Country Music’s Best New Artists & Discoveries in 2023

Every year there’s that handful of artists that you discover and it’s hard to comprehend how you got along without them previously. In 2023, there seems to be even more of these artists than normal as country music continues to open up, and opportunities for independent artists have never been so lucrative. Here are as few of Saving Country Music’s newest favorites and top discoveries to get on your radar for big things in 2024.
Josie Toney
Maybe you recognize Josie Toney as the fiddle player and harmonizer that helped underpin the rabid success of Sierra Ferrell over the last few years. Originally from Olympia, Washington with a family history in music including old-time and other traditional styles, Josie Toney is so much more than just a fiddle player.
A graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, she received the Sam Eisenson Award for Country Music from the prestigious music school, and also won the FreshGrass fiddle championship in 2019. She’s now taking all of her time learning, practicing, studying, playing for others, and putting it all on red in service of her own career.
Her debut album Extra released in April is everything you were hoping Josie Toney’s debut would be. When she sings, Toney evokes the ghosts of the classic country era by mixing old-school country with old-school blues indicative at times of Hank One. You may think of her as an instrumentalist first, but the album showcases a confident and seemingly effortless vocal delivery with plenty of pain and emotion behind the lyrics, and even the appearance of a yodel.
Miles Miller
It’s easy to turn speculative whenever you see that a drummer has decided to step in front of the microphone and take a turn in the spotlight. With many drummers, you’re just happy if you can get them to bathe and not to bite their toenails at the breakfast table. Levon Helm and Don Henley are the exceptions. “Sturgill Simpson’s drummer” certainly gets you to pay attention to what’s happening here, but the next thought you have is, “Okay, but how good could he really be?”
In the case of Miles Miller, he’s that good. Really good. Surprisingly good. He’s so good in fact, your next question is why he’s been sequestered behind a drum set for so long? Sure, he sang harmony for Sturg and was always presented as the “bandleader.” He also did a stint in the Asheville-based band Town Mountain. But Miller has a naturally-pleasing and seemingly effortless singing style that most dedicated singers can’t even bring to the table these days. He’s also got a rather stellar set of songs worthy of bending your ear to.
All of this is illustrated in Miller’s debut album Solid Gold. Produced by Sturgill Simpson, the 12-song set features a lot of Southern-style soulful moments less indicative of Kentucky, and more similar to the Muscle Shoals sound, or perhaps Brent Cobb and his smooth country vibe. There is also a distinctly 70’s-era classic rock feel to Solid Gold, and favorably so.
Zach Top
Raised on a ranch in Sunnyside, Washington, Zach Top is next in line in the lineage of traditional country artists such as George Strait and Randy Travis. This is one you don’t have to worry about straying from the script. Country music is deep in his soul, and at 25-years-old, he’ll be expressing it for many years to come.
Zack Top released an 8-song album in May of 2022, but it was really the succession of subsequent singles that have caught fire, and have Top poised to break out big time in 2024, especially since he’s seeing big opportunities opening tours for Lainey Wilson, and landing on major festival lineups like Two Step Inn and Under The Big Sky.
It’s taken a bit for Zach Top’s songwriting to develop. But with the way traditional country is coming back into fashion, and performer like Zach is poised to rise to the top.
Lance Roark
Turnpike Troubadours bassist RC Edwards stumbled upon Lance Roark in 2020 during the Turnpike hiatus when he was looking for a lead guitar player. Roark fit the bill, but has subsequently slid even deeper into the Turnpike universe while finding a way to showcase his own music at the same time. “Chipping Mill” that Roark wrote with R.C. Edwards appeared on the new Turnpike Troubadours album A Cat In The Rain.
That’s not the only Turnpike Troubadours connection. Lance Roark’s 8-song debut album Better Man released in March was produced by Hammerin’ Hank Early, a.k.a. Turnpike’s Swiss Army Knife who plays the steel/dobro/banjo/accordion. From Eastern Oklahoma, Lance Roark’s roots are in bluegrass and country, and that definitely underpins Better Man. But there is also a bit of a swampy and sweaty feel in the way these original songs were rendered.
Don’t be surprised if Roark catches some wind and becomes the next shooting star from Oklahoma in the coming years. You already see him getting major opportunities on festival lineups in Red Dirt and beyond.
