Nominees Revealed For New Faces of Country Music 2024

The Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) announced today that the nominees for the CRS 2024 New Faces of Country Music include George Birge, Chayce Beckham, Dillon Carmichael, Corey Kent, Megan Moroney, Conner Smith and Warren Zeiders.

Since its inception in 1970, a group of rising stars have been invited to join the New Faces of Country Music® as a result of their success at Country Radio and the expectation that their impact on airwaves will continue for years to come.

“Even as other formats become more transient, the country community’s commitment to developing artists for the long term remains,” CRS New Faces Committee Chairman Chuck Aly said in a recent statement. “All these artists are prime examples, and the five who will be voted in as New Faces join a storied lineage to that effect.”  

Voting for the Class of 2024 will be open from Monday, November 27, to Friday, December 1, at www.CountryRadioSeminar.com. The select group of rising stars who come out on top will be celebrated at the New Faces of Country Music® Show. 

Co-partnered by the Academy of Country Music and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, this must-attend event for industry insiders has taken place during the annual Country Radio Seminar (CRS) for over five decades. Next year’s Country Radio Seminar will take place from February 28 to March 1, 2024 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

According to the CRB in order to be eligible to vote, you must be a full-time employee primarily involved in the programming, promotion, and distribution of country music. This includes professionals from broadcast radio, satellite radio, television outlets, and digital service providers while excluding those with vested interests in individual artists or musical works, such as labels, managers, agents, and publishers.

Get To Know This Year’s Nominees:

George Birge (Records Nashville) 

A lot has changed for George Birge since he released his fan-favorite song “Mind On You” to streaming platforms in November of 2021. Upon its impact to airwaves, the tune landed him the No. 1 most-added song at Country radio and quickly began climbing the charts. Eventually, he proudly shared with fans that this tune marked his first top 15 at country radio. Co-penned by Birge with Jaron Boyer, Michael Tyler and Colt Ford, “Mind On You” later appeared as the title track to Birge’s debut album.

Chayce Beckham (BMG Nashville)

Chayce Beckham has churned out great success throughout the year with his autobiographical, self-written song, “23.” He debuted the track on Season 19 of American Idol when challenged with the task of performing an original song for the Top 4 round of the 2021 competition. This song carried him to the finals of the competition where he was crowned the winner. After getting his foot in the door, Beckham sent “23” to country radio on January 23, 2023, where it quickly shot to the top of numerous charts including the iTunes All-Genre and Country charts. It has since racked up over 312 million streams (and counting), is currently surging its way towards the Top 15 and recently earned the California native a platinum plaque. 

Dillon Carmichael (Riser House)

In October of 2021, Dillon Carmichael released his tear-jerking single, “Son of A.” The tune penned by Carmichael with Casey Beathard and Phil O’Donnell marked the emerging artist’s third single to radio in under five years after being signed to Sony-distributed Riser House Entertainment. It also inspired the name of his 2021 full-length album, which was later expanded as a deluxe project. Listeners were quick to draw a connection to the storyline as it pays tribute to loved ones who played an impactful role in your life.  “Son of A” is currently top-30 on the Mediabase Country Airplay chart and continues climbing. 

Corey Kent (SMN/RCA)

Corey Kent was coming off a major career shift when he landed his first-ever No. 1 hit on Country radio with “Wild As Her.” He had just walked away from his job at a pavement company, signed a major record deal and was ready to dive headfirst back into music. The fan-favorite single serves as the leading track to Kent’s latest album, Blacktop. It has made huge waves in his career, as it earned him his first-ever entry onto the Billboard Hot 100, reached No. 15 on the Hot Country Songs Chart, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. 

Megan Moroney (SMN/Columbia)

Megan Moroney broke out into the country music scene at a rapid pace, thanks to her viral sensation, “Tennessee Orange.” The song, which Moroney co-wrote with Ben Williams, David Fanning, and Paul Jenkins, claimed the top spot on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase Country Airplay chart the week of June 20, 2023. Her debut single not only became Moroney’s first No. 1 at Country radio, but it also earned her an RIAA Platinum certification, a win for CMT Breakthrough Female Video of the Year, and led her to sign with Sony Music Nashville/Columbia Records. The tune lives on the rising female star’s debut album Lucky, alongside her self-assured anthem, “I’m Not Pretty,” which impacted Country radio airwaves as the No. 1 most-added single. 

Conner Smith (Valory Music)

Conner Smith saw a major shift in his career after earning his first-ever top 20 hit at country radio with the sultry love song, “Creek Will Rise.” Smith, alongside co-writers Chris LaCorte, Chase McGill, and Parker Welling, formed the narrative that illustrates an evening under the stars with his love interest that takes a romantic turn after getting caught in the rain together. “Creek Will Rise” became such a fan-favorite during Smith’s shows that he decided to further captured the hard-hitting energy with a live version recorded during his first hometown headlining show in Nashville, TN. As a result of its rapid success, Smith reveals that the tune will serve as the lead single of his yet-to-be-announced debut album. 

Warren Zeiders (WMN)

At the time when Warren Zeiders sat down to write with Jared Keim, Ryan Beaver, he had no idea that they were about to create one of the most impact songs of his career thus far. This song turned out to be “Pretty Little Poison,” which debuted as most added at Country radio in its first week on the airwaves and has amassed over 75 million global streams (and counting). Additionally, the smokey single broke into the Top 40 on the Mediabase Country Airplay Chart and the Top 25 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart. On August 18, the song appeared as the lead single and title track to Zeider’s debut album. 

Registration for Country Radio Seminar is available for purchase at www.CountryRadioSeminar.com. For more information, visit www.CountryRadioSeminar.com,