WHAT IT IS: After performing at CMA Fest in 2018, Payton Smith caught the attention of Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta and signed a label deal shortly thereafter. On his self-titled debut EP, released last fall, the 19-year-old Louisiana native honors country traditions while moving the sound forward. The singer/songwriter and self-taught guitarist pulls from ’90s country and rock, as he crafts buoyant melodies coupled with sharp but approachable lyricism and fluid guitar playing.
ALBUM: Payton Smith (EP)
RELEASE DATE: 10/04/19
SINGLE: “Like I Knew You Would”
LIVE: On tour with Chris Young on his Town Ain’t Big Enough World Tour 2020; previously performed with Dwight Yoakam and Brad Paisley and at FGL Fest at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
INTERNET: 5m+ global career streams; 1m+monthly Spotify listeners
RADIO: Impacting Country radio in March
PRESS: Named as one of CMT’s 2020 Listen Up Artists, Taste of Country, Rolling Stone (“A country-pop millennial whose songs proudly wave the genre-crossing flag”)
BOOKING: Jay Williams/WME
PUBLISHING: Eclipse Music
MANAGEMENT: Rob Beckham & Eric Smith/The AMG