Tucker Wetmore

With his 2024 single, "Wine into Whiskey," Tucker Wetmore unveils a country persona that falls halfway between Jason Aldean's brooding ballads and Morgan Wallen's hedonism. Over constrained drum loops, Wetmore sings a minor-key melody in a twangy, clipped fashion that makes him seem distinctly modern.

A native of Kalama, Washington, Tucker Wetmore played music in the moments he wasn't playing football as a teen. As high school football star, he pursued music in his spare time, but when he attended Montana Technological University as a business and information technology major, he concentrated on football. Once an injury curtailed his athletic dreams, Wetmore decided to pursue music. Moving to Nashville in 2020, he released a series of indie singles in 2021, beginning with "Kiss My A$$," then running through "Another Shot" and "She's Trouble." He signed with Back Blocks Music in 2023, releasing "Wine into Whiskey" shortly afterward. After making an online impression, the single entered Billboard's Country Airplay Charts in early 2024. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine