With a voice like cinnamon and a pen like butter, Roberta Lea is a rising artist, ready to give the world a taste of what she's made of. Fellow artists have called her Hampton Roads’ best kept secret. It's as though she's a family recipe, kept hidden until now. ​ Fellow musicians have described her sound as "country-neo-pop". As a millennial, it's often quite difficult to pin her down to one particular genre. Her influences range from 80s RnB legends like Roberta Flack, Anita Baker and Sade, to pop 90s girl-power players like Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, Shania Twain and everything in between. "One of my biggest references as an artist right now is Tina Turner" Lea says. "Although she's always been a dominating presence in pop-culture as the the Queen of Rock n' Roll, recently I've rediscovered her through the lens of country music." Lea finds comfort in Tina's raspy vocals as she explores the uniqueness of her own voice. She's been described vocally as a Tina Turner/Macy Gray grit, lyrically clever like George Strait, incorporates some Pop-fun like Shania Twain and at times delivers her slower, more sentimental material like Norah Jones. ​ Pursuing music at 35 may seem like it's a late start for some, but for Roberta Lea, it's ideal. She's been slowly marinating and soaking in LIFE. Now that she's ready to do music, she has a buffet of songs that are sure to appease any listener's pallet. Just ask the Black Opry. Her single “Sweet Baby Ray” hit the spot in the hearts of fellow artists and music lovers alike and drove her to record her very first country project “Just A Taste”. Now, she’s been nominated for 6 music awards including Song of the Year and Best E.P.! “Just A Taste” showcases the different flavors of country she infuses in her songwriting. She goes from classic country, to country soul, country rock, pop country and country folk. As a songwriter, she has no limits when it comes to expressing herself through song and telling a good story. As a Virginian, Roberta Lea follows a long list of iconic artists and hitmakers. From classics like Ella Fitzgerald and Patsy Cline, to icons like Pharrel, Timberland, and Missy Elliot, legends like The Dave Matthews Band and Pat Benatar, to modern day rising stars like Old Dominion and Morgan Wade. As a songwriter and an artist, she’s in great company and confident that she's next.

The Reverend Shawn Amos & The Brotherhood is a deep roots collaboration between the blues singer-songwriter and harmonica player and some old friends: drummer Brady Blade (Indigo Girls, Buddy & Julie Miller), bassist Christopher Thomas (Melody Gardot, Norah Jones, Macy Gray), and longtime Rev guitarist Chris “Doctor” Roberts. Their debut album, Blue Sky (released April 17, 2020) came on the heels of The Rev’s 2018 acclaimed, politically charged Breaks it Down. 2019 saw him alighting in Texas, where the South begins, the West ends, and something else is taking shape – a world away, geographically and culturally, from his native LA. Here, he gathered together the Brotherhood, creating a sense of home in his rootlessness. Blade, Thomas, and Roberts provide not only musical, but also spiritual and emotional support for embracing new territory, artistically and otherwise. Prior to emerging as the Reverend in 2013, folks knew Shawn Amos as producer (Solomon Burke’s Live in Nashville and Rhino box set Q: The Musical Biography of Quincy Jones) and Americana singer-songwriter who lived a fantastical Hollywood childhood—one The Rev would document in his semi-autobiographical debut 2022 novel, Cookies & Milk. Unlike past Shawn Amos collaborations with Matthew Sweet and Solomon Burke, the Brotherhood is in it for the long haul. “Everybody feels pride of ownership,” the Rev says. Clearly, from the barn-burning blues stomp of “Counting Down the Days” and “Troubled Man” (featuring Ruthie Foster) to the smoky R & B of “Albion Blues” to the rollicking “27 Dollars,” the Brotherhood is, indeed, down.

With a father from Dublin and a mother from Trinidad, Misty River’s music reflects a rich range of cultural influences. Having "run away" from a strict classical conservatoire to immerse herself in traditional fiddle music in the west of Ireland, she quickly became a sought-after violinist and fiddler, touring with acts from the Corrs to the Kooks, Serj Tankien to Sinead O’Connor. She began writing and singing her own songs after the onset of a chronic illness, and identity in adversity is a recurrent theme in Promises. ‍ “As a result of my illness, it looked like I wouldn’t be able to play any more. That uncertainty gave me an overwhelming sense that now was the time to get on with things, once-and-for-all.” It was then she began writing, and found her own voice – quite literally. “one of the reasons my voice is so unusual is that my condition affects my vocal chords too.” Misty River’s harmonious blend of Americana and traditional roots music combines soulful melodies and heartfelt lyrics with honey-sweet vocals. The debut album, released on October 1st includes the gently captivating Take This Dance, which featured on both the Oscar-winning film “A Phone Call” and the award-winning Netflix documentary “A Secret Love”. ‍ The album, produced by husband Adam Morley and mixed in Nashville by Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, The White Stripes), draws on the music on which she was raised, from Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones and The Band to the Dubliners and Roberta Flack.

Some write music as a creative release. Others feel compelled to perform. For country-soul singer-songwriter Leon Timbo, music is used as a form of growth and healing. Growing up the son of two pastors in Jacksonville, FL, music was integrated into his life from the very start, as a way to communicate spiritual experience. At sixteen, Timbo began singing and by age twenty, he began playing the guitar and performing in a serious way, inspired by artists Bill Withers, James Taylor and Tim Miner. Timbo’s country sound incorporates equal measures of vintage soul, gospel, folk, R&B and even modern blues making for a unique experience that some have described as 'transparent soul.' Timbo is currently on the road supporting his new music and has just finished touring with 2x-Grammy Award-winning bassist, Marcus Miller, during his residency with Blue Note New York, which included two sold-out shows. Timbo will continue touring with Miller along with The Black Opry as well as playing festivals, including American Roots Festival and Newport Folk Festival, throughout the summer.

In both music and life, Brandon and Derek Campbell have been nearly inseparable since birth. The 27-year-old twins from Versailles, Ky., got their first public singing experience in a church choir, but when they weren’t learning worship songs, they were foregoing their classical piano practice time to perform to keyboard beats with their older brother Quentin or singing along to Disney Channel songs in their bedroom. “I remember us never having to practice sounding good together,” Derek recalls. “We just sang together, and it worked.” Still, it took the Campbells some time apart to realize both that music, specifically, was what they were supposed to do with their lives, and that they were supposed to do it together. Brandon moved to Chicago and Derek to Bloomington, Ind., for college, and while they call that separation “probably the best thing that happened to us,” they also didn’t feel quite at home in their new cities. “I think we needed that time away to be individuals for the first time in our lives,” Brandon reflects. “We needed that to come back and bring what we each had to the table, instead of bringing the same thing.” Separately, the Campbells chose to move home, but together, they decided Nashville was where they should be — and when their mother offhandedly referred to them as “my Kentucky gentlemen,” they knew they’d found their duo name. The Kentucky Gentlemen’s sound draws inspiration from the ‘90s country and R&B they favored during their childhood, which combine in “Whatever You’re Up For,” their sultry, yet upbeat single. The duo teamed up with multi-Grammy nominated producers to produce this fresh record. The Kentucky Gentlemen know sharing their more serious personal experiences is just as important as showcasing their fun side. “Unless we call it out, we can’t fight it,” says Derek. “Showing up as your most authentic self over and over and over again will, with time, release so much weight off your shoulders and will start opening doors. It can be hard at times, but it's so much easier than wasting time not being true to who you are.” “People put you into boxes for their comfort, not yours,” Brandon adds. “We hope people see these two guys who just keep showing up as themselves,” Derek continues. “We understand the importance of where we’re going and what that means to people like us. We want to be the same folks that we wish we had always gotten to see on the main stage.”

