Lauren Watkins

Drenched in authenticity and rife with barstool charm with an addictive, Tennessee limestone gravel in her voice, Nashville-born and bred songbird Lauren Watkins writes, breathes and lives country music. The 25-year-old originally grew up on the outskirts of Guitar Town, mesmerized by a jukebox rotation of country music, from outlaws like Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow to chart-toppers Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton.

Moving back after four years at Ole Miss, Watkins' unyielding, turn-on-a-dime lyricism quickly caught the attention of GRAMMY-nominated multi-hyphenate Nicolle Galyon, who signed her to publishing and recording contracts with Songs & Daughters / Big Loud Records almost instantly. Honing in on a sound that's both reverent of the genre's roots and in lockstep with where it's headed next, she introduced her take on country music with 17-track, full-length debut The Heartbroken Record, in 2024, the full-circle companion to previous EP releases Introducing: Lauren Watkins and Introducing: The Heartbreak. The Boston Globe praises the record as “inhabiting the same neighborhood as, say, Kacey Musgraves (a few albums ago) or Ashley Monroe,” while Billboard calls out the “effortlessly smoky quality to Watkins' voice, with a style of direct-yet-poetic songwriting reminiscent of Kacey Musgraves or Miranda Lambert.” Country Central smirks, “being 'messy' has never been so cool.”

Watkins hit the road hard in 2024, touring fairs, festivals and even opening stadiums for Morgan Wallen internationally on his One Night At A Time Tour. This year she's keeping the momentum rolling, sharing stages with Riley Green, Zach Top and Lainey Wilson while gearing up for a 2025 full of new music, starting with “Lose My Cool” out now.