2026 MusicRow Awards Nominees For Discovery 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 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. 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.

Hailing from Livingston, Texas, Laci Kaye Booth, who recently signed to Lost Highway Records, grew up inspired by the sounds of Merle Haggard and Patsy Cline. After moving to Music City, she released her self-titled debut record in 2021, followed by 2024’s The Loneliest Girl In The World, which appeared on the Los Angeles Times’ list of the best albums of the year. Named as a MusicRow 2026 Next Big Thing, Spotify Artists to Watch for 2026 and CMT’s Next Women of Country, Booth will release her third album, Love Ain’t For The Faint Of Heart, on Sept. 18. Booth has previewed the Ben West-produced project with recent singles “Ethereal Redneck Shit” and “Pathetic.” She has spent time on the road with Ella Langley, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney, Marcus King Band and more. Last year, she made her Grand Ole Opry debut, and recently she made an appearance during CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium’s Platform Stage. Later this year, she will join Langley and Brad Paisley for select dates.

Alabama-born artist-writer Kashus Culpepper grew up a student and reverent purveyor of Southern music, singing in church as young as five years old. In 2020, he picked up a guitar and began learning cover songs to play at barrack bonfires in Rota, Spain during his deployment with the Navy. Culpepper began making a name in dive bars up and down the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Since signing with Big Loud Records, he has joined Leon Bridges, Sierra Ferrell, Darius Rucker, Niall Horan, Eric Church, Shaboozey, Jelly Roll, Thomas Rhett and Wyatt Flores on tour along with his own headline dates. Kulpepper has been named to the GRAMMY.com’s 25 Artists to Watch in 2025, 2025 Variety Power of Young Hollywood Impact Report, Opry NextStage Class of 2025, 2025 Amazon Music Bonfire Artist to Watch, Apple Music’s February 2025 Country Riser of the Month, 2025 Pandora Country Artist to Watch, Martin Artist Showcase Class of 2025, MusicRow’s 2026 Next Big Thing list and more. He released his debut album, Act 1, on Jan. 23 and the addendum, Act I: Summer Nights, earlier this summer.

With more than 8.7 million social media followers, BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville recording artist Alexandra Kay first gained national attention as a cast member on Netflix’s Westside. Since then, she has earned recognition from People, American Songwriter and Billboard, among others. Her 2023 debut project, All I’ve Ever Known, reached No. 1 on the iTunes All Genre and Country charts globally and landed in the top 10 on Billboard’s Current Country Album, Emerging Artist and HeatSeeker charts. Last year, Kay released her sophomore album, Second Wind, which reached No. 1 on the iTunes Country Album chart, and embarked on three headlining tours with multiple sold-out dates. She has shared the stage with artists including Jelly Roll, Brad Paisley and Tim McGraw. Named a 2026 MusicRow Next Big Thing, her debut single, “Straight For The Heart,” ranked among country radio’s most-added songs upon impact, placing her alongside Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood in the top 5 for most first-week stations by a debut solo female artist. Last year, Kay opened her flagship coffee shop, The Coffee Girl, in her hometown of Waterloo, Illinois.

Texas native Braxton Keith started his musical journey early, learning to play piano in kindergarten. He decided to pursue music in college and launched his career touring his home state in support of artists including Randall King and Triston Marez while making trips to Music City. Earlier this year, Keith released his debut album, Real Damn Deal, via Warner Records Nashville, co-writing 10 of the project’s 15 tracks. The collection includes “Little Bit by Little Bit,” “I Ain’t Tryin’” and “I Own This Bar.” Named one of 2026’s Artists to Watch by Amazon Music, Rolling Stone, MusicRow and more, Keith is continuing a year of touring and new music releases. In 2025, he made his Grand Ole Opry debut and earned his first RIAA Gold certification for “Cozy.” He is set to perform more than 130 shows this year, including appearances at fairs and festivals across the country, before launching his headlining “Real Damn Deal Tour.” Keith will also join Tucker Wetmore and Gavin Adcock for select dates this fall.

Texas-born singer-songwriter and guitarist Ty Myers began writing and performing at a young age, developing a sound rooted in country, Southern rock, soul and blues. The 18-year-old released his debut album, The Select, in 2025, featuring the Platinum-certified singles “Ends of the Earth,” “Thought It Was Love” and “Drinkin’ Alone,” with “Ends of the Earth” reaching the top 10 at country radio. Myers followed the release with his 73-date “The Select Tour” before returning in 2026 with his sophomore album, Heavy On The Soul. Recorded at the historic FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the project marked his first album at the renowned studio. Along the way, Myers has been featured by Variety, People, the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone, appeared on Billboard’s “21 Under 21” list, Spotify’s RADAR program, and was named a MusicRow 2026 Next Big Thing. He has amassed more than 1.4 billion global streams, made his Austin City Limits debut, supported Luke Combs on tour and recently launched his headlining “The Legal Tour.”

Knoxville, Tennessee, native Emily Ann Roberts began performing on local stages before gaining national attention as the runner-up on Blake Shelton’s team during The Voice in 2015. Since then, she has released her debut album, Can’t Hide Country, followed by the EP Memory Lane. Spotlighted by Billboard, MusicRow and People, Can’t Hide Country showcases Roberts’ blend of traditional country and bluegrass influences. She has since amassed more than 146 million global streams and has made numerous appearances on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Roberts has also toured with Blake Shelton, Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney, Jamey Johnson and more, and is on the road with Thomas Rhett throughout 2026. Along the way, she has been named an ACM New Female Artist of the Year nominee, the AIMP Nashville Rising Artist-Writer of the Year, a member of the Opry NextStage and MusicRow Next Big Thing Class of 2026, a CMT Next Woman of Country and a Nashville Briefing Artist to Watch. Roberts is also featured in Walt Disney World’s Country Bear Musical Jamboree.