This week, Spotify kicked off its annual “Artist To Watch” campaign, using its various popular and influential playlist brands to highlight and amplify new artists, revealing its predictions for the next wave of music stars across various genres in 2023!

Yesterday, Most Necessary revealed its top hip-hop Artists to Watch list, and today, Hot Country, Spotify’s flagship country music playlist, is unveiling the roster of emerging stars who are primed to take the country music scene by storm and make their mark in the music industry this year.

Hot Country’s 2023 Artists To Watch, as announced on the Hot Country Instagram social handle include:

• Avery Anna, the Nashville singer-songwriter who has opened for acts like Josh Turner and Martina McBride is most known for her 2022 single “Narcissist,” featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist.
• Dylan Marlowe popped on the scene with his viral remake of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” and lately has been making waves with his catchy breakup track “Goodbye Gets Around.”
• Ella Langley, the “Country Boy’s Dream Girl” singer is known for her unique blend of country and rock.
• ERNEST, the country artist known for his hit collaboration with Morgan Wallen, “Flower Shops,” got his start writing music for country artists including Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, and Chris Lane. As a performer, he has also collaborated with Diplo.
• 49 Winchester is a Virginia-based country group known for its unique brand of tear-in-your-beer alt-country, sticky barroom floor rock-n-roll, and high-octane Appalachian folk.
• Jackson Dean, known for his old school, gritty, lyric-driven, outlaw style of Country his hit song “Don’t Come Lookin’’” was recently featured in Paramount Network’s hit series Yellowstone.
• Josh Ross, the Canadian singer-songwriter has topped the charts with his singles “First Taste of Gone” and “On a Different Night” and was nominated as a “Rising Star” at the 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards.
• Megan Moroney, known for her viral hit “Tenessee Orange,” recently released her debut EP Pistol Made of Roses.
• Restless Road is a Nashville-based country music band known for their song “Take Me Home,” a collaboration with Kane Brown inspired by John Denver’s iconic track “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and their hit single “Growing Old With You” which they performed on Season 26 of ABC’s The Bachelor.
• Tanner Adell is bringing a fresh new vibe and sound to country music with her catchy and dance-worthy singles “Country Girl Commandments” and “Honky Tonky Heartbreak.”

Singer/songwriter Emily Ann Roberts recently sat down and opened up about her latest song, “The Building” for her fans. Released in November, “The Building” was written about Emily Ann’s home church in East Tennessee where her great-grandfather began pastoring in 1942. The video features footage from the church’s historic 100-year anniversary celebration his past October and showcases Emily Ann leading worship for its congregation along with special anecdotes from the country artist about the impact her church has played in her life.

“The first place I ever sang in front of anybody was my church. I look back on it and all of my upbringing was within those walls, but at the same time, some of the hardest days of my life were spent there too. I know that on my best days it’s there for me and on my very worst, it’s there for me too,” said Emily Ann Roberts.

Watch “The Building” official music video here: http://bit.ly/3UWm5zt Watch Behind “The Building” video here: https://youtu.be/k5CZ36ZCFjQ

About Emily Ann Roberts
They say the way to the biggest stage is practice, practice, practice. And that’s exactly what Emily Ann Roberts has done, paying her dues from tiny stages in Knoxville to the biggest stage of all, the Grand Ole Opry. Since launching her career, Roberts has now played the coveted Opry stage 16 times. Before that, she made a name for herself on Blake Shelton’s team on The Voice before she’d even graduated from high school. In a way, being named as a runner-up was the biggest win of all. Because now, with all of that performing, songwriting and recording experience, Roberts has already racked up more than 19 million streams and was recently named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s Best Acts of CMA Fest.  Growing up in East Tennessee, Roberts was raised on Smoky Mountain music, bluegrass players, and country artists from every era: from Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton to Miranda Lambert and Cody Johnson. And all of that has prepared her to bring the country back to country music. Working with producer Trent Willmon means she’s collaborating with some of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters. So now, Roberts finds herself surrounded by people who are like-minded about making country music that will make its mark in the studio and on the stage. “I am passionate about entertaining. I do love singing, and songwriting has become a means to an end for me. I write so that I can take those songs and perform them, not the other way around.” With that, it’s safe to say that country music is in good hands with Roberts.

WRITTEN BY AWARD-WINNING SONGWRITER DIANE WARREN

An all-star cast of iconic singers including Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan and Debbie Harry announce the upcoming release of the new single “Gonna Be You” from the Paramount Pictures film 80 FOR BRADY.

The song is written by iconic Honorary Oscar®, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning songwriter Diane Warren to be released on January 20th via R.A.F/BMG.

