Brandy Rayana Norwood, better known by her mononym Brandy, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, model and actress. Born into a musical family in McComb, Mississippi, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist for teen groups. After signing with Atlantic Records in 1993, she released her self-titled debut album the following year, which sold six million copies worldwide. Brandy gained fame by starring in the UPN sitcom Moesha, and further recognition for her role in the television film Cinderella (1997) and the slasher film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998). Her 1998 duet with fellow R&B contemporary Monica, "The Boy Is Mine", won a Grammy Award and became one of the best-selling female duets of all time. Her second album, Never Say Never (1998), sold 16 million copies worldwide.
Loretta Lynn was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill", "Blue Kentucky Girl", "Love Is the Foundation", "You're Lookin' at Country", "You Ain't Woman Enough", "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl", "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' ", "One's on the Way", "Fist City", and "Coal Miner's Daughter". The 1980 musical film Coal Miner's Daughter was based on her life.
Lucinda Gayl Williams is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums, Ramblin' on My Mind (1979) and Happy Woman Blues (1980), in a traditional country and blues style that received critical praise but little public or radio attention. In 1988, she released her third album, Lucinda Williams, to widespread critical acclaim. Regarded as "an Americana classic", the album also features "Passionate Kisses", a song later recorded by Mary Chapin Carpenter for her 1992 album Come On Come On, which garnered Williams her first Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1994. Known for working slowly, Williams released her fourth album, Sweet Old World, four years later in 1992. Sweet Old World was met with further critical acclaim and was voted the 11th best album of 1992 in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of prominent music critics. Robert Christgau, the poll's creator, ranked it 6th on his own year-end list, later writing that the album as well as Lucinda Williams were "gorgeous, flawless, brilliant".
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Underwood's single "Inside Your Heaven" (2005) made her the first country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), was bolstered by the successful crossover singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats", and became the best-selling debut album of all time by a solo female country artist. She won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist. Her next studio album, Carnival Ride (2007), had one of the biggest opening weeks of all time by a female artist and won two Grammy Awards. Her third studio album, Play On (2009), produced the single "Cowboy Casanova", which had one of the biggest single-week upward movements on the Hot 100.
Jason Aldine Williams, known professionally as Jason Aldean, is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released eleven albums and 40 singles. His 2010 album, My Kinda Party, is certified quadruple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His 2012 album Night Train is certified double-platinum, while his 2005 self-titled debut, 2007 album Relentless, 2009 album Wide Open, and 2014 album Old Boots, New Dirt are all certified platinum. Aldean has received five Grammy Award nominations throughout his career, twice for Best Country Album.
Brandi Marie Carlile is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Her music spans different genres, including folk rock, alternative country, Americana, and classic rock.
Lorraine McKenna is an American folk, Americana, and country music singer-songwriter. In 2016, she was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and won Best Country Song for co-writing the hit single "Girl Crush" performed by Little Big Town. In 2017, she again won Best Country Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for writing "Humble and Kind" performed by Tim McGraw. McKenna along with Lady Gaga, Natalie Hemby and Hillary Lindsey wrote the second single off the soundtrack to the 2018 film A Star Is Born called "Always Remember Us This Way.” McKenna performed backing vocals along with Lindsey and Hemby, and the song received a nomination for Song of the Year at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Jennifer Odessa Nettles is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer.
"Before He Cheats" is a song by American singer Carrie Underwood from her debut studio album, Some Hearts (2005). Written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear, it was released as the fourth single from the album. The song tells the story of a woman taking revenge on her unfaithful partner.
Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her biographical songwriting, artistic reinventions, and cultural impact, Swift is a leading figure in popular music and the subject of widespread public interest.
Shane Lamar McAnally is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. He debuted as a singer in 1999 with his self-titled album on Curb Records. This project produced three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including "Are Your Eyes Still Blue".
Sarah Ellen Jarosz is an American singer-songwriter from Wimberley, Texas. Her debut studio album, Song Up in Her Head, was released in 2009 and the song "Mansinneedof" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Country Instrumental Performance. Her second studio album, Follow Me Down, released in 2011, received a Song of the Year nomination from the Americana Music Association's 2012 Honors and Awards. Her third studio album, Build Me Up from Bones, was released on September 24, 2013 through Sugar Hill Records. Build Me Up from Bones was nominated for Best Folk Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, and its title track was nominated for Best American Roots Song. In 2016, Jarosz released her fourth studio album, Undercurrent. The album won two Grammy Awards.
Troy Verges is an American songwriter of country and pop music from Louisiana.
12 Stories is the debut studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Brandy Clark, released on October 22, 2013, through Slate Creek Records. Clark wrote or co-wrote all 12 of the songs and it features Vince Gill on background vocals. The songs on the album are mostly ones which were admired by, but not recorded by, other artists, possibly due to the provocative storytelling and their content, which is a Clark trademark. Two of the album's tracks were previously recorded by other artists: "Crazy Women" was a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for LeAnn Rimes as the second single from her 2011 album, Lady & Gentlemen, and "The Day She Got Divorced" was previously recorded by Reba McEntire for her 2010 album, All the Women I Am.
Cathy Lee "Catt" Gravitt is an American songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. In the music business for over 20 years, she signed on as a writer with her current publishing company, Razor and Tie, in 2008. Gravitt has songwriting credits in multiple genres and has written songs with or for several artists including Kid Rock, Kelly Clarkson, Kelsea Ballerini, Jake Owen, Vince Gill and Natalie Grant, among others. In 2012, she won the SESAC Songwriter of the Year award. Gravitt most recently won the Canadian Country Music Association's 2018 Songwriter(s) of the Year award, along with co-writers Skip Black and Aaron Goodvin, for the song "Lonely Drum", performed by Aaron Goodvin.
"Follow Your Arrow" is a song recorded by American country music singer and songwriter Kacey Musgraves. The song is featured on her major label debut album, Same Trailer Different Park. It was released on October 21, 2013, as the album's third single. It was written by Musgraves, Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally. It was named Song Of The Year at the 2014 CMA Awards. Rolling Stone ranked 'Follow Your Arrow' number 39 on its list of '100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time'.
Kelsea Nicole Ballerini is an American country pop singer and songwriter. A four-time Grammy Award nominee, she began having success in the 2010s, being honored with the Gene Weed Milestone Award at the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Rising Star Award at the Billboard Women in Music.
Ingrid Elizabeth Andress is an American country music singer-songwriter. Her breakthrough single, "More Hearts Than Mine" (2019) peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her single "The Stranger" (2020) peaked at number 49 on Country Airplay and her single "Wishful Drinking" (2021) became her second entry on the Billboard Hot 100. She has released two albums: Lady Like (2020) and Good Person (2022). She has also cowritten songs recorded by other artists including "Boys" (2017) by Charli XCX.
Anne Claire Wilson is an American Christian musician and songwriter. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Wilson was inspired to pursue a career in country music after the death of her older brother, Jacob Kent Wilson. She made her debut in 2021, with the release of the single "My Jesus" through Capitol Christian Music Group. My Jesus, Wilson's debut extended play, was released in 2021, with Wilson releasing the full album My Jesus in 2022. Her singles "Seventh of June" and "Living Water" were released in 2023. In 2024, she released her second album, REBEL. Wilson released three Christmas songs on the EP I Still Believe in Christmas in 2021. The following year, Wilson released another Christmas EP titled The Manger, and the songs on I Still Believe in Christmas were added to that EP.
