Soulful, gut-wrenching notes sound atop deep, dark piano chords, in  Ryland James’ “In My Head.”  The nineteen-year-old singer/songwriter from Ontario, Canada has gone from making covers on Youtube to performing on stages in Canada, the U.S., and even traveling to the U.K. With his mature voice, this young talent is just starting off his musical career.

With his signature fringed Lone Ranger mask and velvety crooner voice, musician Orville Peck picked himself up by his bootstraps and stomped all over his competition in the Country music scene. Ever since the release of his debut album Pony, a melancholy collection of 12 Southern rock tracks released under Sub Pop records in March 2019, Peck stands neck-and-neck with rising icons in the music industry such as Lil Nas X and Kacey Musgraves. So who is the man behind the mask? Or, rather, what is the man behind the mask trying to say? 

Imagine being a part of a breakout country music duo whose debut album has a chart-topping hit that is 3rd on the Billboard country music charts. Imagine, at only eighteen years old, going on tour with popular country music singer Brad Paisley and feeling on top of the world as you work on your sophomore album. Then without warning, your record label goes belly-up. If you think that is one of the worst things that could happen to an up and coming artist, you’d be right. But that’s exactly what happened to Madison “Maddie” Marlow Font and Taylor “Tae” Dye of the group Maddie & Tae.