Kelsey Hart

An unabashedly straight-ahead country singer who favors the sounds and styles of the 1990s -- not so much creating a throwback as pulling that rockin' country aesthetic into the 2020s -- Kelsey Hart first gained attention for "Life with You," a romantic ballad written for his wife. A viral online hit in 2023, "Life with You" helped bring Hart to a wider audience, setting the stage for the snappier 2024 single "Flannel."

A native of Kentucky who was raised in Greenville, Kelsey Hart started singing at an early age, getting his start in church. In the sixth grade, he sang in a school play, sparking his interest in performing; the flame would dim after he forgot the words to a song during a Christmas production at school. He didn't lose interest in singing, though, cultivating an interest in country music as he grew older, favoring such singers as Blake Shelton and Brett Eldredge. In his adolescence, he devoted himself to athletics but after high school, he began playing music semi-professionally, partially inspired by Billy Gilman's performance on The Voice in 2016.

Hart's first band, Boys of Broad, earned enough of a following for the group to take a shot at recording an EP in Nashville after winning a battle of the bands. The group didn't stay together, but Hart's interest in music intensified. Relocating to Nashville, he worked as a barber and started participating in the city's songwriting rooms, eventually earning a publishing contract with Curb Records. After Jake Owen included "As Long as You're in It" -- a song bearing a Hart writing credit -- on a Greatest Hits collection in 2017, the fledgling singer saw his publishing deal blossom into a recording contract with Curb.

"Let It Ring," his first major single, arrived in 2019. It would later anchor Give You Mine, the debut EP which appeared in February 2022. Hart released a pair of singles -- "Forget to Remember You" and "My Daddy's Fault" -- later in 2022 before launching a string of five singles in 2023 with "6-Pack Gone." "Drink About Me," "4x4," and "Country in Business" were all eclipsed by the sentimental "Life with You," which became a viral online hit in late 2023. He capitalized on its streaming success by releasing the livelier "Flannel" early in 2024. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine