One of the fastest rising country music stars whose unexpected path to playing music included a stint playing college football and a move to Nashville ‘on a whim’ will be headlining a concert at Waco’s Foster Pavillion Thursday.

Tucker Wetmore, who was recently nominated for CMA New Artist of the year as well as ACM New Male Artist of the Year, says despite his busy touring schedule that’s taken him around the world, he’s really looking forward to a stop in Central Texas.

“I am so stoked about it and I love Texas, especially Waco,” Wetmore told KWTX.

Wetmore’s fast and furious rise to the top has been full of unexpected turns.

The Washington state native was a four-time state champion in high school and believed that football was his future.

The 6′1 wide receiver at Montana State was injured and that’s when his mom encouraged him to move to Nashville.

“I thought football was my path. I thought that’s what I wanted out of my life,” Wetmore said. “I ended up going to Montana to play some ball and then God had other plans. I ended up getting injured and moving back home and picking up music again.”

That proved to be a game-changing decision for the musical athlete.

Wetmore’s music caught fire quickly.

His first two tracks – “Wine Into Whiskey” and “Wind Up Missin’ You” – are now RIAA Platinum-certified.

“Brunette,” his most the most viral song on social media, is a cheeky breakup anthem which is now the name of his 22-stop world tour.

His current single “3,2,1,” is Wetmore’s second single on country radio and is in the top 15 and climbing.

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Wetmore has garnered over 1.2 billion global streams to date.

“I’m still waiting on the day I wake up and it was all a dream,” Wetmore said. “It’s fast. It’s crazy, but I love every second of it.”

Wetmore was raised in a musical Samoan family.

“Growing up in a Samoan type family it’s very musical and if somebody starts singing ‘Amazing Grace’ in the living room next thing you know you have an eight- or 10-piece choir singing Amazing Grace so that’s what I grew up around and it’s definitely influenced my love for music for sure,” Wetmore said.

Tucker also says his pastor grandfather who lived directly next door to his church played a huge role in his life and music.

“I got a huge family so me and my cousins would go have slumber parties on the alter and we had that kind of relationship with the church,” Wetmore said.

Tucker has already toured with mega country music stars including Thomas Rhett and Lainey Wilson.

Tucker’s concert at Foster Pavilion will be Thursday at 7 p.m.

Oklahoma singer-songwriter Kaitlin Butts, whose viral breakout song “You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead To Me)” will be the opening act.

Wetmore has a collaboration with Embry Outdoors, a Waco based company, which will have a pop-up outdoor merchandise booth outside on the front plaza.

The first 100 buyers get their items signed by Tucker Wetmore.