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It’s almost time. This week, the initial lineup was released for this year’s CMA Fest, the world’s largest country music festival, taking place in Nashville from June 4-7, 2026. I head down every year to cover the event and conduct interviews. While I catch the genre’s biggest stars, I spend most of my time scouting the small stages around town, constantly hunting for fresh and often mind-blowing talent.

A few names I already know I’ll be keeping a close eye on are:

These are five female powerhouses who have been building momentum for a while and could have their big breakout moment at this year’s fest. Remember where you heard about them first! ;-)

And if you’re heading to CMA Fest this year, I’ll see you in the afternoons at Robert’s Western World—that’s a given.

Thanks for subscribing! It truly means the world to me. If you’re enjoying the newsletter, please spread the word! Remember: we’re all in this country music journey together.

Your friend,

Ideas and feedback are always welcome at [email protected] (just hit reply!)

🏆 "Choosin' Texas" Surpasses Taylor Swift's Hot 100 Record: Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" spent its fourth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated March 28), making her the sole record-holder for most weeks at the summit by a female artist whose song also topped Hot Country Songs, besting Taylor Swift's 2012 mark with "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." The song, traditional country with no pop remix and no genre pivot, also hits 17 weeks atop Hot Country Songs and 486 million worldwide streams, making it the first song by a woman to simultaneously lead the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, and Country Airplay charts.

🎸 Luke Combs' Album Drop Launches Country's Biggest Stadium Season: The Way I Am (22 tracks, March 20) generated immediate critical fireworks: "Days Like These" and "Sleepless in a Hotel Room" became the first two simultaneous Country Airplay Top 10 entries by any artist since Morgan Wallen in 2023.

🤠 Houston Rodeo Closes with a New All-Time Attendance Record: Cody Johnson drew 80,203 fans to NRG Stadium on March 22 for the rodeo's concert-only finale, breaking George Strait's all-time record set in 2013.

🎖️ Country Music Hall of Fame Cements Its Modern-Era Pivot: Tim McGraw was named the 2026 Modern Era inductee (announced March 20 at the Hall of Fame rotunda), one year after Kenny Chesney's induction. The class is completed by The Stanley Brothers (Veteran's Era) and Paul Overstreet (Songwriter).

💼 Nashville Reshapes Its Power Structures in Five Days: A compressed wave of business moves: Scott Borchetta launched a management division, Clint Higham, John Esposito & Kris Lamb launched HEY NOW Records, Sony Music Nashville and Kane Brown sealed a new multi-album worldwide deal marking their 10-year partnership, and Clint Black received the CRB Career Achievement Award at CRS 2026 during Bob Kingsley's Acoustic Alley. A rare convergence of label, management, and industry-recognition activity all within a single working week in Nashville.

Tim McGraw was named the 2026 Modern Era inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame.,The announcement reignited the ongoing debate about Dwight Yoakam and Clint Black, both still waiting… Here is my specially composed playlist of three favourite 90’s songs each by three GREAT names in contemporary country music history: McGraw, Black and Yoakam. Listen here!

Week of March 19 – March 25, 2026 (generated: March 25)

Buzz Score: 97/100
Why She's Hot: "Choosin' Texas" is now a four-week No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated March 28), breaking Taylor Swift's record outright and making Langley the sole record-holder for most Hot 100 weeks at the top by a female artist with a country chart-topper. The song concurrently leads Hot Country Songs for a 17th week, Country Airplay, and the Streaming Songs chart, the first song by a woman to hold all three simultaneously. Worldwide streams have crossed 486 million.

Buzz Score: 95/100
Why He's Hot: The Way I Am, 22 tracks featuring Alison Krauss on "Ever Mine," dropped March 20 and immediately dominated the conversation. Billboard published a full 22-track ranking and critical review the same day. "Days Like These" and "Sleepless in a Hotel Room" occupy simultaneous Country Airplay Top 10 slots, the first time any artist has done that since Morgan Wallen in 2023.

Buzz Score: 91/100
Why He's Hot: The biggest single live event in Houston Rodeo history. On March 22, Johnson drew 80,203 fans to NRG Stadium for the concert-only finale, breaking George Strait's all-time attendance record.

