Apple Tv+ has unveiled the trailer and the name of the 12 artists featured in My Kind of Countrythe innovative series consisting of eight episodes, created by the executive producers Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves.
My Kind of Country is a new series that intends to reinterpret i talent show music, breaking down barriers in country music and offering an extraordinary opportunity to diverse and innovative artists from all over the world. Scouts Allen, Guyton and Peck select a handful of up-and-coming artists to invite them to the home of country music in Nashville, Tennessee, and help showcase their talents to audiences. The winner will receive a life-changing experience from Apple, including exposure to international audiences on the Apple TV+ and Apple Music platforms.
Here are the artists vying to become country music’s next big star.
Jimmie Allen artists
Al Aguirre | Chihuahua, Mexico
Ale infuses his music and bilingual lyrics with mariachi, norteño, banda and other sounds he learned growing up in Mexico. At the age of 16 she learned to play the guitar and is now in the process of establishing herself as an independent singer-songwriter with a loyal following earned thanks to her popular YouTube channel.
Dhruv Visvanath | New Delhi, India
Dhruv, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter and producer, began his musical journey at the age of seven. At the age of 16, when his father passed away, he concentrated more on writing songs, thus being able to fully express what he was feeling. He has scored two independent films with Vishal Bhardwaj for Sonchiriya and AR Rahman for Blinded By the Light. Guitar and heart in hand, Dhruv is nurturing a love of country music in his hometown of New Delhi.
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Camille Parker | Durham, NC
Raised by her grandparents, Camille credits her passion for music to her grandfather, who introduced her to country music. After training in the church choir, she launched into her own business doing session recording for pop and R&B, before dedicating herself fully to country music. She dreams of inspiring young black girls to make their dreams come true, everywhere, especially in the country industry.
Justin Serrao | Johannesburg, South Africa
Justin started out playing punk and alternative rock, but the foreign country music he heard on the radio and his father’s tastes in music led him to the music he plays today. Fusing his rock sound with country influences meant following his passion, even at the cost of turning South Africans into country music fans.
Mickey Guyton Artists
Ashlie Amber | Nashville, Tennessee
A longtime singer, Ashlie worked for years before finding her way as a cruising artist. She started singing at the age of six, and after the tragic loss of her father when she was young, her music became an outlet for her and a way back to a better place.
Chuck Adams | Nashville, Tennessee
Growing up in predominantly white neighborhoods and influenced by different styles of music, Chuck never really fitted in. He initially found success as a rap writer signing to a label who, however, dumped him in 2011; Chuck took this departure as a sign that he was following his true path in the genre he loved: classic country. Today he is a perfectionist who takes care of every detail and is here to learn to let go.
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The Betsies – Zel and Landi Degenaar | Cape Town, South Africa
Zel and Landi, Afrikaans sisters, grew up in a small mining town called Witbank, listening to their parents’ record collections and singing in the church choir. They played together over the years and after moving to Cape Town they started performing together. They have sometimes felt like an outsider in South Africa due to their passion for country music, but they are proud to embody American culture and the music they love.
Wandile | Johannesburg, South Africa
Growing up in a music-loving family in East London, South Africa, Wandile was more of an athlete than a musician, and was a professional rugby player before his musical journey began when he picked up a guitar in 2010 . Wandile is passionate about analogue storytelling, where he uses his musical point of view to reframe difficult memories into better ones.
Orville Peck’s Artists
Alisha Pais | Goa, India
Alisha is a singer-songwriter who was born and raised in Mumbai/Bombay, but moved to Goa during the pandemic, seeking relief. She has always been singing and started performing at the age of 16. Alisha writes and performs songs with a no-nonsense rawness and hopes her music will bring joy into people’s lives and help them connect with their truest selves.
The Congo Cowboys – Julie Sigauque, Simon Attwell and Chris Bakalanga | Cape Town, South Africa
The Congo Cowboys are a South African group who blend country music with African music, vibrating the strings of the banjo and returning the instrument to its African roots. They perform in English and Lingala, the official language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They simply hope that their music will get people on the dance floor and get them moving by blending different sounds and cultures.
Ismay Hellman | Petaluma, Calif
Ismay is a non-binary songwriter. When she’s not playing country and bluegrass with her family and friends in the barn, she Ismay tends to her ranch in Petaluma. Musically, she has struggled to make her way into typical country music, but the sound and vibrations of nature are infused into her unique voice, opening a new perspective on the classic tones of bluegrass.
Micaela Kleinsmith | Cape Town, South Africa
Micaela grew up watching singing competitions and dreaming of getting on stage. She was heavily bullied as a child and music became an escape for her, as well as a way to make friends. She started writing songs at the age of fourteen and has continued to grow as an artist, landing on South Africa’s Idols in 2016.
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Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves it’s executive producers of the series together with Sara Rea and Lauren Neustadter Of Hello Sunshine And Jason Owen Of Sandbox Entertainmentto the Emmy-nominated showrunner Izzie Pick Ibarra (The Masked Singer, Savage x Fenty Show Vol. 3, Dancing with the Stars, Ladies of London) it’s at Katy Mullan Of Done + Dusted (The Disney Family Singalong, A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy by John Legend, The Little Mermaid Live!, Dear class of 2020, Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics). The Emmy winner Adam Blackstone is the Music Director (Music Director for Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Faith Hill, Rihanna and for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, for the Oscars, Grammys, The Masked Singer).