Kaia draws on her diverse influences in Quebec, the Caribbean, and Appalachia, bringing them together to present an exciting musical direction. Known for her prowess as a songwriter and tradition bearer who performs with “the skill of a folk-circuit veteran” (Rolling Stone), Grenadian-Canadian artist took a decidedly different direction for Grenades. What started out as a search to discover the roots of her identity became a physical and emotional exploration of history, in particular her paternal ancestry, and has led to bold new heights of imagination and creative expression. She grew up between two worlds: one her family’s deep ties to the Canadian folk music scene; the other the years she spent soaking up Appalachian music in West Virginia. Her father grew up in Grenada, fleeing to Canada in 1986 as part of a youth speaker program, after the U.S. invasion. Starting her career early, Kaia released her first EP Old Soul (2013) when she was just out of high school. Since then, she’s gone on to release two more albums, Sorrow Bound (2015) and Nine Pin (2016). Her most recent album weaves between hard-hitting songs that touch on social issues like the Black Lives Matter movement and more personal narratives speaking to life and love in the digital age. Nine Pin won a Canadian Folk Music Award, a Stingray Rising Star Award, and sent Kaia on an 18-month touring journey from Ireland to Iowa, including stops at The Kennedy Center, Hillside Festival and London's O2 Shepherd's Bush. In 2021, Kaia took part in the Slaight Music Residency at the Canadian Film Center, released a new single ("Parallels") in October, and composed original music for the CBC/BET+ TV series entitled 'The Porter'. She is currently working on a full length album for release in 2023.

Kane Allen Brown (born October 21, 1993) is an American singer. Brown first came to the attention of the public through social media. He released his first EP, titled Closer, in June 2015, and followed it with a new single, "Used to Love You Sober", in October 2015. After Brown signed with RCA Nashville in early 2016, the song was included on his EP Chapter 1, released in March 2016. He released his first full-length album, the self-titled Kane Brown, on December 2, 2016. The single "What Ifs" came from this album, and in October 2017, Brown became the first artist to have simultaneous number ones on all five main Billboard country charts. Brown released his second album, Experiment, in November 2018, which became his first number one album on the Billboard 200. Bio courtesy of Wikipedia

Ruthie Foster was born into a family of gospel singers and used that foundation to pave her own way with a musical sound that spans time and many genres. Foster has an 11 album discography  that dates back to 1997. Her consistent body of work has garnered fans and praise from all over the world. Most recently, "Live At The Paramount" , was released in 2020. Foster is a three time Grammy Award nominee, and a Blues Music Awards winner many times over. She's also been a nominee and winner at the Living Blues Critics' Polls. In 2019, Foster was inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame.

Roughly halfway into their 10-year-long quest for country music stardom and globetrotting mother-daughter act O.N.E the Duo finally arrived in Nashville. Then COVID-19 struck. However, undeterred, within a year, their tireless, Barbara Mandrell-style work ethic, rugged yet smooth presentation reminiscent of Miranda Lambert, and Judds-style pitch-perfect harmonies have earned them co-signs from Rolling Stone, CMT, and the Country Music Association. Tekitha and Prana Supreme Diggs have been partnered since she and iconic rap duo Wu-Tang Clan member The RZA conceived her 21 years ago. Tekitha is an accomplished vocalist in her own right and counts a decade-plus worldwide run recording and touring with the groundbreaking rap group in her musical lineage. Prana was born in 2000. Thus, she's a child of the modern era. However, she also has a musical intelligence, sensitivity to humanity, and goal-focused demeanor that make her timelessly prodigal like every country icon from Brenda Lee to Taylor Swift.

California born and Texas raised, Madeline Edwards has transcended musical boundaries, incorporating her jazz, soul, gospel and country influences into her unique sound “through vulnerability and passion” (NPR). In the last year, she earned accolades as a Spotify “Hot Country Artist to Watch”, an Apple Music “Country Riser”, and a CMT “Next Women of Country”. Named a Top 20 Breaker artist on NPR, Edwards’ music has over 13M streams to date. Madeline’s forthcoming debut album comes after a remarkable rise, including performances on some of the genre’s biggest stages alongside Country music’s biggest stars. She has performed on Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Tribute Record with The Highwomen, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, and most recently she was a special guest on Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show Tour this summer. Edwards made her Grand Ole Opry debut this fall, and just last year made her television debut on the 2021 CMA Awards in one of the “best moments of the night” (Billboard).