Buzz Score: 82/100
Why She's Hot: Confirmed as a first-round performer for the 61st ACM Awards (May 17, Las Vegas). Headlined the Houston Rodeo on March 19 to close out her multi-platform career week that also included a film debut and Netflix documentary premiere at SXSW. The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, with 16 ACM Awards over four years, is running on every platform simultaneously: live, screen, streaming, radio.

Buzz Score: 78/100
Why He's Hot: Named the Modern Era inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame on March 20, in a press conference at the Hall of Fame rotunda in Nashville. He joins The Stanley Brothers (Veteran's Era) and Paul Overstreet (Songwriter) as the 2026 class. The announcement generated widespread coverage and reignited debate about the Hall's ongoing bypassing of '90s contemporaries Dwight Yoakam and Clint Black, with Saving Country Music running pointed editorial on whether commercial volume is now overriding traditional-country legacy. McGraw was emotional in his induction speech, recounting his arrival in Nashville on a Greyhound bus at 1 a.m.

Buzz Score: 73/100
Why He's Hot: Received the 2026 CRB Artist Humanitarian Award at Country Radio Seminar, recognizing his work in addiction recovery and juvenile justice reform. Performed on NBC's Opry 100: A Live Celebration (March 19), still generating coverage after the Grand Ole Opry induction earlier this month. The Big Ass Stadium Tour Part 2 with Post Malone (18 stadium dates, May 13 kickoff) is building as one of 2026's most anticipated live events. Three-time Grammy winner operating at full volume.

Buzz Score: 65/100
Why He's Hot: Performed at the CRS New Faces of Country Music showcase on March 20 alongside Ella Langley, Kelsey Hart, Meghan Patrick, John Morgan, and Josh Ross, the industry's most closely watched emerging-artist platform, which has launched careers from Luke Combs and Taylor Swift to Jelly Roll and Parker McCollum. "Holdin' It Down" holds as one of country radio's most-added singles for a consecutive week, maintaining his presence in front of programmers during the biggest industry gathering of the year.

Buzz Score: 63/100
Why She's Hot: Cloud 9 holds inside the Billboard 200 Top 5 for a second straight week. Multiple tracks, "Wish I Didn't" and "I Only Miss You" (with Ed Sheeran), maintain heavy TikTok engagement as breakup-content drivers. The Ella Langley/"Choosin' Texas" love triangle narrative (all three, Langley, Moroney, Riley Green, have denied involvement) continues to generate pop-culture crossover coverage well beyond country's usual press sphere.

Buzz Score: 60/100
Why He's Hot: The Still The Problem Tour, 21 stadium dates across 11 cities, launches April 10 in Minneapolis (back-to-back nights at U.S. Bank Stadium), now just 16 days away. "Don't We," the eighth single from I'm the Problem, stays active at radio. I'm the Problem holds in the Billboard 200 Top 10. MusicRow named him CountryBreakout Male Artist of the Year for a fourth consecutive year.

Buzz Score: 55/100
Why He's Hot: Age of the Ram (April 3), the Sagebrush Trilogy conclusion, produced by Shooter Jennings, 20 tracks, is now less than a week from release and the roots/Americana press is ramping up pre-release coverage. The Canada border controversy (denied entry twice due to a 2014 marijuana conviction, forcing cancellation of his entire Canadian tour leg) remains active in coverage at Stereogum and beyond. A 39-date Age of the Ram Tour (May 30, October 2) featuring Durand Jones & The Indications, Margo Price, and others was announced this week.

Methodology Note: Rankings based on aggregated signals from 10+ country news sources (MusicRow, Saving Country Music, Taste of Country, Holler, Country Standard Time, and more) plus streaming charts (Spotify/Apple Music), TikTok trends, radio airplay (Mediabase/MusicRow CountryBreakout), social media engagement, and Billboard chart data.
Buzz scores are calculated using: News volume (40%), News quality/prominence (15%), Streaming chart position (20%), Social media engagement (15%), Recency factor (10%)