Tennessee is well-known for its country music out of Nashville, but here’s a list of Nashville and surrounding area artists that you won’t find on the latest country chart-topper.
Josie Dunne
Though she’s recently grown in popularity, you may have not yet heard of this talented, 22-year-old star, touring through the United States with Astrid S, Stephen Puth, and Jake Scott this Spring. Josie has written catchy tunes I love such as 'Old School', 'Good Boys', 'Mute', and 'Same', as well as heart-touching ballads like 'Saying Goodbye'. I would describe Josie’s sound as Pop with heartfelt lyrics. It has all the catchiness of pop without sacrificing the lyrics for the sake of popularity. Making a song with a relatable storyline is definitely not lost on Josie, as every one of her songs paints a picture you can see in your mind's eye, which makes her amazing music videos that much more enjoyable! You can almost see her sitting frozen at the red light in 'Saying Goodbye', or laughing her way through the grocery store with her significant other in 'Same'. Not to mention, they’re all worthy of hitting that repeat button! Josie’s song 'Stay The Way I Left You' (feat. Dahl) is the first single off her project Late Teens / Early Twenties that is set to release this year.
Arts Fishing Club
Arts Fishing Club is new to my listening rotation, so there’s not much I can tell you about them, except that you don’t want to miss out on their amazing tunes. They have a familiar sound that I can’t put my finger on, but it feels like home. Their Facebook page has their genre listed as “heartstring tickling” and I couldn’t agree more. Every song is familiar enough to feel comforting and at the same time, no two Arts Fishing Club songs are alike. That’s one of my favorite things about this band. I feel like I can turn their records on during a long drive and feel a comfortable familiarity. There’s something nostalgic about them for me. My personal favorites so far are 'Devil On My Shoulder' and 'Hello Heartbreak'. While 'Hello Heartbreak' is not yet on Spotify, I have linked the video for it here. The song begs the question “Why do we love to torture ourselves?” and seems to be about catching up with heartbreak after a long time since your last. Every AFC song has been better than the last. Make sure to add them to your 2020 playlist.
Anthony Amorim
Anthony has music for many different music tastes. His sound ranges from acoustic to alt-rock and the lyrics are all heartfelt (and mostly relatable). From '2004' to 'LO:ST' to 'Sad Forever', you’re bound to find a song that you like that makes you either nostalgic or all in your feels. And, don’t worry, you’ll want to get up and dance a lot of times too!
Amorim’s debut album 2004 hit streaming services in 2016, soon getting him some well-deserved recognition by new listeners online. In the title track, Anthony reminisces about his childhood and wishes it hadn’t passed him by so quickly. Even for those who weren’t kids in 2004, it brings nostalgic vibes, and begs the question, why is growing up so complicated??
Since 2016, Amorim released a more electric, alt-rock album, LO:ST, featuring upbeat danceable songs like Alter Ego, Looks Like and Torn, as well as the slower and more acoustic tunes like 'Sometimes', 'Finale', and 'Home'. This record didn’t waver on heartfelt lyrics or relatable stories. Anthony also released an EP called Sad Forever, where the title track consists of him reminding himself that he should keep up with self-love and remember that sadness never stays forever. Amorim has plans to release new music through the year, and I’m already placing bets on every release being better than the last.
Jordy Searcy
Jordy is another great artist that is rising in popularity that you may be late to the party on if you don’t act soon! Jordy was on Team Pharell on The Voice in 2015, but he’s so much more than his NBC appearance. Searcy’s debut EP Seasons released in 2015 and consisted of beautiful Singer/Songwriter tunes that each tell a beautiful story, not unlike every other song he’s released. While this beautiful record is no longer available on streaming services, it’s worth listening to on his YouTube channel. Following Seasons, Jordy has released a “mixtape” every tour full of works in progress, available for purchase at his shows, as well as multiple singles available to streaming services. In following years, Searcy has released an EP and multiple singles, including my personal favorites of the bunch, 'Why Can’t We Be Friends?', 'Better', and 'RICH'. Since 2020 began, Jordy has released a new song called 'Friendship?' and it hits close to home for anyone who has had feelings for a friend. I expect Jordy to release even more new music in 2020, and I expect it to be amazing (It always is, you can trust me).
Black Market Research
Black Market Research is a band that I discovered when I wasn’t looking. I met BMR's vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, Nick Britt, back in 2013 at a music camp. He played an acoustic version of their song 'Insult To Injury' and I knew they’d be one of my new favorite artists. BMR has the alt sound that everyone’s looking for. There are songs to rock to and songs that you might cry to. All of which you’ll know all the lyrics to sooner or later since you’ll never want to stop listening. Black Market Research is the band I have to see every time they come to town. Their shows never disappoint and their sound always brings me to my feet. Some of my favorite Black Market Research songs are 'Love Her Like Crazy', 'Not My Life', 'The Floor', and 'Insult To Injury' of course. You’re bound to add at least one of their songs to your 2020 anthems playlist before the year is over.
Written by Abby!
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