Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton boldly introduced himself to the public at-large in 2015 with the release of his breakthrough debut album, Traveller. Released in May on Mercury Records Nashville, Traveller initially debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart with more than 27,000 albums sold, making it one of the bestselling first weeks by a debut country artist in 2015. The album also received extensive critical acclaim and has landed him bookings on multiple national TV shows including recent appearances on Saturday Night Live and CBS News Sunday Morning.

Following a historic turn on the CMA Awards—where Stapleton became the first artist to win Album of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year at the same awards—Traveller became the first album to re-enter the Billboard 200 all-genre album chart at No. 1, where it stayed for two straight weeks.

The breakthrough success continued earlier this year at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, where Stapleton took home two awards for Best Country Album and Best Country Solo Performance ("Traveller"). Most recently, Stapleton won six awards at the 51st Annual ACM Awards—Album of the Year (for Traveller as both artist and producer), Song of the Year (for "Nobody To Blame" as both artist and songwriter), Male Vocalist of the Year and New Male Vocalist of the Year. With the six wins, Stapleton ties the record for most ACM Awards won in a single year (only Garth Brooks and Faith Hill have previously won six in the same year).

Co-produced with Dave Cobb, Traveller is comprised of songs written throughout Stapleton's 15-year career and evokes his childhood when country, blues, rock and R&B swirled together to create a distinctive sound that still resonates with modern fans.

Brandy Clark

As a singer/songwriter, Brandy Clark racked up several significant hits in the early years of the 2010s -- Miranda Lambert brought "Mama's Broken Heart" to number two in 2013, the Band Perry had a number one single with "Better Dig Two" -- which was the background to her acclaimed 2013 solo debut, 12 Stories. Taken together, the hits and the debut album presented Clark as a formidable contemporary country talent, one rooted in classic country but with a keen eye for the present, telling modern stories that are placed within a timeless tradition.

By the time "Mama's Broken Heart" climbed the charts, Clark had begun making a name for herself as a performer. She opened for Sheryl Crow in 2012 and made her Grand Ole Opry debut in December of that year, the same month she independently released a three-track EP. The eponymous EP became a word-of-mouth hit among critical circles, building an appetite for the fall 2013 release of the full-length 12 Stories. Brandy is set to release a new album called Big Day in a Small Town in June, 2016.