CMT Announces Next Women of Country Class of 2021

CMT’s Next Women of Country program has been giving female artists a platform since 2013, and has hosted names including Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde, Lauren Alaina, Mickey Guyton, RaeLynn and Gabby Barrett. This year’s group, announced on Monday, contains 10 new names, all of whom will receive cross-brand support for their music and videos across CMT and CMT Music channels, CMT Radio (220+ channels), CMT Hot 20 Countdown, CMT.com and @CMT and will be featured in music video rotation in the newly permanent ‘CMT Equal Play’ channel on Pluto TV.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the newest class of CMT’s Next Women of Country,” Leslie Fram, Senior Vice President, Music & Talent, CMT, said in a statement. “These artists represent the best of fresh new talent and the diversity of styles that country music has to offer. We look forward to providing this group more exposure than ever before, particularly within the ViacomCBS family on Pluto TV, as well as providing them with essential resources to help them build their musical careers.” Read on to learn more about the class of 2021.

Ashland Craft

Craft released her debut single “Trainwreck” in 2020 and followed with “Two Wildflowers and a Box of Wine,” both of which shine a light on her Southern rock-influenced sound and grit-filled voice. After ending up in the Top 10 on The Voice, Craft has gone on to open for artists like Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen, with more new music on the way.

Brittney Spencer

Singer/songwriter Brittney Spencer moved to Nashville in 2013 and has worked as a songwriter as well as a background singer for artists including Carrie Underwood and Christopher Cross. In 2020, she released her debut EP, Compassion, and was one of the artists Maren Morris highlighted in her CMA Awards acceptance speech in November.

Chapel Heart

Family trio Chapel Hart includes sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and cousin Trea Swindle and gets its name from Hart’s Chapel, Mississippi. After spending time in the New Orleans music scene and becoming the first female band to ever headline the New Orleans Jazz Festival in Innsbruck, Austria, the group is preparing to release its second album, which contains the boot-stomping single “Jesus & Alcohol.”

Hannah Dasher

Dasher was fired from an early job at Bass Pro Shop for writing songs on the clock, where one of the ideas she had ultimately formed her first cut as a writer, Brad Paisley’s “Go to Bed Early.” She soon signed a publishing deal and later a record deal with Sony Music Nashville. Her latest release is the stirring “Girls Call the Shots,” though she also made a name for herself on TikTok in 2020 with her Stand By Your Pan cooking series.

Harper Grae

Harper Grae appeared on Glee Project after graduating from the Auburn University, and she released her first album, Break Your Crowns, in 2017. She’s since released additional new music including recent single “Muddy Water,” which allows her powerful voice to shine through as she examines her difficult past and looks forward to her future. “If Martina McBride, Reba McEntire and Brandi Carlile had a child – that’s me,” Grae says on her website. “I love an incredible story. It’s hard for me to get away from that.”

MacKenzie Porter

With her 2019 hit “These Days,” MacKenzie Porter became the first female Canadian country artist to land consecutive number-ones since Shania Twain in 1998, and she followed that success with the release of her EP Drinkin’ Songs: The Collection. “Obviously it’s country, but it has a little pop influence in it,” Porter told PopCulture.com of her sound. I feel like a lot of the song they sound uptempo and happy, but a lot of them are actually about heartbreak… I’ve always been drawn more to sad songs. So a lot of it’s sad songs with a beat and tempo to it.”

Priscilla Block

Block can thank TikTok for her recently-signed deal with Universal Music Group Nashville — she exploded on the platform in 2020 with a number of self-penned songs, including the fun-loving “PMS” and “Thick Thighs,” but it was her emotional and honest entry, “Just About Over You,” which she released to streaming services after fans helped her raise money to finance a recording, that made the labels come calling.

Reyna Roberts

Roberts officially made the move to Nashville in 2020, and she’s since received support from Mickey Guyton and Carrie Underwood for a cover of Underwood’s “Drinkin’ Alone.” In July, Roberts released her own song, “Stompin’ Grounds,” a driving, twang-filled track inspired by Roberts’ time living in Alabama and her determination to follow her dreams, which has appeared on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

Sacha

Sacha hails from Ontario, Canada and won the title of “The Next Country Music Star” at the Havelock Jamboree in 2016. She’s since opened for a number of Canadian artists and released her EP The Best Thing in 2020. Her latest single is “Cheers,” a unifying ode to everyone unafraid to unapologetically be themselves.

Tenille Arts

After appearing on The Bachelor as a musical guest in 2018, Canada native Tenille Arts signed a deal with Reviver Records, where she released her sophomore album, Love, Heartbreak, & Everything In Between, in 2020. She has since performed on The Bachelor twice more, made her Grand Ole Opry debut in 2019 and her music has earned over 51 million streams.