KC’s 5 Rising Country Stars To Keep An Eye On In 2025

I was recently able to attend the 2025 Country Radio Seminar in beautiful Nashville, Tennessee. During my time at CRS I got to enjoy performances from some of country's biggest stars. In addition to seeing some of my favorite country hitmakers in action, I also had the unique opportunity to witness many promising up-and-comers in country music.

If you ask me (and even if you didn't), I'd argue that country music as an industry is currently enjoying a re-emergence as a pop culture powerhouse. Last year alone saw major pop stars like Post Malone and Beyonce making the jump across formats, with the latter's debut country record Cowboy Carter winning Album Of The Year at the 2025 Grammy Awards. That's not to even mention other noteworthy pop and hip-hop artists like Shaboozey and Lana Del Rey now converting to country as well.

Regardless of your personal feelings toward those particular artists, you can't deny that their desire to make music for honky tonks is a promising glimpse into how popular the genre is becoming once again. Research from Spotify reveals that country artists Morgan Wallen, and Zach Bryan were among the top 10 most streamed artists in the US for 2024, and that 3 of the top 10 most streamed songs in the nation were country tracks.

Suffice it to say, country is on the come up in a major way. And with a new crop of talented stars on the horizon, the future looks better than ever.

It was only one year ago that I made a similar list of rising country artists to keep tabs on, which included the likes of Zach Top, Jackson Dean, and The War and Treaty to name a few. In that time, Zach has enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom with his first two singles Sounds Like The Radio and I Never Lie becoming sleeper hits amongst fans.

Zach Top was also able to cap off a successful 2024 with a phenomenal performance as part of the lineup at WKML's annual Stars and Guitars show in November.

But who are the emerging country superstars in the making for 2025? Let's take a look!

If you're an old-school country fan who yearns for the rich twangy sounds of yesteryear, Belle Frantz is the artist for you. Drawing inspiration from legends like Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire and Loretta Lynn before her, Belle's vocal style is as nostalgic as it is powerful. 

As eclectic as my workout playlist may be, for awhile it was completely bereft of country music. That all changed once I discovered the hard-rocking country duo known as Lakeview. Jesse Denaro and Luke Healey expertly weave hard rock and metalcore instrumentation with lyricism that is rife with down home, blue collar sensibilities. 

And take it from me, these are the perfect guys to crank up in your earphones while you demolish that last set on the bench press. 

Lakeview wasn't the only country duo to impress me during CRS week. Hailing from New Orleans, the two brothers grew up travelling and performing around the world with their family, drawing musical inspiration from every corner of the globe. 

And now, with their sights firmly set on the country scene, it's only a matter of time before we see the Crowe Boys showcasing their worldly musicianship on much more massive stages. 

Don't let her diminutive stature fool you, Carter Faith's voice and talent is truly larger-than-life. Her performance at the Ryman sent chills through every single person in the room, myself included. If she keeps this up, Carter could very well end up in the discussion of all-time legendary female country singers. 

I can't overstate how much of an impact country newcomer left on all of us at CRS. On the final day of the seminar there is a luncheon hosted by Big Machine Group, wherein many of the label's artist perform a couple of their songs to an audience of radio folks while they eat.

Preston made the absolute most of every single second he was on stage, commanding attention and adoration through a power-packed performance of his new single Weak, as well as a yet-to-be-released track. Preston was the only artist to receive two separate standing ovations for both performances.

Trust me, Preston Cooper's future is looking brighter and brighter with every passing day. It would behoove you to grab a good seat on the bandwagon early.