ACCLAIMED DEBUT ALBUM ACT I EARNED PRAISE FROM NPR, ROLLING STONE, BILLBOARD, PASTE, SPIN, GARDEN & GUN, EARMILK AND MORE
MADE APPEARANCES ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!, CBS SATURDAY SESSIONS, THE KELLY CLARKSON SHOW, NPR WORLD CAFE ANDTHE TAMRON HALL SHOW
COVER STAR: SPIN (FEBRUARY 2026) + GUITAR.COM (MAY 2026)
ACT I HIT #4 ON AMERICANA ALBUM CHART; #1 AMERICANA AND TOP 10 TRIPLE A SINGLE “BELIEVE”
“HE SUMS UP WHAT THE AMERICANA MOVEMENT IS ALL ABOUT”
– NPR ALL SONGS CONSIDERED
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Today, acclaimed artist-writer Kashus Culpepper earns his first nomination for Americana Honors & Awards Emerging Act of the Year. The recognition follows a whirlwind season for the Alabama-born crooner who released his debut album Act I to widespread acclaim earlier this year. He has been touted by Elton John as “if Bill Withers made country music,” here; made appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Kelly Clarkson Show, NPR World CafeandThe Tamron Hall Show.
The depth of influences in Culpepper’s musical rolodex is reflected within Act I‘s 18 tracks – and features collaborations with GRAMMY® winner Sierra Ferrell (“Broken Wing Bird”) and Marcus King (“Southern Man”). He chose to record Act I in Muscle Shoals, a decision rooted in both state pride and musical history: “So much history between the soul giants of the world, like Aretha and Wilson Pickett, and then some of my favorite bands, like the Allman Brothers.”
Nearing two years since his first release (the lyrical masterwork “After Me?”), Culpepper has been named one of the 2026 Shazam Fast Forward Class, WXPN’s Artist to Watch for January 2026, 2026 Nashville Scene Artist to Watch, GRAMMY.com’s 25 Artists to Watch in 2025, Apple Music Zane Lowe’s 25 Artists for ’25, 2025 Variety Power of Young Hollywood Impact Report, Opry NextStage Class of 2025, Billboard‘s February 2025 Country Rookie of the Month, 2025 Amazon Music Bonfire Artist to Watch, Apple Music’s February 2025 Country Riser of the Month, 2025 Pandora Country Artist to Watch and Martin Artist Showcase Class of 2025.
Culpepper’s notable sound has taken him on the road with Leon Bridges, Sierra Ferrell, Darius Rucker and more. This year he embarked on a headlining run in major markets, as well as dates with Niall Horan, Eric Church, Shaboozey, Jelly Roll, Thomas Rhett and Wyatt Flores. For more information or tickets, visit kashusculpepper.com.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR KASHUS CULPEPPER
“His kaleidoscope of music residing at the central point of various genres has allowed him to traverse various musical communities.” – Billboard
“Kashus Culpepper is steadily proving that he has the potential to become a prominent figure in country music.” –Country Central
“Culpepper is already making a strong case for one of country’s most thought-provoking albums this year.”
– EARMILK
“…one of Nashville’s most exciting new voices.” – Garden & Gun
“Kashus Culpepper is turning heads in roots music – and the mainstream.” – Good Country
“…Culpepper has revived the melodic crooning of ’80s and ’90s country, buoyed by his blues influence…”
– GRAMMY.com
“…Culpepper has cemented himself as a critical darling among the country industry, while building a loyal, burgeoning fanbase.” – Holler
“One of Nashville’s most exciting new voices.” – MusicRow
“…the scene-stealing talent is just getting started.” – Nashville Lifestyles
“He sums up what the Americana movement is all about as he brings country, soul, blues, folk and rock together and spins it and creates something really iconic with it, never far from his Southern roots and willing to explore all kinds of different tonalities and intensities. He’s not afraid of any of it and he brings it all together. The songs are amazing.” – NPR All Songs Considered
“…he seems like one of those inevitable artists who has always been here.” – Paste
“Bursting at the seams with cool, soulful hooks, Act I, as the legendary ‘Rocket Man’ singer so notably put it, in part, to Culpepper, is like if an old school honky tonk crooner merged with Bill Withers…” – PEOPLE
“If what we’ve heard so far is any indication, expect 2026 to be a breakthrough year for this Alabama singer.” – Rolling Stone
“Act I introduces him as a supremely self-possessed artist with a casually soulful voice, an ability to find boundless emotional gradients in even the most straightforward lyric, and a willingness to collide all sorts of genres. – SPIN
“…it’s obvious why his career has been fast-tracked. The handful of songs he’s released so far take a smart, often witty route…performed in a style he classifies as ‘southern sounds’…” – The Guardian
“Culpepper’s style is measured and soulful, like the best blend of fury and sound.” – The Tennessean
“Act I is truly one of the most impressive debuts you’ll hear not only in country music but in music in general in 2026.” – Whiskey Riff
ABOUT KASHUS CULPEPPER
Alabama-born country crooner Kashus Culpepper encompasses the sound of the South. A student and reverent purveyor of Southern music – country, soul, blues, folk and rock – Culpepper’s husky, sandpaper growl bellows like a freight train over self-penned stories that are as raw and real as they are haunting. Finding his voice in church as young as five years old, it wasn’t until 2020’s global pandemic that Culpepper went from listener to performer, picking up a guitar and learning cover songs to play at barrack bonfires in Rota, Spain during his deployment with the Navy. Covers soon became originals, and once he landed home on U.S. shores, Kash played dive bars up and down the Mississippi Gulf Coast, making a name for himself with the fresh-yet-reminiscent sound that oozes from his very being. Crashing into prominence, Culpepper sold out headline club shows throughout the South before formally releasing a single song. With Nashville taking notice, Culpepper found a musical home at Big Loud Records. Culpepper has joined Leon Bridges, Sierra Ferrell and Darius Rucker on tour – embarking this year on a headlining run as well as dates with Niall Horan, Eric Church, Shaboozey, Jelly Roll, Thomas Rhett and Wyatt Flores. Named one of the 2026 Shazam Fast Forward Class, WXPN’s Artist to Watch for January 2026, 2026 Nashville Scene Artist to Watch, GRAMMY.com‘s 25 Artists to Watch in 2025, Apple Music Zane Lowe’s 25 Artists for ’25, 2025 Variety Power of Young Hollywood Impact Report, Opry NextStage Class of 2025, Billboard‘s February 2025 Country Rookie of the Month, 2025 Amazon Music Bonfire Artist to Watch, Apple Music’s February 2025 Country Riser of the Month, 2025 Pandora Country Artist to Watch and Martin Artist Showcase Class of 2025, Culpepper’s debut album Act I is out now.
CONNECT WITH KASHUS CULPEPPER
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK |YOUTUBE
Media Contacts
Corey Brewer + Rachel Heatherly | Big Loud
corey@bigloud.com, rachel@
