It takes a lot of work to be a new country artist. Not only are they finding their own sound and style, but they are also building their own fanbase. But the careers of these three new country artists are about to explode, despite these artists being relatively new.

Zach Top

It’s definitely good to be Zach Top these days. Ever since his debut, “Sounds Like The Radio”, came out in 2023, Top has been not only a favorite among country music fans, but among country music legends as well. Top sounds like a traditional country artist, earning praise from superstars like Alan Jackson and Dierks Bentley.

“Three chords and the truth are necessary,” Top tells Billboard. “A fiddle and steel guitar never hurt. But it’s songs that make people feel something and something that’s got a story to it. That’s what I love about country music — songs that make me feel understood, no matter what stage of life I’m in.”

Not only has Top continued to tour and release other hit singles, but he’s also received award nominations. Top was nominated for the CMA Award for New Artist of the Year in 2024. This year, he is nominated for five CMA Awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year.

Ashley Cooke

Ashley Cooke has already released two albums, Already Drank That Beer and Shot In The Dark, both on Big Loud Records. Cooke is also on Brantley Gilbert’s “Over When We’re Sober” singer. More importantly, Cooke is proving that she is unafraid to release the kind of music she wants to make.

In 2023, Cooke had a hit single with “Your Place”. She’s back on the radio with “The Hell You Are”, a song from her next album. There was a gap between the two songs, one Cooke says was intentional, and proves her savviness as an artist.

“I think if I had jumped the gun and just cut the stuff that I had written around the time of ‘Your Place,’ I would have been chasing something,” Cooke says (via The Boot).

Chase Matthew

Chase Matthew has released two albums on Warner Nashville, both Come Get Your Memory in 2023, followed by Chase two years later. He’s also released a few singles, including “Darlin’”, his latest single, which became a No. 1 hit.

Radio and streaming success aside, Matthew received one of the biggest boosts an artist can get earlier this year, when he was invited to open for Keith Urban, on Urban’s High and Alive World Tour.

“He’s just very supportive of everybody and wants everybody to win and he’s always watching everybody’s shows,” Matthew tells Country Now. “As soon as we come off stage, he’s like, ‘man, great job tonight. You did it again. You did it again.’ He’s like, hyping us up. So feels really good to have him in our corner.”