Wyatt Flores
When you go to see Wyatt Flores live, it’s a similar experience to seeing Zach Bryan where many in the audience know every single word to every single song, and sing along. But Wyatt has everything many of the other guys blowing up massive at the moment don’t, which is a refined ear, a more polished sound, and an actual production sense, while still delivering those cutting lines that make the music feel so much more visceral and reverberative than the mainstream product.
Raised on all those Red Dirt/Oklahoma country influences, Wyatt Flores grew up in the music since his dad was a drummer in Red Dirt bands. After finding some success with early songs, Flores moved from Stillwater to Nashville in the summer of 2022, and soon signed an independent deal with Island Records. He’s still yet to release a proper debut album, but his 7-song EP Life Lessons released in November is already earning him high praise, including the song “Orange Bottles” being nominated for Saving Country Music’s Song of the Year for 2023.
Wyatt Flores is not the typical species of the country music insurgency. He’s a rare one. If you’re looking for the one new artist that could make major waves in the coming years, it’s Wyatt.
Megan Moroney
It’s official, ladies and gentlemen. Country music has entered a new neotraditional age. Not dissimilar to when George Strait and Randy Travis showed up on the scene in the ’80s and swayed everything in the direction of more country-sounding tunes, we’re seeing large swaths of mainstream country re-adopt country sounds and country sentiments in popular music.
There may be no better evidence for this than Savannah, Georgia-native Megan Moroney. No, it’s not because Moroney is making straight-down-the-middle traditional country. She’s a major label-signed 25-year-old pop country starlet fresh into Nashville whose music happens to be slathered with steel guitar, steeping in classic country lore, and dare we say superbly written when it comes to a good handful of songs.
Expect in the coming years for Megan Moroney to join Lainey Wilson, Carly Pearce, Ashley McBryde, and a growing list of mainstream country women rewriting the script for women in country music.
The Castellows
Sister trio Ellie (lead guitar), Powell (banjo) and Lily (vocals) exploded on social media in 2023 as a smart, cute, and super-talented neotraditional trio singing covers of classic and traditional country tunes. But don’t regard this project lightly as simply a trend on Tik-Tok.
Not only are these three women super talented and able to evoke the eternal appeal of blood harmonies that go all the way back to the original formation of country music. They are the ultimate mix of traditional country roots and widespread popular appeal. Already getting booked on some of independent country’s biggest festivals, The Castellows could take country music by storm in the coming months and years as they transition from cover singers on social media to original artists in the studio.
Recently they released the single “No. 7 Road” written by the sisters themselves, and licensed through Warner Music Nashville via their own Henry-Dixon Line label. It’s not a matter of “if” The Castellows blow up big, but “when.” And they’ll be taking their more traditional country sound with them.
Myron Elkins
Don’t let the baby face of Myron Elkins fool you. You pipe up his debut album Factories, Farms & Amphetamines produced by Dave Cobb, and it’s like you’re immediately ferried off to some faraway, ramshackle roadhouse set in 1970s sepia, with some 70-year-old cat in polyester butterfly collars crooning out stories of blood and bruises through a voice eroded from decades of unfiltered Kool menthols, and enough drams of whiskey down the gullet to match the water displacement of an oil tanker.
Not since Colter Wall have you been flabbergasted by the age behind a young man’s voice, and it’s a voice that has something to say, delivered in a style that immediately ingratiates itself to the audience. It’s like a fusion of Southern rock, soul country and country blues, deep fried and smothered in brown gravy with a biscuit on the side for sopping. It may be hell on the heart, but it’s manna for the soul.
He may be from Michigan as opposed to the Deep South. But expect Myron Elkins to be a major player in Southern rock and the soul side of country for years to come.
Amanda Fields
Classic country singing and songwriting was always there, but is not exactly what Amanda Fields has been known for heretofore. Fields primarily comes from the bluegrass discipline. Originally from Southwest Virginia and the Appalachian region, she grew up playing guitar and singing in the Pentecostal church. Moving to Nashville when she was just 18, she naturally fell into the bluegrass circles, and according to peers, has paid more dues than anyone since.
Amanda Fields released a bluegrass single in 2019 called “Brandywine” in what was supposed to be the start of a hopefully illustrious solo career in the bluegrass subgenre. But it’s hard to second guess the extended pause and the re-emergence as a traditional country artist from what is captured on her debut album What, When and Without. It earned the highest rating of any album on Saving Country Music in 2023 (a 9.4), as well as a nomination for Album of the Year.
If Amanda keeps it up, she could be a major artist in traditional/independent country and Americana for years to come.
