INTRODUCTORY PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS ERNEST AND DEVILLE SIGNEES CHANDLER WALTERS, CODY LOHDEN AND RHYS RUTHERFORD
WITH FEATURES FROM SNOOP DOGG, MIRANDA LAMBERT AND JAKE WORTHINGTON
DEVILLE RECORDS AND CADILLAC SESSIONS HAVE BEEN FEATURED IN BILLBOARD, COMPLEX, MUSICROW, PEOPLE, VARIETY AND MORE
ALBUM RELEASE PARTY SET FOR MONDAY, MAY 12 AT LOSERS IN NASHVILLE;
DOORS 5 P.M. / SHOW 6:30 P.M.
ALBUM CO-PRODUCED BY ERNEST
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Today, newly launched DeVille Records releases its inaugural project Cadillac Sessions, introducing three new country voices to the world – handpicked and schooled in founder ERNEST‘s classic-cool style. The mixtape-style compilation features ERNEST, DeVille signees Chandler Walters, Cody Lohden and Rhys Rutherford, and special guests Snoop Dogg, Miranda Lambert and Jake Worthington.
Listen to Cadillac Sessions here.
“We didn’t hold anything back. There is a timeless Americana feel and the old-Nashville mentality of ‘write your songs’ – and those guys wrote their songs,” 2x 2025 ACM nominee ERNEST explains. “They all love classic country the same way I do, and we’re also with the times of the modern era – we ride those waves really well, too. I’m just happy to shed a little light on what they’re able to do.”
Each artist submitted their best work of the moment for the set – tracks they would normally pitch to other chart-topping artists, content with behind-the-scenes success. But instead, ERNEST encouraged the young singer-songwriters to bet on themselves.
With guest appearances from Snoop Dogg, Lambert, and Worthington, the organic sonics of honky tonk, Western swing, ’90s country, and more collide with vivid imagery and modern hooks, becoming a hybrid of classic and cutting edge which positions each artist’s skill. Production was done at Nashville’s Castle Recording Studios (and filmed documentary-style), capturing the creative camaraderie – and the spark of first-time artists living out their dreams, essential to country’s next chapter.
This new-school label’s old-school respect for the country craft is plain. Solo records for each new artist will be the next step, and from there, the road ahead is wide open. DeVille will host a Cadillac Sessions album release party on Monday, May 12 at Losers in Nashville celebrating the project with performances from each of the guys, including special guests. Doors open at 5 p.m. followed by show start at 6:30 p.m.
Cadillac Sessions track list
Produced by Jacob Durrett, Co-Produced by ERNEST
Tracks 4 & 6 Co-Produced by Bart Butler
ABOUT ERNEST
Top-selling singer-songwriter, and Nashville’s unpredictable hitmaker ERNEST is “The Charmer” (MusicRow): a triple threat talent who “creates a sound all his own” (Pollstar) and one of Music City’s defining artist-writers. The 4X ACM Award nominee (2025/2024), 3X CMA Triple Play Award winner, and 2022 / 2023 Variety Hitmaker fuses influences ranging from Eminem to George Jones, crafting a twist-heavy verse style that’s earned himself twelve No. 1 hits as a songwriter. His highly anticipated full-length sophomore album, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, “clearly honors the spirit of Music City while simultaneously proving ERNEST as one of the most dynamic singer/songwriters in country music” (The Tennessean), features 26 songs and collaborations with Lainey Wilson, Lukas Nelson, Jelly Roll, HARDY and more. The album has been shortlisted as one of the Best of the Year by Billboard, Los Angeles Times, The Tennessean, and Country Now, following in the footsteps of its critically acclaimed predecessor, FLOWER SHOPS (THE ALBUM), and its cleverly expanded deluxe edition, FLOWER SHOPS (THE ALBUM): Two Dozen Roses, which added a baker’s dozen of fresh cuts to the bunch. ERNEST also recently co-penned the Hot 100 record-breaking single, “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone ft Morgan Wallen earning him a 2025 GRAMMY® nomination. Having a jam-packed 2024, ERNEST served as support for Morgan Wallen’s One Night At A Time Stadium Tour as well as a string of arena shows for Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken Tour. He continues on the road in 2025 as direct support for Lainey Wilson and Old Dominion. “From hitmaker to historian…Ernest is reviving the sound of classic country music” (Los Angeles Times).
