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COUNTRY ROAD ENTERTAINMENT

RISING 25

Discover today's stars. Tomorrow's headliners.

VIEW THE LATEST CHART →
WEEK 13 • NOV 3, 2026

This Week's Top 5

01 Greylan James ▲ 2
02 BELLES ▼ 1
03 Elizabeth Nichols ▼ 1
04 Zach John King —
05 Emily Ann Roberts ▲ 2
EXPLORE ALL 25 ARTISTS →
WEEK 13 BIGGEST MOVER

Gabriella Rose

▲ 4 to No. 6

Climbing four positions, Gabriella Rose makes the biggest move of Week 13.

NEW NO. 1: Greylan James climbs two spots to the top.

HIGHEST DEBUT: Hunter Flynn enters at No. 23.

RETURNING ARTIST: Nathan Dean & The Damn Band at No. 17.

NEXT UP • ON THE BUBBLE

Artists to Watch

26   Tyler Nance

27   Cole Goodwin

28   Cody Lohden

29   Lily Meola

ARTIST CONSIDERATION

Know a Rising Star?

Artists, managers and publicists can introduce emerging talent to CRE.

SUBMIT AN ARTIST →

No paid chart placements. Ever.

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Week 3 • August 25, 2026

The 25 Emerging Country Artists Making Noise Across America

The CRE Rising 25 tracks independent and emerging artists building genuine momentum through new releases, audience growth, streaming activity, live performances and fan engagement.

This week, Blake Whiten rises to No. 1, Kaleb Austin makes his chart debut at No. 9 and Zach John King continues generating strong streaming momentum.

Social Surge
Kaleb Austin
Debuts on the chart at No. 9
Streaming Momentum
Zach John King
Maintains a strong position at No. 2
Breakout Watch
Noah James
Holds steady at No. 6
Artist to Watch
KC Bruner
Enters the chart at No. 21
The Complete Chart

CRE Rising 25 — Week 3

Rank
Artist
Trend
1
Blake Whiten
▲
2
Zach John King
▼
3
Mack Geiger
▼
4
Braxton Keith
—
5
Kevin Powers
—
6
Noah James
—
7
Lily Meola
▲
8
Laci Kaye Booth
▲
9
Kaleb Austin
NEW
10
Elizabeth Nichols
▼
11
The Jack Wharff Band
▼
12
Kashus Culpepper
▲
13
Hudson Macready
▲
14
Micah Fletcher
NEW
15
Greylan James
▼
16
The Castellows
▼
17
Emma Smalley
▼
18
Landon Wilks
▼
19
Mae Estes
▲
20
Jacob Hackworth
▲
21
KC Bruner
NEW
22
Austin Michael
▼
23
Abbie Callahan
—
24
Tyce Delk
▼
25
Belle Frantz
▼
Social Surge

Kaleb Austin Debuts at No. 9

Kaleb Austin makes an impressive CRE Rising 25 debut at No. 9. His expanding social audience and growing fan engagement place him firmly among this week’s emerging artists to watch.

Streaming Momentum

Zach John King Holds Strong at No. 2

Zach John King remains near the top of the chart as continued streaming momentum helps him hold the No. 2 position heading into September.

How the Chart Works

About the CRE Rising 25

The CRE Rising 25 is a nationwide editorial ranking of emerging country artists showing measurable momentum. CRE considers music and streaming performance, audience growth, social activity, fan engagement, live performances, touring activity, industry recognition and overall career development.

Music and streaming account for 40% of the evaluation, social growth and audience engagement account for 25%, live performances and touring account for 20%, industry recognition accounts for 10%, and CRE editorial evaluation accounts for 5%.

Rankings are updated weekly to help fans discover artists who are building something real before the rest of the industry catches up.

No paid placement—ever.

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Country Road Entertainment

Telephone: 830-313-5787

Corporate Address
101 Rainbow Dr., #2976
Livingston, Texas, 77399  USA

Inside Studio CRE — a Country Road Entertainment production

Want to reach out?
info@countryroadentertainment.net

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