Nashville’s most unpredictable hitmaker ERNEST is “The Charmer” (MusicRow): a triple threat talent who “creates a sound all his own” (Pollstar) and one of Music City’s defining artist-writers who continues to push and challenge the artistic status quo. The GRAMMY-nominated, 4X ACM Award nominee (2024), 2X CMA Triple Play Award winner, and 2022 / 2023 Variety Hitmaker fuses influences ranging from Eminem to George Jones, crafting a twist-heavy verse style that’s become his signature, proving its mettle, and earning him twelve No. 1 hits as a songwriter and one No. 1 at country radio himself. The eccentric free spirit released his highly anticipated full-length sophomore album, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, last year, a set that “maintain(s) Nashville’s tethering to its legendary history while wholly embracing the soul of the city’s future” (The Tennessean), featuring 26 songs and collaborations with genre tastemakers Lainey Wilson, Lukas Nelson, Jelly Roll, HARDY, and more. The album was named one of the Best of the Year by Billboard, Los Angeles Times, The Tennessean, and Country Now, following in the footsteps of its critically acclaimed predecessor, FLOWER SHOPS (THE ALBUM), and its cleverly expanded deluxe edition, FLOWER SHOPS (THE ALBUM): Two Dozen Roses.

With the killer instincts of a Music City hitmaker, 25-year-old Rhys Rutherford was raised on songs – and is now putting his education to work. Signed to Ern’s Cadillac Music /DeVille Records and with a commanding baritone vocal, the emerging country songwriter’s first batch of tunes were just beginning to land, when provocateur (and benevolent bossman) ERNEST encouraged him to pursue an artistic career. “His voice is too good to just give away songs,” Ern says. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, the student of songwriting masters learned at the foot of his father – Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Rivers Rutherford – soaking up the wisdom and sound of chart-topping contemporary country. Matching that to a penchant for classic rock, grunge and hip hop, he wrote his first song at 16 – and after coming home from a short stint at Ole Miss, began using that open-minded fusion of styles for real. Years of under-the-radar work led to a publishing deal with Ern’s Cadillac Music in 2023, and then early cuts like Bailey Zimmerman’s “Is This Really Over?,” ERNEST’s “Hangin’ On (feat. Morgan Wallen),” George Pippen’s “Rest of Our Life,” and more. Blending those songwriting chops with his rumbling, soul-piercing vocal and a knack for authentic, relatable hooks, Rutherford is one of the first artists signed to DeVille Records. He’ll make his first appearance on the label-launching Cadillac Sessions mixtape, sharing the dusky dive-bar anthem of missed chances “Get Her Name” and more. And with a solo debut in the works, Rutherford is just scratching the surface of his potential. “I think this is just the start of something … something really big,” he says.