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10 Country Artists That Got Their Start on Reality Shows

Reality competition shows have become common place with U.S. audiences since “American Idol” debuted in 2002. Over the past 16 years, we have gotten to see fledgling singers become stars with sustainable careers in country music.

More and more artists are being discovered in unconventional ways, which have now become the norm. From Carrie Underwood and Scotty McCreery to Miranda Lambert and Chris Young, these names may not have crossed our lips if it weren’t for reality shows. Imagine that.

We take a look at 10 country artists who got their start on reality competition shows.

1. Carrie Underwood

Carrie made her debut on Season 4 of “American Idol.” The Oklahoma native made it through round after round singing songs like Tiffany’s “Could’ve Been” and Heart’s “Alone.” The latter performance leading judge Simon Cowell to say, “I will make a prediction, not only will you win this show you will sell more records than any other previous idol winner.” And she did.

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2. Miranda Lambert

It was 15 years ago when we were first introduced to a young girl from Texas, Miranda Lambert. Thanks to the TV reality series “Nashville Star,” we Miranda got the platform she needed to break into country music. She ended up finishing third in her season behind second place finisher John Arthur Martinez and winner Buddy Jewell, but caught the attention of a Sony Music exec. The rest is history. Evidently, you don’t have to win a reality show to end up on top. In Miranda’s case, it might worked out better for her to lose.

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3. Chris Young

Chris Young was a mere 21-years-old in 2006 when he won the fourth season of “Nashville Star.” The Tennessee native auditioned for the show only 3 seasons behind Miranda. While Miranda came up short, Chris beat out fellow contestants Nicole Jamrose and Casey Rivers. Even though Chris won, it was wasn’t until 3 years later that his country career took off, giving him his first No. 1 single, “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song).” He has since gone on to score 9 more No. 1 hits. His latest being “Losing Sleep” from his seventh studio album.

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4. Scotty McCreery

A 16-year-old Scotty made his way onto “American Idol” by singing Josh Turner’s “Your Man” in his audition. To which Jennifer Lopez said “You make me smile.” Scotty’s been making all of us smile since taking home the title in season 10 of the reality competition series. Beating out second place finisher and fellow country singer Lauren Alaina, Scotty was the youngest “Idol” to take home the prize. The Garner, North Carolina, native recently scored his first No. 1 recently with “Five More Minutes,” his seventh single from his third studio album, Seasons Change.

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5. Lauren Alaina

Apparently, winning isn’t everything. Lauren Alaina was the runner up in Season 10 behind Scotty McCreery. Although she didn’t win the show, she caught the eye of Nashville and record label Mercury Nashville (now Universal Music Group), where she signed her record deal. Fast forward six years and Lauren scored her first No. 1 hit in 2017 with “Road Less Traveled” and received an ACM nomination for Best New Artist in 2018. She grabbed onto our hearts in 2011 and hasn’t let go since.

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6. Kellie Pickler

Kellie is another “American Idol” alum that didn’t win, but managed to kick start her career in country music, thanks to the show. Although she gave it the old college try, Kellie finished sixth in season 5. Taking the loss in stride, The North Carolina native headed to Nashville where she signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/BNA Records. She released her first single “Red High Heels” in 2006 and never looked back. Kellie won the “Idol” audience over with her sweet southern charm and found herself continuing to win over audiences today as host of own show, “Pickler & Ben.”

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7. Kacey Musgraves

Many people may have forgotten that in 2007 Kacey was a part of season 5 of the reality competition series, “Nashville Star.” After all, she had already released three albums in Austin before giving it a go on the show. Kacey ended up finishing seventh overall, behind Whitney Duncan (5) and winner Angela Hacker. But that didn’t stop the Texas native from paving a way for herself in Nashville. After releasing her debut album in2013, Kacey took home ACM award for Album of the Year for Same Trailer Different Park in 2014. She is set to release her third studio album, Golden Hour, on March 30.

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8. RaeLynn

“The Voice” was a different kind of competition series, one with coaches instead of judges, but a competition series nonetheless.” RaeLynn was the first country artist to come out of the new hit show in 2012. She made it on to season 2 when Blake Shelton and Adam Levine turned their chairs around as she sang the Pistol Annie’s “Hell on Heels.” RaeLynn chose Blake as her coach, making it all the way to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by her mentor. Today, RaeLynn is signed to Warner Bros. Records and working on her sophomore album. She recently released the lead track, “Queens Don’t,” an empowering anthem about knowing your worth.

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9. Cassadee Pope

In season 3 of “The Voice, Cassadee Pope became the first female winner and second winner for Team Blake, behind Jermaine Paul from Season 2. The Florida native got all the coaches to turn their chairs with her cover of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn.” She made it to the finale beating out Terry McDermott and Nicholas David to take home the honor. Before the win, Cassadee was previously in a rock band called Hey Monday. Her win on “The Voice” led to the release of her debut solo country album, Frame by Frame, in 2013, which debuted at No. 1 on the Country Albums chart.

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10. Danielle Bradbery

A 16-year-old Danielle Bradbery was introduced to the country music world when she became the winner of season 4 of “The Voice” in 2013. Danielle became the third consecutive winner for Team Blake. With two new coaches in season 4, the Texas native was able to turn three chairs—Adam Levine, Usher and Blake—with her version of Taylor Swift’s “Mean.” Danielle ended up picking Blake Shelton as her mentor. That decision worked, because it got her the win. She released her self-titled debut album shortly after her win. But after a lackluster debut, Danielle, now 21, took her time to regroup and write her sophomore album, I Don’t Believe We’ve Met, which she released in Dec. 2017.

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