The Paramount Pictures film 80 FOR BRADY is inspired by the true story of four best friends living life to the fullest when they take a wild trip to the 2017 Super Bowl LI to see their hero Tom Brady play. Starring Academy Award® nominee Lily Tomlin, Academy Award® winner Jane Fonda, Academy Award® winner Rita Moreno and Academy Award® winner Sally Field, with 7-time Super Bowl Champion and producer Tom Brady, 80 FOR BRADY is in-theaters February 3, 2023.

“When I wrote ‘Gonna Be You’ for 80 FOR BRADY, I wanted to write a song that celebrated these women’s deep friendship,” says Warren. “Since 80 was in the title I got a crazy idea, why not get some of the most iconic singers from the 80s, who are still amazing and always will be, to all sing it?!!!! Everyone I approached said yes and was just as excited as me!! I’m honored to have Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan and Debbie Harry on this song!! ‘Gonna Be You’ is that song you want to sing along to with all your good friends!!!”

Distillery Makes Additional Donation Pledge for 2023

Pennington Distilling Company, an award-winning spirits distillery, has made a $10,000 donation to Music Health Alliance (MHA) in support of the non-profit’s work to provide free healthcare advocacy and support to those within the music industry. In addition, Pennington has pledged to donate $1 of every bottle of Pickers Original Vodka sold in all their Nashville accounts that support live music will be donated to MHA in 2023.

“We value our long-term relationship with Jeff and Jenny Pennington and the Pennington Distilling Company and all of the good they do for our music community. We’re thrilled that the 2022 Picker’s Vodka Nashville product fundraiser raised $10,000 for MHA which will allow us to provide $300,000 to help heal the music with life-saving healthcare advocacy and resources,” said Tatum Allsep, Music Health Alliance Founder & CEO.

Jeff and Jenny Pennington, co-founders of Pickers Vodka, state

“We are thankful to continue our support of Music Health Alliance and their amazing work in providing healthcare advocacy and access to healthcare resources and insurance, mental health support, and financial resources for any musician in need.”

ABOUT MUSIC HEALTH ALLIANCE

Founded in 2013 and based in Nashville, Music Health Alliance (MHA) has provided free healthcare advocacy and lifesaving support and resources to more than 18,000 music industry members across 49 states in the non-profit’s first nine years. MHA has supported songwriters, musicians, performers, producers, engineers, venue operators, artist managers, agents, publishers, business managers, and more by providing access to medicine, mental health resources, COVID-19 relief, diagnostic tests, lifesaving transplants, end of life care, and many other necessary services, saving more than $85,000,000 in healthcare costs for the nationwide music community in less than a decade. Entirely funded through grants and individual and corporate donations, financial support from the music community is critical to continue MHA’s advocacy and free services. For every $1 donation, MHA is able to provide $30 in life-saving healthcare resources to Heal The Music. MHA fights so those in our industry never have to feel alone in a health crisis and removes obstacles so patients can receive lifesaving care. All MHA services are free to any person who has worked in the music industry for three or more years or who has credited contributions to 4 commercially released recordings or videos. Spouses, partners, and children of qualifying individuals may also receive access to the non-profit’s services from birth to end of life.

Country Music Star and Army Veteran brightens the holidays
and performs for troops stationed abroad

When our service members can’t be home for the holidays, the United Service Organizations (USO) takes home to our service members. 17-year Army veteran Craig Morgan joined the nonprofit on a three-day trip, from December 19 to 21, to Germany where the country music star performed three concerts for troops and their families stationed at USAG Bavaria.

Morgan, who was active duty for 10.5 years and a member of the U.S. Reserves for 6.5 years, was reunited with the 101^st and 82^nd Airborne Divisions while touring USAG Bavaria, both of which he was a part during his years of service. Since Morgan’s first USO tour in 2002, he has visited 15 countries during 13 tours, entertaining more than 45,000 U.S. troops and their families.

“It’s always an honor and a privilege to visit with our troops and their families, but especially during the holiday season,” said Morgan. “I know how much it means to them to receive those care packages at this time of the year and to hear those messages of gratitude from Americans everywhere who value the incredible sacrifices they make year-round.”

“Serving overseas over the holiday season, sometimes far from family and friends, can be difficult,” said Jennifer Wahlquist, Vice President, USO Global Entertainment. “We’re grateful to the wonderful entertainers like Craig who generously donate their time to bring holiday cheer and a connection to home to our service members.”

“We are so thankful for Craig Morgan taking the time to visit with and perform for our Soldiers and family members,” said Audre Binder, Director, Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation at United States Army Garrison Bavaria. “And it’s even more special because Craig knows what it’s like to be away from loved ones during the holidays, as a former servicemember himself. He has just an incredible way of connecting with everyone here.”

Bringing entertainment to the troops is a cornerstone of the USO’s mission to strengthen America’s service members through connection. More than 75,000 service members participate in USO Entertainment tours annually, and more than 50,000 military members have attended virtual celebrity visits through the USO Military Virtual Programming Entertainment Series (USO MVP) during the last two years.