NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess) – On Tuesday (April 4), The Other Nashville Society (TONS) revealed its inaugural ‘TONS Next’ class of artists in front of a packed house of organization members and VIP guests at Analog in Nashville.
The five artists–Annie DiRusso, Brian Brown, Brooke Alexx, Daniel Nunnelee and Isaia Huron–were chosen through good old-fashioned A&R. After a call for submissions from the TONS membership, the Co-founders and Leadership Group narrowed a list of over 80 artists down to five. The new initiative will be a core focus for TONS going forward, with a new ‘TONS Next’ class unveiled each year.
“Last year, in our fifth year of existence as an organization, a collective lightbulb went off for us Co-founders. If more non-country artists are developed, nurtured, and broken globally out of Nashville, then all boats rise for this community as a whole,” shares Josh Collum, TONS Co-founder. “So, that’s our aim with TONS Next. We’re placing a bet on these five artists and we’re going to do our part to accelerate their rise.”
“Between the Co-founders, the Leadership Group, and our 1,500+ members, we’re going to be the best advisory board an artist and their team could ever want,” adds Ally Venable, TONS Co-founder. “And we’re actively pulling together partners from across the music and entertainment industries that want to help amplify these artists and their stories.”
Says Katie Fagan, TONS Co-founder, “First and foremost, we needed to love the music. Is it unique? Does the artist have something to say? From there, we needed to trust the artist and their team. Then, it was all about gut. Do we believe this artist can make an impact globally? With these five, the answer is clearly ‘yes, we do.’”
In recent years, TONS is no stranger to its artist members finding success. The organization counts GAYLE, Joy Oladokun, Jake Wesley Rogers, and Charlotte Sands as members. The ‘Next’ initiative will bring a structure and focus around these efforts.
The inaugural TONS Next class is:
Annie DiRusso (Rock)
- Playing Lollapalooza this summer
- Opened for HAIM, beabadoobee, Declan McKenna, and The Backseat Lovers
- Recent performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Brian Brown (Hip Hop)
- Opened for Scarface, Tech9, Freddie Gibbs, & Girl Talk
- Featured in NPR, Pitchfork, Lyrical Lemonade, Complex, Pigeons & Planes, DJBooth, and HipHopDx
- Recent syncs on MTV’s The Challenge UK and The CW’s All American
Brooke Alexx (Pop)
- Touring with lostboycrow this spring
- “All My Exes’ Moms” has over 25 million streams across platforms
- Over half a million followers and 16 million likes on TikTok
Daniel Nunnelee (Alternative Folk)
- Touring with Shakey Graves this spring
- 40k+ pre-saves on recent single, “Pick and Choose”
Isaia Huron (Alt)
- Co-sign shoutouts from 6Lack, Justine Skye, and Drake
- Touring with Chiiild this spring
