More About Corey Kent

As a new-school country rocker with a reputation for red-dirt swagger and blue-collar grit, Sony Music Nashville artist Corey Kent has spent more than 15 years cutting his own path through a tangled wilderness of stumbles and setbacks … and never once come close to waving a white flag.

A Bixby, Oklahoma native now based in Dallas, the proud husband, father and creative freedom fighter has become a decorated artist on the rise, growing from humble heartland roots into a Platinum certified Number One hit maker with 750 million career streams, and a black bandana on his neck. But today, that Black Bandana is more than an accessory – and not just the name of his sophomore major-label album. It’s his rally cry.

“It started from riding motorcycles and wanting something over your face so you didn’t swallow a bug,” the singer-songwriter says. “But then it turned into a staple I wear on stage, and then a symbol of the path through my career, and life. Through all the ups and downs, the one constant thing was this relentless hope – this relentless pursuit of believing that if I don’t give up, I can get where I’m going.”

With a self-built story that has seen success and disaster, keeping that belief wasn’t always easy – but it’s been paying off. Rising from the vibrant Red Dirt country scene as the embodiment of authenticity, Kent set his sights on Nashville as a teen, bringing his self-penned catalog of country-rock anthems with him. But after the pandemic coincided with the loss off his first publishing deal, Kent was forced to move to Texas and get a job on a paving crew to pay the bills, yet he stubbornly refused to call music quits. Honkytonks and dancehalls on both sides of the Red River became his stomping ground, and slowly but surely, the black bandana spirit grew.

Fast forward a few years and the hit single “Wild As Her” proved he was right all along An untamed tribute to a free-spirited stunner, the track re-invigorated Kent’s career as a Platinum-certified Number One at country radio, and the lead single off his major label album debut, Blacktop. And while momentum kept building, with Kent hitting the road alongside Jason Aldean, Ashley McBryde, Parker McCollum and more, the mainstream moved to claim they knew it all along. Next-big-thing accolades came in from CMT, Opry Next Stage, and more, but even as Kent became the most played new artist on country radio for all of 2023, he kept the underdog, who-cares-about-conventional-wisdom mentality. And so did his fans.

Despite never cracking country radio’s Top 40, Kent’s trust-your-gut second single “Something’s Gonna Kill Me” went Gold (and is now approaching Platinum status), proving his message was connecting – even if the old guard couldn’t hear it. “There was no real measurable success at radio, but it’s an anthem, a creed,” Kent explains. More than that – it’s a motto fans get tattooed on their skin.

For Kent, the point was that his fans have the same independent spirit he does, and he took that lesson into his next chapter. Settled in to his ranch in Texas and intent on being fully present as husband and father, while also achieving his dreams, his second album is all about finding balance, keeping clear eyes on what’s important – and waving that Black Bandana for all to see.

“When I was an indie artist, I was just making art for the sake of making art,” he explains. “But it’s really easy to think ‘Is this going to work? Are people going to like this?’ And the further I go down that rabbit hole, the less happy I get. So this record is simple: It’s just like ‘What do I want?’”

Co-writing six of Black Bandana’s 10 songs, what Kent ultimately wanted was to mix themes of integrity, resilience and family with a sonic setting befitting the mission. Finding the midway point between Bruce Springsteen and Brooks & Dunn, cinematic electric guitars and heart-pounding drums meet a warm, gravel-road rasp, as Kent brings classic rock into the present tense.

Paired with sweeping, spacious atmosphere and the subtle undercurrent of a gathering thunderstorm, it’s the perfect musical score for some Great Plains poetry, filled with heartbreak and hope. And these days, the hit maker is trying not to overthink his art. It if feels right, it probably is.

“It’s supposed to be fun,” he admits. “Not everything has to be about climbing a ladder. … I wrote a lot of this record at my ranch in Texas, just staring out the window at our three horses and our three kids riding four wheelers. I’m trying to create songs about life, where I do life. And I think that’s unique.”

“Black Bandana” helped set the tone. Co-written with Rocky Block, Jordan Dozzi, and Brett Tyler, the slow-burning call to stand your ground pairs tender country-rock reverence with a big-picture mindset, helping tie all of Kent’s struggle, success, and plans for the future together. The album was almost finished when he wrote it, Kent says, but he was happy it “derailed” the project.

“It encapsulates the journey. The reason we’re here is because we didn’t give up, and the whole record is a call to action against all odds,” he explains. “When the going gets tough and everybody quits, you be the one that stays the course and never gives up. I think there’s a lot of people that relate with that.”

Other tracks fuse that call to action with Kent’s let-it-ride mentality. The dark and smoky soul of “Ain’t Gonna to Lie” kicks the album off, mixing Skynyrd with Stapleton and a rough-edged ‘70s rock spirit for a tune that on the surface, finds a guy fessing up about the damage to his broken heart. But really, it’s another call to be unapologetically honest, in whatever you stand for.

