Keith Urban is ready to take 12 artists on The Road. In his new CBS competition series, a dozen talented performers will get the chance to open for Urban at a show. After they take the stage, the live audience will get to decide who continues on in the competition.
Videos by American Songwriter
With the help of producer Blake Shelton and Tour Manager Gretchen Wilson, the contestants will dive head first into life on the road. While viewers may not know the artists’ names just yet, that doesn’t mean the contestants lack experience.
“Nobody in this cast is a rookie… Everyone’s very seasoned and fighting for the same chance to be a superstar,” contestant Jenny Tolman told American Songwriter. “It’s a lot different than all these other shows that are out right now, so you’re going to see the reality of it: the ugly, the dirty, the gritty, the crusty, and the dusty.”
Ahead of the show’s Oct. 19 premiere, read on to meet the 12 contestants fighting to win the massive prize: a set at the iconic Mane Stage at Stagecoach Country Music Festival 2026, $250,000 cash, and a recording contract.
Adam Sanders
Adam Sanders’ journey to The Road started with a call from Blake Shelton’s production manager, which led to him nabbing one of the 12 coveted shots on the show.
“I looked at [the show] as an opportunity of a moment in my career that I had hadn’t had up to that point,” Sanders told American Songwriter. “That, for me, was sort of the driving force. It just felt right from the very beginning for me.”
Hailing from Lake City, Florida, the 36-year-old singer has already had a successful career in country music. He’s written No. 1 hits for Dustin Lynch and Cole Swindell, and also penned tunes for Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, and Blake Shelton.
His own performance career began in earnest in 2021, when he released “What If I’m Right.” Since then he’s released multiple EPs and two LPs, most recently 2024’s Right in the Middle of It.
Billie Jo Jones
A born-and-bred Texan, 34-year-old Billie Jo Jones is ready to take show off her vocal abilities on a national stage.
Since auditioning for The Voice 11 years ago, Jones has continued to hone her craft. She truly burst onto the scene with “Right Now Kinda Girl” in 2023. That was followed up by her debut album, Some Girls Don’t Cry, the next year. Jones’ latest single, “Marilyn,” debuted Oct. 10.
“Singing is the only thing I have ever wanted to do,” Jones said on her website. “God didn’t give me this voice to just sit at home with it. I believe He gave me this voice and the courage to go out and play shows every weekend. I have always had a heart for people and getting to share my voice and my story through my songs means EVERYTHING to me.”
Blaine Bailey
Having played music since he was 13, Blaine Bailey is for his turn in the spotlight.
The 23-year-old from Oklahoma, released his debut album, Lost City, in 2021. The LP was a tribute to his upbringing in the Keetoowah Tribe, where he learned to play blues guitar and developed an appreciation for rock and roll and country music. He followed up that album with two more: Home in 2024 and Indian Country in 2025.
“One of the hardest parts of music today is there’s so many musicians that it’s hard to stand out,” Bailey said in an Instagram video. “This [show] has given me the opportunity to get my music in a spotlight.”
Briana Adams
Briana Adams has been playing music since she was 14. Now, at age 30, Adams is gearing up to bring her pure Texas honky tonk style to The Road.
Born and raised in small town Texas, Adams has opened for some of the biggest artists in the state, including Randy Rogers Band and Charlie Robison. Her debut EP, Dive Bars & Old Guitars, came out in 2017, and was followed by a second release, One More Highway, four years later. Adams’ most recent single, “Not Drinkin’ Tonight,” came out in 2024.
“I write music because it can be one of the most intimate forms of communication,” Adams said on her website. “When I was a little girl, I told myself I was going to be a musician and write songs, and I’ve stuck with it. I do this because I LOVE IT!”
Britnee Kellogg
Britnee Kellogg‘s love of country music goes back decades, to when she attended a Johnny Cash concert at age 6. Now a 40-year-old mom of three, Kellogg’s dedication to the genre hasn’t changed.
She’s no stranger to a competition show, having competed on seasons 11 and 12 of American Idol.
Kellogg, who’s previously shared the stage with artists including Blake Shelton, Kane Brown and Jon Pardi, released her album, She’s Come a Long Way, in 2024. Her latest EP, Mama’s Point of View, was released in September.
“I love country music because it tells a story you connect to,” Kellogg said in an Instagram video. “I’m a mom of three, so it’s hard. After three or four years it’d be really easy to throw in the towel and give up, but I’m doing it for them. This is exactly where I’m meant to be.”
