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Arriving in the wake of Sam Hunt's and Thomas Rhett's pioneering modern R&B and country fusion, Jimmie Allen adheres to a similar glossy sound that emphasizes melody and grooves in equal measure. This slick, assured style helped lift his 2018 debut album, Mercury Lane, up to number 11 on the country chart, taking the singles "Best Shot" and "Make Me Want To" to number one on Billboard's Country Airplay chart, as well. This success cemented Allen's status as the most commercially successful Black artist in country music since Darius Rucker, a position he consolidated with his 2021 EP Bettie James, which featured the Noah Cyrus duet "This Is Us" in its original incarnation and the Brad Paisley duet -- and Country Airplay number one -- "Freedom Was a Highway" in its expanded "Gold Edition." In its wake, Allen received belated New Artist nods from the CMA Awards and Grammys in 2021 -- he won the former -- setting up the release of his proper second album, Tulip Drive, in the summer of 2022.

A native of Milton, Delaware, Jimmie Allen was born on June 18, 1985. Allen began singing as part of speech therapy while in middle school, and music soon became an obsession. Once he was an adult, he headed to Nashville in 2007, intent on working his way into the country music industry. After a rough start -- he spent several months living in his car -- he began working as a songwriter, landing a few publishing deals; one of his songs even appeared in a Super Bowl commercial. Allen harbored dreams of performing. He'd sing and work as a standup comic, auditioning for America's Got Talent, where he didn't make the cut. He did make it onto American Idol in 2010, the year that Scotty McCreery took home the crown; he made it to Hollywood but didn't go much further.

Allen kept plugging away in Nashville while working a variety of jobs, occasionally getting closer to the spotlight (he got a bit part in a Taylor Swift commercial for soda in 2013), eventually catching a break when he met producer/songwriter Ash Bowers in 2016. A year later, Allen signed with BBR's Stoney Creek Records subsidiary in August 2017 and released "Blue Jean Baby," which was the first single from his self-titled debut EP. Released late in 2017, the set was produced by Ash Bowers and Eric Torres. Named after the street where he grew up, Mercury Lane, Allen's first long-player, arrived in October 2018. It debuted at 11 on Billboard's Country Albums chart upon its release. Shortly afterward, "Best Shot" worked its way to number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart; it was followed there in 2019 by 'Make Me Want To."

Allen worked at cultivating an audience beyond country music: in 2019, he teamed up with Abby Anderson for a cover of the Lady Gaga hit "Shallow," and in 2020, he released "This Is Us," a duet with pop singer Noah Cyrus. The latter track appeared on his follow-up EP, Bettie James, in July of that year; the record was named after his late grandmother (Bettie) and father (James).

"Freedom Was a Highway," a duet with Brad Paisley, rocketed to the top of the Billboard Country Airplay charts in 2021, kicking off an eventful year for Jimmie Allen. "Freedom Was a Highway" anchored the "Gold Edition" reissue of Bettie James, which came out in June of that year. Around its release, he founded the music festival the Bettie James Fest in his hometown of Milton, Delaware. By the end of the year, Allen also published the children's book My Voice Is a Trumpet in 2021 and appeared on the 30th season of Dancing with the Stars. During this time, he became the first Black solo act to win New Male Artist of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards, which was only one of his belated nods for New Artist: he also won New Artist of the Year at the Country Music Awards and was nominated for Best New Artist at the 64th Grammy Awards, along with being named the Outstanding New Artist at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards.

Jimmie Allen returned with his second proper studio album, Tulip Drive, in 2022. Named after the street where his grandmother lived -- an echo of the genesis of the Mercury Lane title named after his own childhood street -- Tulip Drive was a lengthy pop-oriented album featuring cameos by Jennifer Lopez, T-Pain, CeeLo Green, Katie Ohh, and Allen's son Aadyn. Allen supported Tulip Drive by being Carrie Underwood's supporting act on her Denim & Rhinestones Tour. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Building upon her family's musical heritage, singer Noah Cyrus has an emotive sound that straddles contemporary pop and country. While she initially garnered attention as an actress (appearing on Hannah Montana with sister Miley and dad Billy Ray), it was her 2020 EP The End of Everything that set her apart, launching her onto the Billboard charts and earning her a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Following collaborations with PJ Harding, she issued her full-length debut, The Hardest Part, in late 2022.

Born in 2000, Cyrus grew up in Nashville the daughter of producer and director Tish Cyrus and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. She is also the sister of singer Miley Cyrus, actress/DJ Brandi Cyrus, and singer/guitarist Trace Cyrus. At the age of two, she made her acting debut in an episode of the TV show Doc. More work followed, including regular appearances on her sister Miley's show Hannah Montana, as well as roles in films like Mostly Ghostly. This work led to Cyrus providing the voice of Ponyo in the English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki's 2008 anime film of the same name and singing the film's theme song with Frankie Jonas. She also starred alongside Grace Reaves in the duo's web-based production The Noie and Ems Show.

After signing a deal with Barry Weiss' Records label, Cyrus released her debut single, "Make Me (Cry)," in November 2016. The track was a collaboration with U.K. singer/producer Labrinth and reached the Top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. She spent all of 2017 and a good portion of 2018 releasing singles in advance of her planned debut long-player, NC-17. Instead of the album, however, her first EP arrived that September; Good Cry featured the singles "Mad at You" with Gallant and "Punches" with LP. The EP peaked at number 13 on the Heatseekers Albums chart in October. The single "July" appeared, fittingly, in July of the following year; that November, Cyrus released a duet version of the song with soul singer/songwriter Leon Bridges, which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 early in 2020 and was certified platinum in multiple markets.

Months later, she issued her second EP, The End of Everything. Featuring an appearance by Ant Clemons, the EP fell somewhere between Billie Eilish and Kacey Musgraves, a pop-oriented set with country and gospel touches. Upon release, it marked her first appearance on the Billboard 200. A pair of collaborations with PJ Harding, "Dear August" and "You Belong to Somebody Else," appeared in early 2021. By the end of the year, she had also garnered a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Released in September 2022, her full-length debut, The Hardest Part hit number 13 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, thanks in part to highly streamed singles like "I Burned LA Down" and "Mr. Percocet." A couple of months later, Cyrus and Harding teamed up once again, this time for the Christmas single "Snow in LA." ~ Matt Collar & Heather Phares