CRS Highlights Five Talented Artists At 2025 New Faces Of Country Music Showcase

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Pictured (L-R): Zach Top, Dasha, Drew Baldridge, Ashley Cooke and Warren Zeiders. Photo: Courtesy of CRS

To close out Country Radio Seminar (CRS) 2025, five breakout artists etched their names into the storied legacy of the New Faces of Country Music showcase.

The annual event spotlights five emerging artists who have achieved significant country radio success during the qualification period—from Nov. 1, 2023 to Oct. 31, 2024. Since its inception in 1970, the showcase has been a pivotal launching pad for country hitmakers. On Friday (Feb. 21), Drew Baldridge (Lyric Ridge/BMG/Stoney Creek), Ashley Cooke (Big Loud/Back Blocks), Dasha (Warner Records), Zach Top (Leo33), and Warren Zeiders (Warner Records) proudly added their names to that legacy.

Dasha performs. Photo: Courtesy of CRS

Dasha was the first to grace the stage in the grand ballroom at the Omni Nashville Hotel, where radio professionals, label personnel and other industry figures gathered. Following a sizzle reel highlighting her accomplishments, she captivated the audience with her crystal-clear vocals and star-quality presence.

She delivered her pop-country offerings, including “Didn’t I,” “Heartbreaker From Tennessee” and “Even Cowboys Cry,” each enriched with fiddle and banjo. Then, she introduced her upcoming album cycle with the energetic “Not This Party,” which immediately got the room moving.

Expressing heartfelt gratitude to the radio professionals who had transformed her career, Dasha then performed her Platinum-certified mega-hit “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’),” keeping everyone on their feet.

Drew Baldridge performs. Photo: Courtesy of CRS

Next up was Baldridge. He began his set with a video featuring fans sharing how his music and personal journey—rising from setbacks during the pandemic after being dropped by his label and agency, to self-financing his tour through fans’ backyards—had impacted them. Baldridge’s story was especially compelling this year as he achieved his first No. 1 single, “Somebody’s Daughter,” as an independent artist by building his own team and financing the project himself.

He introduced a new song, “Rebel,” followed by his new single, “Tough People,” now being worked alongside BMG/Stoney Creek. In a memorable moment, he brought St. Jude survivors onstage to underscore their strength and resilience.

With raw emotion and gratitude, Baldridge then revisited the breakthrough track “Somebody’s Daughter,” soaking in the audience’s rapt response.

Warren Zeiders performs. Photo: Courtesy of CRS

Zeiders followed, stepping onstage after a sizzle reel that showcased his achievements, his deep connection with fans on the road and his recognition as one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive. Zeiders opened his set with “Relapse,” flashing his signature smile during “You For A Reason.”

He then delivered his 2024 No. 1 hit “Pretty Little Poison”—the second most-played song on country radio that year—expressing his thanks to radio programmers, before wrapping up with “Ride the Lightning,” the very song that first put him on the map.

Ashley Cooke performs with Joe Jonas. Photo: Courtesy of CRS

Cooke brought a touch of humor with a playful intro video—a CRS New Faces tradition. Alongside Big Loud’s radio promotion head Stacy Blythe, Cooke starred in a skit about her comically struggling with the animal noises required for her radio liners, a challenge that improved with some friendly industry advice. The skit was charming and lighthearted.

Taking the stage with undeniable confidence, Cooke shone on tracks like “Your Place,” her first No. 1 at country radio, and “I Almost Do.” She then mesmerized the audience with a new song titled “The F Word.” By her final performance, a substantial crowd had gathered near the stage, eager for her closing number—a special duet, “All I Forgot,” featuring surprise guest pop star Joe Jonas.

Zach Top performs. Photo: Courtesy of CRS

Top was the final act of the evening. With the crowd continuing to swell, Top made a grand entrance—without any video introduction—and received a rapturous reception. Keeping his set refreshingly simple yet impactful, he opened with his debut country radio single “Sounds Like The Radio,” followed by “Bad Luck,” and what he described as possibly “the countriest song you’ve heard in 20 years,” titled “Use Me.”

He then delivered his newly minted top 10 single “I Never Lie,” before concluding his set with the fan favorite “Cold Beer & Country Music.”

LB Cantrell
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