December 19, 2023 @ 11:09 am
I saw The Castellows in a small town in Alabama a couple of years ago. turns out my wife went to school with their aunt. they were really good. I’m looking forward to seeing where they end up.
December 19, 2023 @ 11:19 am
I saw Zach Top twice this year, first opening for Dwight Yoakam, and the the Steel Woods. That’s a pretty significant push. Also great to see Yoakam had Rob Leines open for him a couple of times as well. Gotta give a shout out to Benjamin Dakota Rogers for one of my favorite discoveries this year.
December 21, 2023 @ 10:39 am
that’s awesome to hear, we saw Zach Top fronting bluegrass group Modern Tradition twice 4-5 years ago and just loved it. A great performer. Although it doesn’t take much to impress a Washingtonion…
December 19, 2023 @ 11:53 am
Looking forward to seeing The Castellows in Feb.
Be on the lookout for the new album from Few Miles South next year. You added “Winter Warm” to your Christmas Playlist. They should be on this list next year.
December 19, 2023 @ 12:07 pm
My favorite discovery has been The Red Clay Strays. I’m sure they’ve been around for a while but I was put on to them this year. The series they did for Western AF was awesome.
December 19, 2023 @ 5:29 pm
Seconding this comment. I discovered them through their Western AF video of Sunshine when it dropped and from there they became my top artist on Spotify this year.
December 22, 2023 @ 5:27 am
Third! —-in a big way! Had the pleasure of seeing them in Vegas a few weeks ago and, just as all the reviews have said, you can tell the crowd wasn’t paying much attention in the beginning, but it sure didn’t take them long to wake up and catch on. RCS rocked to place! Oh yeah, and TT was fantastic too, but that’s just a given.
December 22, 2023 @ 8:00 am
Red Clay Strays are great, but I would put their breakout year as 2022. They’re one of the hottest tickets right now. They’re not “about to make it.” It’s already happened for them.
December 19, 2023 @ 1:31 pm
Myron Elkins kicks ass. That’s all.
December 19, 2023 @ 3:04 pm
The biggest discoveries for me – as in, never having heard of them before this calendar year – are Amanda Fields, Josie Toney, William Prince, Dean Johnson, Cat Clyde, Allegra Krieger, H.C. McEntire, Fran and Doug Paisley (the last four are not particularly country).
December 19, 2023 @ 6:42 pm
Dean Johnson! That was my favorite album this year….that also led to the discovery of Sons of Rainier for me.
December 19, 2023 @ 3:10 pm
Awesome to see Josie Toney on here! Go see her live, you’ll really appreciate all the talent she brings.
December 19, 2023 @ 7:41 pm
Miles’ turned into something I listened to quite a bit. Saw his album release show and it was a good time.
December 19, 2023 @ 7:55 pm
Josie Toney is pretty darn great. Her chemistry with Sierra was amazing when I saw them in Jacksonville Beach a couple of years ago. It was an intimate venue that seats about 50 or so people, so we were basically on top of each other – performer and spectator. And after the show, Josie was hawking merch. That was a great night.
December 19, 2023 @ 9:47 pm
I first saw Amanda Fields playing bluegrass at Fat Bottom Brewery in 2015, and was blown away. Over the next few years, it baffled me that the traditional bluegrass world didn’t make her a fresh young face of the genre. She started playing on Broadway with Tom Buller, doing more classic country songs… Then she teamed up with Megan McCormick and created this fantastic album. Thanks to Trigger & SCM for giving Amanda well-earned attention this year!!
December 20, 2023 @ 12:01 am
Off Topic but I would like to take a moment to just thank you for keeping this site going and managing overall to keep things sane and about the music and skip the socio-political quagmire.
I deal with many people have a certain notion of country music and it’s politics and they often go “that direction” before even considering listening to something. And putting the music first let’s the music speak above the other noise. And the music can get political better than most cliched talking points.
I was thinking as I was reading this post all I know about these new acts is their music and dang it if it moves me that trumps most everything else so why even bother with anything that isn’t “on record”.