Tunes like the less-is-more stunner that is “Damn Good Country Song” beg for a chance to get destroyed by love, matching Kent’s tender growl with a bare minimum of back alley R&B production – just enough to make the torchy track strut. And while “Never Ready” emerges as a fully-realized full-circle ballad, with Kent acknowledging the fleeting nature of our most precious blessings, tracks like “Now or Never (feat. Lauren Alaina)” seek to strike while the romantic iron is hot – a seize-the-moment power duet built on orchestral “’80s hair metal ballad vibes.”

“Break Like That” smolders with a singalong promise of fidelity, and while “Rust” tributes a love that will weather the elements, tracks like “Nothing But Neon” and “This Heart” sway with somber classic rock heartache. In the end, Kent finishes on the “raw” and reflective ballad “So Far,” tracing his journey in stark acoustic lines while also rededicating himself to his wife. It’s a love letter – and a look back – but like the black bandana he wears, also a reminder. He may have stuck to his guns and come a long way, but the road doesn’t end here.

“We all face our own demons. We all face our own setbacks, and I hope this record serves as encouragement,” he says. “It would be really easy to lean on the past and go ‘Look at what I’ve done,’ but I’m still excited about the records I’ve yet to create. I’m excited about the shows I haven’t played yet. I’m excited about unlocking new levels of my craft, and writing more songs that people connect with deeply. …I still live for those moments.”

More About Josh Ross

MCA / Universal Music Canada artist Josh Ross is a global force; a next-generation talent who’s anything but standard. On an unconventional path of his own design, Ross pairs a dark and mellow blast of modern country with a warm vocal rasp and rock inclinations, heart-on-his-sleeve songwriting and addictive hooks that heed no borders. Pulling influences ranging from Guns N’ Roses and Metallica to country-rock outlaw Steve Earle, the former collegiate football player has leveraged his knack for emotional song craft into a series of certified hits.

His dusky power ballad “Trouble” rose to #1 in Canada, earning Double Platinum certification in Canada and RIAA Gold certification in the U.S., and introduced what would become his 2024, 8-song EP, Complicated. The project earned Ross his first-ever JUNO Award in 2025 for Country Album of the Year, and in 2024 he took home five CCMA Awards. Canada-born and Nashville-based, the current CCMA Entertainer of the Year tallies more than 1 billon career streams and has been hailed as an Artist to Watch by Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, MusicRow, the Grand Ole Opry, and more.

Touring alongside hard-rocking, cross-genre superstars like Nickelback, Brantley Gilbert, Bailey Zimmerman, and Luke Bryan, Ross recently wrapped tour support to Jelly Roll on The Beautifully Broken Great Northern Tour across Canada. His bold barroom anthem “Single Again” is climbing the charts – now inside the Top 5 at US country radio and “Leave Me Too” peaked #2 at Canadian Country radio. Ross took home his first-ever CMA Award in 2024 – the Jeff Walker Global Country Artist Award – recognizing his international achievements in country music.

More About Shane Profitt

A salt-of-the-earth southerner with a straight-shooting swagger and kind smile, Shane Profitt is an authentic, all-natural talent who is poised to become one of Nashville’s most exciting new acts. The Columbia, TN native began his musical journey only a few years ago with a simple ambition – to learn to play Hank Jr. songs on the guitar. Beginning with three chords (G, C and D) and by putting in the time, he quickly mastered the instrument. Gifted with a heavy-duty vocal, Profitt became a regular draw at the popular southern cooking chain, Puckett’s, traveling all over Tennessee to weekend shows while still holding down his job back home working for the city of Columbia mowing ditches. Since then, he has rocked sold-out shows at the historic Ryman Auditorium, earned standing ovations at the Grand Ole Opry, and is writing modern Country music rooted in his blue-collar upbringing. With tracks like “Still Picks Up,” the emerging artist introduces more layers and emotion to his usual feel-good, windows-down sound, storytelling in a way that hits close to home every time. The vulnerable tune followed the debut of his upfront writing style and barrel-chested voice on the three-song collection Maury County Line (BMLG Records/Harpeth 60 Records). With tracks like the hook filled honky-tonker “Better Off Fishin’,” chest-thumping charmer “Guys Like Me,” and his hopeful heaven-on-earth Top 15 Country radio single “How It Oughta Be,” it’s clear he puts his life to music — along with the lives of so many others. Now, Profitt is stepping into his next chapter with Maverick Nashville Management and joining the roster of Triple Tigers Records, each stewarding his talents towards a long-lasting and impactful career. Recently, Profitt released his latest EP, Population Me, out now. The project includes hit songs such as “Penny to My Name” and fan-favorite, “Long Live Country,” as well as a collaboration with one of his musical heroes, Randy Hauser. Population Me shows an artist on the rise whose booming voice, connective songwriting and warm personality has been winning over fans across the country.