Cassidy Daniels
A guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist, Cassidy Daniels has a lot to bring to The Road.
“It’s very rare that you get to be surrounded by people who have done what you’ve dreamed of your whole life,” Daniels told American Songwriter. “I think it’s such a privilege that we were able to spend so much time with Blake and Keith and Gretchen.”
The 25-year-old artist’s self-titled debut EP was released in 2020. Since then, she’s put out several singles, most recently “I Will Not Take It Anymore.”Additionally, Daniels has opened for dozens of major artists and penned tracks with some of the greatest songwriters in the world.
Channing Wilson
Channing Wilson, who grew up in Georgia, learned to play guitar when he was 17, started writing songs shortly thereafter, and decided to pursue a music career by age 25. The rest is history.
The 50-year-old musician has since penned tracks for artists including Luke Combs and Tyler Farr. As for his own music, Wilson released his debut LP, Dead Man, in 2023, the same year he made his Opry debut.
“I’ve been doing this for 25 plus years,” Wilson said in an Instagram video. “What inspires me is the history of country music, performing, playing my own song, that’s the absolute most fun. I’m just going to do what I do, and hopefully people are out there waiting to connect to it.”
Cody Hibbard
Cody Hibbard grew up on a Oklahoma farm, where he discovered his passion for music in high school. The 32-year-old began song writing in earnest while working as in the world of pipelining.
Hibbard released his debut EP, Memory and a Dirt Road, in 2020, and followed that up with a self-titled release the following year. His first-ever LP, Long Ride in a Short Bed, was released in 2024.
“I’ve been doing music for five years. I went to the United States Naval Academy, never was thinking music was going to be a career. Started writing songs and things kind of just took off,” he said in an Instagram video. “This industry puts you down. When you get on that stage and you see people singing your songs, it’s a kind of high. It’s an Oklahoma boy’s dream, I guess.”
Forrest McCurren
Forrest McCurren is ready to hit The Road. On his website, the 35-year-old Missouri native said he “wields the magic of lyricism to cast a light on the many intricacies of everyday life set against vignettes of Middle America.”
McCurren’s debut LP, Oh Me, Oh My, was released in 2022. He’s released singles in years since, most recently “Small Prayers and Big Blessings.” His follow up record is currently in the works.
“I’ve been writing songs for 10 years. I love telling stories. There’s something really special about live music,” McCurren said in an Instagram video. “This is a great opportunity to share songs with a wider group of people to make my family and friends proud back home.”
Jenny Tolman
Jenny Tolman began writing songs in high school and hasn’t stopped doing so since. She released her debut LP, There Goes the Neighborhood, in 2020. Married in a Honky Tonk followed in 2022, and Broke Down in Jennyville Sessions came two years after that.
As for her experience on The Road, the 29-year-old native Nashvillian told American Songwriter that the show “was just like an overnight dream come true.”
“But honestly, so much of it never really felt like we were filming a TV show, because we were doing what we loved to do,” she said. “We were playing to live audiences every night.”
Jon Wood
Jon Wood‘s love for music came straight from his dad, who was once a recording artist. After the North Carolina native moved to Nashville when he was 21, he began releasing songs.
His first EP, From Where I’m From, came out in 2019. More EPs and singles came in the years that followed, most recently “The Bullet” in October 28.
Speaking to American Songwriter, the 28-year-old said he’s “still pinching” himself about getting cast on the show.
“It is unreal not only to be on a TV show that broadcasts and promotes my music and who I am, but to know that the producers and the directors and people like Keith and Blake and [creator] Taylor [Sheridan] and Gretchen believe in music so much,” he said. “… I’ve always just been so emotional about music and it makes me feel so blessed and thankful to be where I’m at.”
Oliva Harms
The daughter of Western Music Hall of Fame member Joni Harms, 29-year-old Olivia Harms is ready to trade in life in Canby, Oregon, for an adventure on The Road.
Since releasing her first album at age 16, the younger Harms has been chasing her dreams in music. Ten years after her debut LP, Harms’ released her sophomore record, Rhinestone Cowgirl. On her website, Harms, who’s continued to release singles over the years, said that she plays music for western lifestyle and honky-tonk lovers.
“My genre of country is very traditional. Expect to have steel guitar and fiddle,” she said in an Instagram video. “Seeing people inspired and happy inspires me to keep chasing it.”
The Road will premiere Oct. 19 on CBS.
Photo by Evan Mulling/CBS
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