*raises a glass*
December 20, 2023 @ 4:27 am
…”It’s official, ladies and gentlemen. Country music has entered a new neotraditional age.”
well, hopefully not. even though that thought may be tempting – especially, in an environment dedicated to “saving country music” – music must not be fenced in. if not allowed to evolve and roam as freely as possible, it will quickly become as boring as last night’s pizza from the fridge next day – or the turnpike troubadours.
the really great thing is at the moment that there’s room been opening up for so many approaches in country music. it’s a wide field between colter wall and flores, which is great and most enjoyable. noone needs another strait or travis, although, if there were, i should not drop them from my favorite playlist. in the meantime i have ms fields reminding me of lee ann womack, enjoy childers being in his love or space and time, kacey bringing the best out of zach or thinking that kk johnson of track45 easily sings circles around those really attractive castellows women.
there is hardly an end to great music in the currently wide country/americana realm, why tryin’ to fence in and hail someting that is at most only a part of the ongoing evolution, trigger? perhaps, counting the hats of the singers on the current airplay- or itunes – country charts might serve as a little reality check. or morgan wallen’s huge hit “last night”.
December 20, 2023 @ 11:47 am
This is a classic, classic argument. At no point did I say country music doesn’t need to evolve. At no point did I say performers need to be fenced in. If you read Saving Country Music on a regular basis, you will seen tons of artists featured here that perform an “evolved” version of country music. But country music should also sound like country, and distinguish itself from other genres. And anything that calls itself “country” should be somehow tied to country’s roots. I think Megan Moroney is a great example of that, and that is why I feel she deserves to be recognized.
This “all Trigger wants to do is have country music sound like Hank Williams forever” is a straw man.
December 23, 2023 @ 3:48 pm
I agree with you 100 percent! You said it perfectly.
December 20, 2023 @ 3:43 pm
Neotraditional ≠ merely traditional, but = a new spin on the tradition. Cf. Amanda Fields.
December 20, 2023 @ 6:49 am
Still surprised no one ever mentions Levi Turner! When I heard he was the first artist signed to Zach Bryan’s label I went in to his debut album expecting to hear and hate on a Zach clone like so many others out there currently. But I was blown away by his voice and the level of songwriting on the album. Definitely not a zach impersonator, plus the guy is like 13 years old or something. His album has probably been my most listened to this year, and i put it right up there with Weathervanes and Drink the River as the best of this year. Hope somebody checks him out.
Jeremy Pinnell is not a new artist. However he does rip in a consistent and pleasing manner. his last album Goodbye LA rips. Jerry if you’re reading this tell em how much you rip mmmkay
December 20, 2023 @ 3:40 pm
I wasn’t as blown away by Levi Turner as you were but I definitely dig him. I fully expect that by the time he turns 15 I’ll be all in on him. I hope Jeremy heeds your call.
December 20, 2023 @ 8:38 am
Just saw Wyatt Flores in Birmingham and it was a great show. You can see how he could translate what he is doing to bigger stages, something he has done and will do this coming year. Can he make that jump that Zach Bryan made, or even half of that? I don’t know because so much of that is right place, right time. But based on what I saw Saturday night and the response by the crowd, he is certainly primed to do it.
Regardless, I’ll be happy I saw him in a small club, and hope to do it again.
December 20, 2023 @ 9:51 am
Biggest find for me this year was Black Dirt Country. Especially Joe Stamm Band & Tony Logue.
December 20, 2023 @ 11:14 am
I’ve been on the JSB wagon for a couple years now but totally agree with adding Tony Logue. He was a blip on my radar until Trigger reviewed his album earlier this year and upon reading it I knew I needed to take a deep dive. Killer album from start to finish.
Predictions for 2024 – Ben Chapman and Grace Tyler out of Texas will make this list assuming both drop albums in the coming year.
December 21, 2023 @ 5:27 am
JD Clayton!
Also Margo Cilker, Nether Hour and Country Worms.
December 21, 2023 @ 9:04 pm
Olivia Harms for Me from Canby, Oregon, lives most of the time in the Ft. Worth area. Check out the song, “Kiddie Pool”.
December 22, 2023 @ 11:36 am
I went to the Bluebird in Nashville back in February to see Josh Grider because we’re distantly related and I needed a live music fix and an excuse to leave work early. Zach Top played with him and absolutely blew me away. Saw him open for the Steel Woods over the summer. If this guy doesn’t at least get Cody Johnson big, I’ll be shocked.
My favorite discovery this year, thanks to you Trig, is Brit Taylor
December 23, 2023 @ 8:49 pm
Ty Meyers
January 5, 2024 @ 8:58 am
Lance Roark is killing it this year with his debut LP Better Man. Searchin is my all time favorite. He also teamed up with RC Edwards for Chipping Mill for Turpike’s new LP. Lance Roark riding to the top of the charts.