CMT has announced the the 2021 class of the Next Women of Country. The artists joining the roster are Ashland Craft, Priscilla Block, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Hannah Dasher, MacKenzie Porter, Harper Grae, Tenille Arts, Sacha and Chapel Hart.
The CMT Next Women of Country campaign launched in 2013 in an effort to showcase the next generation of country artists. The year-long campaign involves support for each artist's music and videos on CMT and CMT music channels and social media.
Previous CMT Next Women of Country artists include Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, Lauren Alaina, Caylee Hammack, Mickey Guyton and Hailey Whitters.
2021 Next Women of Country
Ashland Craft
Braylyn Kelly
South Carolina-native Ashland Craft, who previously appeared on The Voice, is signed to Big Loud Records. Craft, who's released "Trainwreck" and "Two Wildflowers and a Box of Wine," has already shared the stage with Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen.
Priscilla Block
Courtesy of CMT
North Carolina-native Priscilla Block gained notoriety for her fresh country sound on the social media app TikTok, where she quickly gained a fanbase for her songs like "Thick Thighs." Her song "Just About Over You" hit No. 1 on the iTunes chart within 12 hours of release.
Brittney Spencer
Courtesy of CMT
Singer-songwriter Brittney Spencer previously toured with Carrie Underwood and was mentioned in Maren Morris' acceptance speech at the CMA Awards.
Spencer released her EP Compassion last year.
Reyna Roberts
Courtesy of CMT
Singer-songwriter Reyna Roberts blazed onto the country scene last year with her rowdy first single "Stompin' Grounds." The multi-talented artist has earned praise from Carrie Underwood, Mickey Guyton and more for her stunning cover of Underwood's "Drinking Alone."
Hannah Dasher
Andrew Morton
Since moving to Nashville, Georgia-native Hannah Dasher has earned a reputation as one of the best songwriters in Music City. Her song "Go to Bed Early" was cut by Brad Paisley and she's shared the stage with Hank Williams Jr., The Cadillac Three and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
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MacKenzie Porter
Bree Marie Fish
Raised on a cattle farm in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, Mackenzie Porter has become a sought-after Nashville collaborator since moving to Music City in 2014. The singer-songwriter has collaborated with hit songwriters, including Nicolle Galyon, Craig Wiseman, Natalie Hemby and Tommy English.
Porter recently released Drinkin' Songs: The Collection.
In addition to her music career, Porter starred in three seasons of the Netflix sci-fi thriller "Travelers." She's also appeared in several of label mate Jake Owen's music videos, including "I Was Jack (You Were Diane)."
Harper Grae
Courtesy of CMT
Alabama-native Harper Grae appeared on the reality competition show Glee Project before beginning her rise to Nashville stardom with 2015's "Hell or High Water." In 2017, she released her debut album Break Your Crowns.
Grae was named as one of "Five LGBTQ and Americana Artists You Need to Know" by CMT and received a 2020 GLAAD Rising Country Star award.
"Living alongside of people who look and love different than me is important," Grae says in a statement. "Nashville has become incredibly tolerant of LBGTQ people. There's a shift and a change, and the music industry is a big part of that. It's important that we take up space and that we do it without apologizing for it."
Tenille Arts
Rachel Deeb
Hailing from Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Tenille Arts moved to Nashville in 2015 and earned a publishing deal and released her first EP in October of 2016.
Arts appeared on The Bachelor in January 2018 to perform her song "Moment of Weakness." She also performed on the series in 2019 and 2020.
She released her album Love, Heartbreak, & Everything In Between in 2020.
Sacha
Courtesy of CMT
Raised in Ontario, in the small farming village of Warkworth, Sacha was raised on country music in a musical family. Sacha won Havelock Jamboree's "The Next Country Music Star" in 2016 and has since performed at multiple music festivals, including Sound Of Music Festival, CMAO stages and the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE).
"I'm a small-town girl, and music has simply been a way of life from a very young age," Sacha says in a press release. "The stage is like coming home, and the audience is like my family."
Chapel Hart
Courtesy of CMT
For Chapel Hart, country music is a family affair. Made up of sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and first cousin Trea Swindle, the trio grew up in the small town of Hart's Chapel, Mississippi.
"It was the storytelling in country music, how easy you could put yourself in a country song," Danica Hart says in a press release. "My dad listened to George Strait and Kenny Rogers. Music was our thing, and it always led back to country music, which shaped us to be who we are today."
With their pure country sound, Chapel Hart is changing the landscape of country music by singing the music that's always been in their hearts.
"I didn't see anyone who looked like me on the country music awards shows," Danica Hart says in a press release. "I hope as we stand on the ACM or CMA stage, girls who want to sing country music will see us and they can see themselves doing what we are doing."
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