arriving on the scene, Ashley Cooke has garnered over 200 million global streams with chart-climbing hits like “Never Til Now” with Brett Young, Ryman and Grand Ole Opry debuts, and national TV appearances on ABC’s The Bachelorette. Cooke has recently been out on the road with Cole Swindell, Luke Bryan and more. In July, Cooke released her 24-track debut album, Shot In The Dark, that infuses heartfelt lyrics, captivating melodies and raw relatability as she invites listeners to come along for the ride. Among the album’s highlights are collaborations with some of Nashville’s most sought after names including Young, Jackson Dean, Colbie Caillat and Nate Smith. Shot In The Dark has already been making its mark, securing the No. 6 position in the Top 10 of Spotify’s Top Debut Albums USA.

Made up of sisters Danica and Devynn Hart along with first cousin Trea Swindle, Chapel Hart took 2022 by storm. Their meteoric rise came shortly after appearing on America’s Got Talent and receiving the second ever “Group Golden Buzzer” which prompted America and the rest of the world to pay attention. Shortly after the show, the ladies made their Grand Ole Opry debut and received four standing ovations. Chapel Hart released their album Glory Days in May of 2023. Their first-ever headlining tour, “The Glory Days Tour,” kicked off its initial run in January and spans coast to coast. With high praise from industry members, Chapel Hart collaborated with Darius Rucker on the redemptive ballad “Ol’ Church Hymn.” They also impressed with their single “You Can Have Him Jolene.”

Kameron Marlowe impressed the industry and fans alike with his 16-track debut album We Were Cowboys, released in August 2022. Featuring his Gold-certified songs “Giving You Up” and “Burn ‘Em All” as well as the buzzy “Girl On Fire,” the project has earned more than 378 million ondemand streams. Throughout 2022, Marlowe entertained on his celebrated “We Were Cowboys Tour,” for which he sold more than 22,000 tickets across numerous full-house venues. Following his headlining trek, Marlowe will be on the road the rest of this summer and fall with Dierks Bentley, Parker McCollum and Jordan Davis, and is set to open for Luke Bryan on his fall “Farm Tour” 2023. Marlowe is a member of the CMT Listen Up and Opry NextStage classes of 2023.

Kylie Morgan is currently turning heads with her clever and relatable songs. Pairing articulate, coming-of-age revelations with fun, up-tempo anthems, her recently EP, P.S., features seven tracks each co-written by Morgan, including her debut single to country radio, “If He Wanted To He Would.” P.S. is the anticipated follow-up to her breakout EP, Love, Kylie – a bold introduction that scored the Oklahoma native a place as one of CMT’s Next Women of Country, VEVO’s 2021 DSCVR Artists to Watch and CMA’s coveted KixStart program. Already surpassing 250 million global streams, Morgan has been praised for her powerful voice and smart songwriting. Currently on her first-ever headlining “Independent With You Tour,” she has previously opened for artists including Dan + Shay, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kip Moore, Jason Derulo, Gavin DeGraw, Brett Eldredge and Billy Currington.

Rising singer-songwriter Conner Smith’s authentic storytelling and rich, soulful voice has resonated with audiences nationwide, earning him a dedicated and passionate following. His Top-30-bound single “Creek Will Rise” has quickly become an anthem among his loyal fanbase and amassed over 16 million streams to date. The tune follows his first Top 40 hit “Learn From It,” viral smash “I Hate Alabama” and Gold-certified “Take It Slow.” Smith earned 2022 Artist to Watch status from Spotify, Amazon Music and Opry NextStage, while also making him the only country artist on Pandora’s Ten List 2022 and securing 2023 recognition from MusicRow, CMT and more. Smith will support Jordan Davis and Cole Swindell on select dates through the fall.

Warren Zeiders is one of Nashville’s fastest-rising stars, with more than 6 million followers, 1 billion audio streams globally and 1.4 billion views on TikTok. His breakout single “Ride The Lightning” recently earned RIAA Platinum certification and was most-added when it impacted country radio in July. This summer, he played CMA Fest’s Chevy Riverfront Stage, the Spotify House and his first-ever stadium show at Ohio Stadium with Little Big Town, Chris Stapleton and George Strait. As part of his recently extended “Pretty Little Poison” headlining tour (following his sold-out spring run), he’ll play his first headlining show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Oct. 4. He will release his debut Pretty Little Poison album on Aug. 18.

LB Cantrell
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