Drew Baldridge, Ashley Cooke, Dasha, Zach Top, and Warren Zeiders demonstrated their rising superstar status during the New Faces of Country Music showcase at the 2025 Country Radio Seminar (CRS) on Friday, February 21.
The CRS New Faces Of Country Music Show, sponsored by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Academy Of Country Music, was hosted in the Broadway Ballroom at the Omni Nashville Hotel. The event shined a spotlight on five emerging artists who achieved “notable success on Country Radio” between November 1, 2023, and October 31, 2024.
Ten nominees determined by Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) were narrowed down to the five honorees from votes by “full-time employees primarily involved in the programming, promotion, and distribution of country music,” including professionals from broadcast radio, satellite radio, television outlets, and digital service providers.
This year, Drew Baldridge (Lyric Ridge/BMG/Stoney Creek), Ashley Cooke (Big Loud/Back Blocks), Dasha (Warner Records), Zach Top (Leo33), and Warren Zeiders (Warner Records) were hand-picked as the 2025 New Faces Of Country Music class by the country music industry’s votes.
Dasha
“Austin” hitmaker Dasha kicked off the New Faces show for the evening. Her five-song set included “Didn’t I,” “Heartbreaker from Tennessee,” and “Even Cowboys Cry.” Dasha also previewed her brand-new single, “Not At This Party,” which will be released on February 28.
“How much of an honor it is to be up on the stage right now. Thank you to everyone in this room who voted for me. I know you guys are the reason [I’m here], so thank you. Thank you, thank you,” Dasha said before exclaiming, “I just can’t believe I’m at the Olympics of country radio right now. That’s what it feels like, and I’m just so honored.”
To close out her set, Dasha brought the crowd to its feet and even went into the crowd to dance along to “Austin” with the invite-only audience.
“I want to inspire people who love my music to be the most unapologetic version of themselves,” said the songstress.
Drew Baldridge
Before taking the stage, a video of fan testimonials played on screen, where Drew Baldridge’s fans shared the impact his music has had on their lives. Baldridge kicked off his three-song set with his new song, “Rebel.”
He reflected on how he lost his record label, manager, and booking agent in 2019 and was almost ready to give up his career before he decided to lean into his fans. For four years, he performed in the backyards of more than 400 people and ultimately started his own record label, Lyric Street Records.
“I realized that I ain’t making music for Nashville, I’m making music for real-life country folks,” Baldridge said.
When introducing his current single “Tough People,” he shared that the tune became his fight song. During his performance of the powerful tune about not giving up, Baldridge brought out a group of survivors, patients and families from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, shining a light on their resilience.
He closed out his performance with the unlikely hit “Somebody’s Daughter,” which Baldridge took to the top of the country radio charts with his self-built record label. “You took it all the way to number one. It changed my life,” he stated. He then took a moment to address the young girls in the crowd, telling them, “Remember this. Remember your worth, because you are worth so much, and find somebody that’s gonna treat you like you’re somebody’s daughter.”
Warren Zeiders
“People saw something in myself before I saw something in myself,” said Zeiders in his intro video before he took the stage.
Sporting a cowboy hat and sunglasses indoors, Zeiders commanded his performance with confidence and a swagger that can only come from having the second most-listened-to song on country radio last year with “Pretty Little Poison.”
Zeiders went into the crowd for the first song of his set, “Relapse,” bringing the energy that would last throughout his entire performance, which included “You For a Reason,” “Pretty Little Poison,” and “Ride the Lightning.”
Ashley Cooke
With the most entertaining intro video of the evening, Ashley Cooke was brought into her record label, Big Loud, for not doing a good job making animal noises for radio station liners. The hysterical video included encouragement and advice from fellow artists Lainey Wilson, Carly Pearce, Bailey Zimmerman, Brantley Gilbert, and Joe Jonas. The video also included outtakes of Cooke’s hilarious attempts to record her intro video.
Cooke kicked off her performance with her first-ever No. 1 hit, “Your Place,” followed by “I Almost Do.”
“I’ve been deep in the studio working on album two with the legendary Dan Huff,” revealed Cooke, who switched up her set list at the last minute to share some of her new music. “The F Word” is a sweet, light-hearted take on what happens when she says “forever” in front of her love interest’s family.
Cooke also brought the biggest surprise of the night, special guest Joe Jonas of Jonas Brothers, to perform their new collaboration, “All I Forgot.”
Zach Top
Skipping the fanfare of a sizzle reel, Zach Top let his performance speak for itself. The entire ballroom rushed the stage to be up close, solidifying that Top was the most anticipated artist of the night and one of the most buzzed-about country stars in the last year.
“Sounds Like the Radio” may sound like a theme for Country Radio Seminar, but it was also what Top performed to start his showcase. The crowd sang along to every word during his set, which also included “Bad Luck,” “Use Me,” “I Never Lie” and “Cold Beer And Country Music.” Aside from a quick quip about tuning his guitar, Top focused on sharing the music that brought him to New Faces.
After witnessing this showcase of rising talent, it’s evident that Drew Baldridge, Ashley Cooke, Dasha, Zach Top, and Warren Zeiders are certainly making their mark on the country music genre and have bright futures ahead of them.
What Is The New Faces of Country Music Show At CRS?
The New Faces of Country Music show features five emerging artists who have achieved significant success at Country Radio during the previous year.
The artists are voted on by industry professionals who are involved in the programming, promotion, and distribution of country music. To qualify, artists must have had at least one, but no more than five, top 25 singles on the Mediabase Country Chart or the BDS-based Country Chart during the qualification period.
For more than five decades, the New Faces of Country Music Show has remained a highlight at the annual Country Radio Seminar and has played a pivotal role in the careers of nearly every major country star since its inception in 1970. The event has helped launch the careers of country superstars such as Reba McEntire, Luke Bryan, George Strait, Alabama, Eric Church, Taylor Swift, Luke Combs, and many more.
What Is CRS?
Country Radio Seminar (CRS) is an annual convention designed to educate and promote the exchange of ideas and business practices in the Country music industry, with specific emphasis on issues relevant to Country radio.
The event is held annually in Nashville and features three days of exhilarating performances, engaging panel discussions, and insightful sessions geared toward country radio. The industry-exclusive event showcases country superstars and rising stars in addition to introducing newcomers to the country music genre.
Country Radio Seminar (CRS) 2026 is scheduled to be held March 18-20, 2026.
