2026 MusicRow Awards Nominees For Breakthrough Artist Of The Year

Following the announcement of this year’s nominees for the 38th annual MusicRow Awards, presented by City National Bank, we take a closer look at the Breakthrough Artist of the Year category.

This category honors a Nashville artist who achieved significant career progress for the first time.

This year’s winners will be announced online on all MusicRow platforms on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

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

Georgia native Gavin Adcock has continued his rapid rise in country music, amassing more than two billion global streams alongside a growing list of RIAA certifications. His 2024 album, Actin’ Up Again, was the largest major-label country debut from a solo male artist released that year and was 2024’s top-streaming major-label debut across the genre. His latest project, Own Worst Enemy, was released in August 2025, earning more than 25 million first-week U.S. streams and debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 Country Chart. This year, Adcock added Executive Producer to his achievements with the release of Country Never Dies, a collaborative project featuring Adcock and nine fellow artists. The MusicRow Awards Discovery Artist of the Year nominee was also nominated for New Artist of the Year at both the 60th and 61st ACM Awards. Adcock is currently on his fourth extensive headlining run since 2024 with “The Day I Hang It Up Tour 2026.” He also joined Morgan Wallen for the second time on 16 dates of Wallen’s “Still The Problem Tour 2026.”

Kaitlin Butts has continued her whirlwind year with new music, touring and several creative projects. In October 2025, Butts signed with Republic Records before releasing The Yeehaw Sessions, featuring her takes on songs from Chappell Roan, Jimmy Eat World, The Chicks and Don Williams. The project also included “You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead To Me),” which has garnered over 67 million global streams and 157 million TikTok views. Butts recently released her new single “Never Really Mine,” which marked her first new music since the project. She also joined Willow Avalon on her track “Hypothetically Speaking,” starred in Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” music video and co-directed and wrote the treatment for Flatland Cavalry’s “Unglued” video. Butts wrapped her soldout headlining “European Cowgirl Experience,” which included stops across the UK and an appearance at Highway Festival at London’s Royal Albert Hall. She was also featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s American Currents exhibition for the second consecutive year and was named to both the 2025 Opry NextStage and CMT Next Women of Country classes.

Carter Faith reached a career milestone this year with an ACM Album of the Year nomination for her debut album Cherry Valley and a performance during the awards show. The nomination made the project the first debut album to earn a nomination in the category since Chris Stapleton’s album Traveller in 2016. Alongside acclaim from Billboard, Stereogum, NPR Music, The Hollywood Reporter and more, Cherry Valley was also named Rolling Stone’s best country album of the year and landed at No. 17 on the outlet’s Best 100 Albums of 2025 list. Faith recently expanded the project with Cherry Valley Forever, featuring five new songs released during the eligibility period. She is currently on the road with Post Malone on his “Big Ass Stadium Tour” and will also perform select dates with Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves and Shaboozey this year. Her breakout year has quickly established Faith among the genre’s rising artists.

Vincent Mason further established himself as one of country music’s fastest-rising new artists. His 14-track debut album, There I Go, was released in November 2025 and features the Platinum-certified “Hell Is A Dance Floor” and Gold-certified “Damned If I Do.” The tracks have helped Mason surpass 500 million career streams, while “Damned If I Do” also reached the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs chart. Mason made his national television debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show and Today before making his late-night debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He was also named one of four country artists in Spotify’s 2026 Artists to Watch program and earned his first ACM New Male Artist of the Year nomination. Mason kicked off 2026 with his sold-out “There I Go Tour,” performed at CMC Rocks in Australia, toured internationally with Jordan Davis and joined Morgan Wallen for select stadium dates. He also expanded his reach with chart success in Canada, the UK and Australia.

Max McNown emerged as one of music’s fastest-growing crossover artists over the past year. His Platinum-certified “A Lot More Free” has garnered more than 400 million streams and earned McNown his Billboard Hot 100 debut and a spot atop Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart. McNown’s follow-up track, “Better Me For You (Brown Eyes),” a single from his 2025 sophomore album, Night Diving (The Cost of Growing Up), has achieved double Platinum certification, gained more than 500 million streams and spent 36 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 26. The single also reached No. 6 at country radio, Top 30 at Pop and No. 8 at Hot AC Radio, further showcasing McNown’s multi-format appeal. He also made his television debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show. McNown continues to build his audience online, where he currently has more than 2.6 million TikTok followers.

Hudson Westbrook has quickly made his mark in country music since releasing his debut single “Take It Slow” in 2024. The Texas native followed the release with a string of hits, including Texas radio chart-topper “Two Way Drive” and his first country radio No. 1, “House Again.” Westbrook released his 17-track debut album Texas Forever, which landed in the Top 10, before following the project with his Exclusive EP. In less than two years of releasing original music, Westbrook has amassed nearly 1.5 billion global streams and earned his first ACM New Male Artist of the Year nomination. He was also named to the 2026 Opry NextStage class and earned recognition from Billboard, Spotify, Country Now, Holler, The Country Wire and SiriusXM. On the road, Westbrook has sold out headline shows across the country and performed alongside George Strait, Parker McCollum, Morgan Wallen, Bailey Zimmerman, Midland and Ian Munsick.