2014 Country Music Breakout Artists of the Year!

2014 was a good year for country music. Artists like Tim McGraw dropped new material that climbed the charts, Carrie Underwood took us all to church with Something In The Water, and Garth Brooks came out of retirement to sell 1,000,000 concert tickets. But in Canada and the US we’ve also seen new artists really make a big push onto the charts, tours and consciousness of country music fans.

Before we get to our 3 Breakout Artists of the Year we have to give special mention to Brett Eldredge, Tim Hicks, Brett Kissel, Cole Swindell, Lindsay Ell, Brandy Clark, Tebey, The Reklaws, Trinity Bradshaw and all of the new artists that made us sing along in 2014.

In Canada the Breakout Artist of 2014 has to be Jess Moskaluke…

The Saskatchewan native burst onto the scene with Cheap Wine And Cigarettes and Used from her debut studio album, Light Up The Night. She took the stage at Boots & Hearts to play for an engaged audience, made a ton of new fans, and rode that momentum all the way to 3 Canadian Country Music Association Award nominations and the trophy for Female Artist of the Year.

When we talked to Tim Hicks in the summer and asked him who would win that award he had Jess on the tip of his tongue and pointed out that there may not have been a bigger song in 2014 than the certified gold, Cheap Wine and Cigarettes. Big things are coming for this talented young artist, and while it may be hard to top an award for best female performer, we wouldn’t at all be surprised if she finds a way.

In the “Legacy Division” our Breakout Artist of 2014 is CMA Best New Artist nominee, Thomas Rhett…

Thomas Rhett is the son of country music hit maker Rhett Akins (That Ain’t My Truck, Don’t Get Me Started) and is quickly making a name for himself in Nashville and across North America. Now 2 years into his career, his success in 2013 pushed him into a 2014 spotlight and Rhett didn’t disappoint.

With 2013’s It Goes Like This and Get Me Some Of That rolling over into 2014, and the release of You Make Me Wanna putting him on the charts again, a big career is definitely underway here. And when you add in the songwriting credits for Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Lee Brice and more, Thomas Rhett starts looking more and more like a country music legacy that is going to build his own storied career full of gold records and trophies.

And the #1 Country Music Breakout Artist of 2014 is… Sam Hunt!

After making his name in Nashville as a songwriter with hits by Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and Billy Currington, Sam Hunt decided to step up to the microphone and start recording his own hits. And it was the best decision he could have made.

The success of Montevallo has surpassed every expectation we had, even after telling everyone that Hunt was going to be a superstar in Country Music. With seven Top 40 songs, including the #1 Leave The Night On, 2014 has been a HUGE year for the former quarterback, and there’s no sign that he’s going to slow down.

Awards for Best New Artist should be a lock for Sam Hunt at 2015 ceremonies, and don’t be surprised if you see his name on Male Artist of the Year lists as well. We’re going to see a lot more of this guy, and while traditionalists will debate the “countryness” of his songs, fans will continue to eat them up.

Feel like we got it wrong? Leave a comment to tell us who we missed and vote in the poll to tell us who was your #1 Country Music Breakout Artist of 2014.

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