ABOUT CHANDLER WALTERS
Bringing energy back to the classic-country tradition, Chandler Walters is a 22-year-old multi-talented native of Marietta, Georgia, signed to ERN’s Cadillac Music / DeVille Records. Already a seasoned steel-guitar player and multi-Platinum, all-genre No. 1 songwriter, his burgeoning artistic career is now kicking off, schooled on a mix of rock and country influence. The guitar slinger moved to Nashville on a whim in 2021, picking up steel guitar and catching the attention of hitmaker ERNEST in the process, who promptly added Walters to his band. Traveling the world while learning song craft from the modern greats, he signed a publishing deal with ERN’s Cadillac Music in 2024, earning monster success as co-writer on Post Malone’s 5X Platinum, all-genre No. 1 single “I Had Some Help (feat. Morgan Wallen).” Walters posted six cuts on Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion in total, and has also co-penned tracks for ERNEST (including “I Went To College, I Went To Jail” (feat. Jelly Roll)), Bailey Zimmerman (“Is This Really Over?”), Charles Wesley Godwin (“Dead To Rights”), and more. Now signed to DeVille Records, he makes his artistic debut on Cadillac Sessions – a compilation album mixing classic style with a new-Nashville swagger, introducing Walters and his label mates to the world. Boasting organic, live-show inspired country sonics (with plenty of steel guitar) and a knack for modern language, tracks like “Worth The Trouble” find a proven hitmaker turning “real shit” into catchy, singalong anthems.
ABOUT CODY LOHDEN
A vocal powerhouse with both the pipes and penmanship of an authentic country hero, Cody Lohden is a singer-songwriter signed to ERN’s Cadillac Music / DeVille Records, primed for a creative breakout. The former Firefighter-Paramedic has spent the last few years on a unique story of self-styled success and now answers the call of a new artistic chapter. Raised in Garfield, Kentucky, Lohden got his first guitar at 12 and quickly put it to use, drawn to the simplicity of country craftsmen like Keith Whitley and Don Williams, and the greasy grit of rockers like Bob Seger. He joined the school choir but was too shy to sing solo…until Lohden’s dad entered him in a local singing competition, which he won. Performing for a crowd of 800, his stage fright was replaced by a passion for the stage, and Lohden went on to make monthly trips to Nashville, learning to write songs with a lived-in mix of heart and hooks. Lohden was releasing music independently while living on a buddy’s couch for six months when one of his TikTok videos went viral, connecting the raw talent with hitmaker ERNEST. Lohden signed a publishing deal with ERN’s Cadillac Music four months before making the move to Nashville, and has since toured in support of Bailey Zimmerman, Walker Hayes and ERNEST, while co-writing cuts for ERNEST, Zimmerman, Austin Snell and others. He is now one of the first artists signed to DeVille Records, with every aspect of his work leveling up. Matching smooth country sonics and a vibrant vocal with a modern, lyric-driven edge, tracks like “Tail Light, Porch Light, Miller Lite” appear on the label-launching mixtape, Cadillac Sessions. And with a new solo project in the works, there’s much more on tap.
ABOUT RHYS RUTHERFORD
With the killer instincts of a Music City hitmaker, 25-year-old Rhys Rutherford was raised on songs – and is now putting his education to work. Signed to ERN’s Cadillac Music /DeVille Records and with a commanding baritone vocal, the emerging country songwriter’s first batch of tunes were just beginning to land, when provocateur (and benevolent bossman) ERNEST encouraged him to pursue an artistic career. “His voice is too good to just give away songs,” ERN says. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, the student of songwriting masters learned at the foot of his father – Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Rivers Rutherford – soaking up the wisdom and sound of chart-topping contemporary country. Matching that to a penchant for classic rock, grunge and hip hop, he wrote his first song at 16 – and after coming home from a short stint at Ole Miss, began using that open-minded fusion of styles for real. Years of under-the-radar work led to a publishing deal with ERN’s Cadillac Music in 2023, and then early cuts like Bailey Zimmerman’s “Is This Really Over?,” ERNEST’s “Hangin’ On (feat. Morgan Wallen),” George Pippen’s “Rest of Our Life,” and more. Blending those songwriting chops with his rumbling, soul-piercing vocal and a knack for authentic, relatable hooks, Rutherford is one of the first artists signed to DeVille Records. He’ll make his first appearance on the label-launching Cadillac Sessions mixtape, sharing the dusky dive-bar anthem of missed chances “Get Her Name” and more. And with a solo debut in the works, Rutherford is just scratching the surface of his potential. “I think this is just the start of something … something really big,” he says.
ABOUT DEVILLE RECORDS
Founded in 2025 by multi-Platinum singer-songwriter and emerging music mogul ERNEST, DeVille Records is a new-school label built on old-school creative values, steering toward the future of country music. A joint venture with Big Loud Records focused on artist development, personal song craft and a collaborative spirit, the label is designed to build careers for the long haul – just like ERNEST’s prized Cadillac DeVille – and welcomes Chandler Walters, Rhys Rutherford, and Cody Lohden as its first signed artists. Handpicked and schooled in ERNEST’s classic-cool style, they make their debut on Cadillac Sessions, a mixtape-style compilation introducing each new talent – alongside ERNEST and other special guests. Featuring a mix of originals and choice covers, the set was recorded at Nashville’s Castle Recording Studios bringing new energy to the timeless country craft, as ERN continues to “water Nashville’s songwriting culture” for a new generation of growth. Solo records for each new artist will be the next step, and from there, the road ahead is wide open.
# # #
Media Contacts
Corey Brewer + Rachel Heatherly | Big Loud
corey@bigloud.com, rachel@bigloud.com
Jennifer Vessio | 1220 Entertainment