John-Paul "Jp" Jones is a native Iowegian, heavy blues recording artist and is the leader of the John-Paul Jones Group. For more than 25 years Reverbnation Top 10 International Charting recording artist Professor John-Paul "Jp" Jones has been the leader of the John-Paul Jones Group. As a Member of the AFM, BRC, IBF, ISSA & ASCAP, Prof. Jp's music is deeply inspired by the heavy blues artists of the late 60's in particular, Phil Lynott, Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower & Rory Gallager and equally John Lee Hooker, Miles Davis & Jon Butcher. While leading the John-Paul Jones Group Prof. Jp has received rave reviews for the latest release of "Broke In Bridge City”, released in February 2021 on Eugene’s Trick Bag Records has been chosen Album of The Year by Lifoti magazine readers. Lead singer Aaron Parnell Brown says “the song is an effort to inspire people to hold on to your dreams and be yourself, even when you get knocked down… you gotta hold on. Much like Ali did over the course of his amazing life.” Beyond their first single, The Right Fiction is gearing up for a busy 2022 with a full album release, touring, and many more episodes of their popular podcast “The List: A Right Fiction Podcast.”

Born and raised in Compton, Keb’ began his remarkable journey at the age of 21, when he landed his first major gig playing with Jefferson Airplane violinist Papa John Creach. For the next 20 years, Keb’ would work primarily behind the scenes, establishing himself as a respected guitarist, songwriter, and arranger with a unique gift for linking the past and present in his evocative playing and singing. Though he recorded a one-off album in 1980 under his birth name, Kevin Moore, it wasn’t until 1994 that he would introduce the world to Keb’ Mo’ with the release of his widely acclaimed self-titled debut. Critics were quick to take note of Keb’s modern, genre-bending take on old school sounds, and two years later, he garnered his first GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album with Just Like You. In the decades to come, Keb’ would take home four more GRAMMY Awards; top the Billboard Blues Chart seven times; perform everywhere from Carnegie Hall to The White House; collaborate with many including Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, and Lyle Lovett; have compositions recorded and sampled by artists as diverse as B.B. King, Zac Brown, and BTS; release signature guitars with both Gibson and Martin; compose music for television series like Mike and Molly, Memphis Beat, B Positive, and Martha Stewart Living; and earn the Americana Music Association’s 2021 award for Lifetime Achievement in Performance. In addition to his extraordinary musical output, Keb’ also established himself as a captivating onscreen presence over the years, appearing as himself in Martin Scorcese’s The Blues, Aaron Sorkin’s The West Wing, and even the iconic children’s series Sesame Street. He flexed his acting chops in a wide variety of projects, as well, portraying Robert Johnson in the 1998 documentary Can’t You Hear The Wind Howl, Howlin’ Wolf on CMT’s Sun Records, and the ghostly bluesman Possum in John Sayles’ 2007 film Honeydripper. A fixture on late night TV and award show stages, Keb’ has also performed on Letterman, Leno, Conan, Colbert, and Austin City Limits in addition to appearing on nationally televised broadcasts from The Kennedy Center, The Ryman Auditorium, and Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival. A passionate philanthropist and outspoken activist, Keb’ has devoted countless hours and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of social, environmental, and racial justice throughout his career. As a celebrity mentor with The Kennedy Center’s Turnaround Arts Program, which began under the guidance of First Lady Michelle Obama and the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities, Keb’ “adopted” The Johnson School for Excellence in Chicago, where he teamed up with teachers, students, and parents to help develop a thriving arts education program, and as a longtime ambassador for the Playing For Change Foundation, he’s supported the non-profit from its early days in its quest to provide free music education and basic needs like food, water, medicine, clothing, books, and school supplies to children around the world. Bringing it all back home, Keb’ looked to his own story for inspiration on his captivating new album, Good To Be, artfully linking the grit and groove of his Compton roots with strum and twang of his more recently adopted hometown of Nashville, TN, where he’s lived and worked for the last eleven years. Drawing on country, folk, blues, and soul, the collection transcends genre and geography, weaving together a joyful, heartwarming, and relentlessly optimistic tapestry that manages to encompass the entirety of this once-in-a-generation artist’s larger-than-life career.

Fearlessly forging ahead down country roads, singer-songwriter Julie Williams is turning heads in Nashville’s country music scene with the soft but powerful songs that capture the soul of growing up as a mixed-race child in the South. Music has always been a part of Julie’s life - honing her singing talent in church and beach bars and belting national anthems before packed stadiums. She grew up listening to everyone and everything, from The Chicks and James Taylor, to Gladys Knight and Michael Jackson. Even though she was drawn to the storytelling of country music, she never quite found the sound that spoke to everything she was: Black, white, Southern, a woman, hopeful, truthful. So naturally, it was up to Julie to make this sound. “My music is mixed like me,” is how she describes it, “I want to tell the stories that need to be told.” Julie started sharing those stories, and the people listened. A student at Duke University, Julie was signed to Small Town Records whose alumni include Mike Posner and Delta Rae and sang as a vocalist for the Duke Jazz Ensemble. In April 2019, she released her debut EP, Lovecycle, earning a feature in People of Duke Arts in 2019. After graduating with a public policy degree in 2019, she moved to Nashville, where she became a regular host of The Song Suffragettes, Nashville’s premier collective of female singer-songwriters, and performed her upcoming single Southern Curls at the State of Tennessee’s 100th anniversary celebration of the 19th amendment. She was named in Rissi Palmer’s Color Me Country Class of 2021 and featured on She Wolf Radio’s Ones 2 Watch list. In April 2021, she was featured in a PBS NewsHour special on Black women in country music. “People want to hear black voices, black stories,” Julie always says. “I was nervous about how my songs would be received by Nashville - but people want honesty. They want honest songs about real life, and for the artists they follow to take a stand.” Julie´s upcoming single Southern Curls embodies this - making waves with her soulful lyrics about the struggles of growing up mixed in the South, aiming for the heart and striking true. Her fans responded by raising over $5000 in only one week to fund the song´s music video that was brought to life by an all black creative team. The single and music video, released in March 2021, covered by Billboard, CMT, World of Country, and numerous music publications. Julie has begun touring the country with the Black Opry Revue, a showcase featuring Black artists in country, blues, folk, and Americana music, and performed at their CMT-sponsored anniversary gala in April 2022 that was covered by NBC News. Julie is taking the stage with the group at CMA Fest in Nashville in June 2022 and will follow this performance with her first solo tour. The tour will bring Julie and her songs across the country and globe - with performances in London, Nashville, Charlotte, Washington, D.C, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston.

Making a name for herself since the release of her EP The Best Thing in July 2020, SACHA is one of Canada’s fastest rising country stars. Becoming an iHeartRadio’s “Future Star” following the success of her latest single with the Reklaws, “What the Truck” (19 million+ global streams), SACHA has since been named as a member of CMT’s Next Women Of Country 2021 class and earned her first PLATINUM single alongside The Reklaws with their viral hit track “What The Truck,” which was the the fastest-ever Canadian country song to go PLATINUM in history. She performed the track alongside The Reklaws to close out the national broadcast of the 2021 CCMA Awards. Featured in major television, print and online press including CMT, Music Row Magazine, American Songwriter, Rolling Stone Country, Billboard and The Boot, SACHA has also appeared on A-list editorial playlists (U.S. and Canadian) on Spotify, Apple & Amazon Music. Kicking off 2022, SACHA released her sophomore EP WE DID and saw the music video for its track "Pretty Please" debut in Times Square. Nominated for Rising Star at the 2022 CCMA Awards and the CMAOntario Awards, this fall she landed her first-ever CCMA Award for Top Selling Canadian Single (“What The Truck”). That same weekend SACHA was also named the winner of SiriusXM's Top of The Country contest. She spent this fall on the road across the US with Maddie and Tae and just released a new single "Call It Country" Feat. Jade Eagleson.

As the daughter of a minister and kin to a lot of church folk Nikki grew up listening to traditional gospel/christian music and spent much of her grade school days involved in school band playing clarinet and oboe. But, despite her early exposure to music, it wasn’t until the tender age of 28 when she finally began to start making music of her own. Nikki was born and raised in North Carolina but Chicago is where she found her first home as a performer and songwriter. Starting out in the open mic scene it didn’t take long for her to garner local support and make her way to some great stages around the midwest: opening for acts such as Jaime Wyatt, Caroline Spence, Boo Ray, and Sean Watkins. She is a former winner of the awarded Uncommon Ground Songwriting competition; she has been voted as a ‘Judge’s Pick’ in the Nashville Rising Song contest, and recently had her single Love.Save.Me make it to the semi-final round of the International Songwriting Competition. Nikki finds a way to combine captivating melodies and insightful lyrics with a voice full of raw passion. Her music is unapologetic in it efforts to grapple with real life; and yet elegantly embodies the essence of her “Carolina Soul”.

Born in Birmingham, AL, Lori Rayne is anything but ordinary when it comes to her take on country music. Growing up in one of the most historical places in the south, Birmingham, AL., it’s no secret that Lori Rayne has had a plethora of influences when it comes to southern culture and music. With influences heavy in 90’s hip hop, blues, and country, Lori Rayne brings her own twist to the music she creates. With her soulful voice, coupled with storytelling lyrics, and country beats and vibes, there is truly a uniqueness there. Although Lori had always been interested in music, it wasn’t until 2017 that she took to the internet to display her talents. In July 2018, Lori Rayne released her first ever single entitled “Radiostation (The Beach Song)”. This song displays not only her love for country music, but also some of her influences as well. Soon after, Lori struck again with another single entitled “Beaches in California”, alongside hip-hop artist Asherr Cole, which debuted on Spotify’s “New Music Nashville”. Most recently, Lori released her debut EP entitled “1926”, dedicated to her granddad, and is continuing to write and record new music in Nashville, TN.

Julia Cannon is a Nashville-based songwriter, recording artist and music producer who is hard to forget. Recently lauded for her “beautiful balladry” by Rolling Stone (2022), Julia’s soothing, honeyed voice and quirky personality offer a refreshing, vibrant contrast to the bittersweet honesty of her lyrics and uncertain times for those listening. She was raised in Alaska by a hardworking Filipino mother, in a household Cannon could only describe as “unorthodox.” While surviving adversities, Julia Cannon developed her wicked sense of humor and offbeat persona early. As one of very few people of color in a mostly white, ultra-conservative community, Julia’s creative voice cemented her identity as a young woman who could not - and would not - be overwritten. Julia Cannon’s sound has been described as playful and relaxing, but her tone transcends the folk-pop genre to include soul, rock, and jazz influences. Cannon credits her genre-bending style to influences such as Ella Fitzgerald, Paul McCartney, and Stevie Wonder. In July of 2021, she released her EP Listening, which received positive feedback from both fans and the press. Most recently, Cannon made her debut at Newport Folk Festival, with resounding applause and a nod from Rolling Stone. Her newest single, These Dreams is slated for independent release August 5, 2022 to all streaming platforms. Julia has a growing fanbase in Nashville, who join an existing community of ardent supporters both at home in Alaska and across the US. She is quickly becoming a fan- favorite on the popular social media platform TikTok, with over 12K followers. Known for her outstanding musicality, disarming persona, beauty, style, and offbeat humor, Julia Cannon is a bright star to watch.

Joy Clark is a New Orleans singer-songwriter, lyrical guitarist and composer who creates soulful original compositions that celebrate peace and the undeniable power of love. Her intricate rhythms and warm melodies reveal a sweet vulnerability that enchants her audiences around the world. Like so many other artists in New Orleans, Joy’s first stage was in church. Growing up the daughter of a minister, she learned to create an atmosphere ripe for an emotional experience. So it’s no wonder she believes music is her ministry and intimacy is her superpower. Joy’s melodic offerings are a healing balm to an anxious heart. Each song welcomes the close listener in with open arms– always beckoning truth, authenticity and the courage to tell one’s story. The Boot says “Joy’s music is rhythmic like the pull of the tide.” Her latest single “Good Thing” beautifully captures her craft and depth of her artistry, and musicianship and has garnered radio play along with an official video debut with DittyTv. Joy can also be seen touring with 3x Grammy Award nominee Allison Russell in her ensemble of phenomenal artists. 2022 has brought beautiful beginnings for Joy, and she looks forward to new releases in the near future.