KICKS 99 Guitar Pull 2025: ERNEST

Top-selling singer-songwriter and Nashville’s 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. The 4X ACM Award nominee (2024/2025) including a first-time nomination for artist-songwriter of the year, 3X 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 earned himself thirteen No. 1 hits as a songwriter.

His full-length sophomore album, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, “clearly honors the spirit of Music City while simultaneously proving ERNEST as one of the most dynamic singer/songwriters in country music” (The Tennessean), features 26 songs and collaborations with Lainey Wilson, Lukas Nelson, Jelly Roll, HARDY and more.  

The album was shortlisted as one of the Best of the Year in 2024 by the Los Angeles Times, Country Now, and Holler, 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, which added a baker’s dozen of fresh cuts to the bunch.  

ERNEST also co-penned the Hot 100 record-breaking single, “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen, earning him a 2025 GRAMMY® nomination. Having had a jam-packed 2024, ERNEST served as support for Morgan Wallen’s One Night At A Time Stadium Tour as well as a string of arena shows for Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken Tour. ERNEST recently launched DeVille Records, a label and joint venture with Big Loud Records. 

DeVille Records was founded on the old-school values of artist development and creative swagger and welcomes GRAMMY®-nominated Chandler Walters, Rhys Rutherford and Cody Lohden as its first artists. DeVille Records recently released its inaugural project, Cadillac Sessions, a mixtape-style album featuring music from ERNEST and DeVille signees. DeVille Records and Cadillac Sessions have been featured in Billboard, Complex, MusicRow, People, Variety, and more. He continues on the road in 2025 as direct support for Lainey Wilson and Old Dominion. “From hitmaker to historian…Ernest is reviving the sound of classic country music” (Los Angeles Times).