2025 MusicRow Awards Nominees For Discovery Artist Of The Year

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Following the announcement of this year’s nominees for the 37th annual MusicRow Awards, presented by City National Bank, we take a closer look at the Discovery Artist of the Year category.

This category honors a Nashville developing artist who has demonstrated the most promise of future success during the eligibility period.

This year’s winners will be announced online on all MusicRow platforms on Wednesday, Sept. 3.

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. 15 at 5:00 p.m. To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow subscriber here.

Watkinsville, Georgia native Gavin Adcock began releasing music in 2021 after a knee injury paused his time as a football player at Georgia Southern University. During recovery, he shifted focus to songwriting and recording, independently building a catalog that has since amassed over 1 billion global streams. His breakout track “A Cigarette” is RIAA Platinum-certified, while “Run Your Mouth,” “Deep End” and “Four Leaf Clover” have each earned Gold status. In 2024, Adcock released his major-label debut album Actin’ Up Again, which became the largest country debut by a solo male artist that year, earning over 15 million U.S. streams in its first week and marking the year’s top streaming debut in the genre. His next full-length project, Own Worst Enemy, is set for release on Aug. 15, 2025. Over the past year, Adcock has sold out headline tours across the U.S., including the “Monster Energy Outbreak Tour” and the “Need To Tour.” He also joins Morgan Wallen on select dates of the “I’m The Problem Tour,” alongside scheduled festival appearances and new headline shows through the end of 2025.

Hailing from the small town of Hull, Georgia, Mackenzie Carpenter is the spunky girl-next-door who grew up writing songs with her brothers and singing in church. Raised on a foundation of family, faith and music, she developed a warm, authentic voice that blends classic country roots with a modern edge. Before stepping into the spotlight as an artist, Carpenter made her mark as a songwriter, penning standout cuts like Megan Moroney’s “I’m Not Pretty,” “Indifferent” and “28th of June,” as well as Lily Rose’s breakout track “Villain.” After signing with The Valory Music Co. in 2022, she earned industry attention from Spotify, CMT, MusicRow and Nashville Briefing as an artist to watch. She’s opened for Miranda Lambert, Jake Owen, Parker McCollum and more. On March 7, Carpenter released her debut album Hey Country Queen, a 13-track project she co-wrote in full. Featuring fan-favorite singles like “Dozen Red Flags” and the Midland duet “I Wish You Would.” Most recently, she joined Moroney on select dates of her “Am I Okay? Tour.”

Originally from North Carolina, Carter Faith relocated to Nashville to pursue a career in country music. Since making the move, she has accumulated over 117 million global streams. In 2024, she signed with UMG Nashville (now MCA). Her debut album, Cherry Valley, is set for release this October, following the 2023 launch of her Capitol Records Nashville debut, The Aftermath EP. Faith has performed alongside notable acts including Little Big Town, Keith Urban, and Willie Nelson. Most recently, she wrapped dates with Ella Langley and Carly Pearce. She was recognized on MusicRow’s Next Big Thing and All Country News’ Artists to Watch lists for 2025. Her industry momentum is further reflected in her inclusion in CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2023 and Listen Up Class of 2024 campaigns. She also became the first country artist ever featured in Spotify’s multi-genre Fresh Finds program, an early indicator of her wide-ranging impact and cross-genre potential.

Dylan Gossett began writing and recording music as a teenager, using GarageBand on his mom’s computer. Throughout high school, college at Texas A&M and a job at Formula 1 Racing, music remained his true passion. Inspired by a new wave of online singer-songwriters, he began posting videos in April 2023. His debut single, “To Be Free,” which was entirely self-written, recorded, produced, and mixed in his bedroom, arrived that June. A month later, his breakout song “Coal” went viral and has since racked up over 428 million streams, gone Platinum in multiple countries, and landed on the Billboard Hot 100 and Spotify’s U.S. Top 200. In October 2023, Gossett released his first EP No Better Time, earning critical acclaim and followed that with his 2024 EP Songs In The Gravel. He’s sold out multiple headline tours, supported Noah Kahan and Morgan Wallen, and played top festivals like Stagecoach and CMA Fest. Now, his self-written and produced debut album Westward, which released July 18, marks a bold new chapter.

Blending traditional country storytelling with a modern sound, Dylan Marlowe is a Sony Music Nashville artist from Statesboro, Georgia. Influenced by a wide range of artists from Eric Church and Kenny Chesney to Linkin Park and Blink-182, Marlowe brings a genre-blurring approach to his songwriting and production. He first gained attention in 2021 with a reimagined cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license,” drawing over half a million followers on TikTok. Since then, he’s released self-penned projects including Record High and Dirt Road When I Die, and co-wrote Jon Pardi’s No. 1 hit “Last Night Lonely.” In 2025, Marlowe earned his first No. 1 at country radio with “Boys Back Home” (featuring Dylan Scott), which he co-wrote with Seth Ennis and Joe Fox. The track is RIAA Gold-certified. His debut album Mid-Twenties Crisis followed, contributing to over 400 million global streams to date. Marlowe has supported artists like Dan + Shay, Cole Swindell, Hardy, and Brantley Gilbert, steadily building a fanbase through consistent touring and a sound that bridges country tradition with rock-influenced edge.

Hudson Westbrook hails from Stephenville, Texas, raised on George Strait, Turnpike Troubadours, Parker McCollum, Koe Wetzel, and Tracy Lawrence. After making waves with his viral 2024 debut “Take It Slow,” he quickly followed with a series of grassroots hits while enrolled at Texas Tech University. His breakout Texas radio single “Two Way Drive” topped charts, followed by his first national country radio single “House Again.” Blending the classic country he grew up on with his own fresh perspective, Westbrook delivers a sound that’s both nostalgic and new. His debut album Texas Forever, a 17-track project that arrived July 25, captures that vision in full. In just one year, Westbrook has amassed nearly 500 million global streams and averages over 20 million streams per week. He kicked off 2025 with two nearly sold-out headline tours and upcoming support slots for Parker McCollum, Midland, Eli Young Band, Cole Swindell, and Ian Munsick. Named a Highway Find by SiriusXM and a top 2025 Artist to Watch by Spotify, Westbrook is taking Texas country far beyond state lines.

Madison Hahnen
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