For GRAMMY® Artist to Watch Kashus Culpepper, music has always been about following an authentic path rather than a predictable one. His journey now culminates in the stunning Act I, his highly anticipated debut album that deftly mixes Americana twang, intimate soul and searing Southern rock.
“Creating music has been the greatest joy of my life,” shares Culpepper. “What a magical thing it is. My debut album Act I serves as a beginning of that journey. I want to thank my label, band, friends and family for helping me bring this album to life! And thank you to every musical idol I’ve ever had.”
Some of culture’s most coveted co-signs pre-date the album’s release and usher in this moment. Icons and musical heroes like Elton John have claimed Kashus is, “if Bill Withers made country music,” [here] and John Mayer shared he’s “as good as it gets.” Rolling Stone declares: “If what we’ve heard so far is any indication, expect 2026 to be a breakthrough year for this Alabama singer;” while Paste concludes that, “the idea that Act I is Culpepper’s debut album is challenging… since he seems like one of those inevitable artists who has always been;” Nashville Lifestyles calls the debut “a blockbuster… the scene-stealing talent is just getting started;” and Parade logs the album as one of the five most highly anticipated country albums of the year.
Today’s 18-track release reveals the different facets of Culpepper’s sound and storytelling. The silky soul of ‘Break Me Like’ and ‘Alabama Beauty Queen’ are emotional high points, with the latter serving as a love letter to his hometown. The sweeping piano ballad ‘Cherry Rose’ emerged from a friend’s frustration with work she hated, evolving into a song about people “doing work, just to get by, because they have to.” The swirling rock of ‘In Her Eyes’ begins with a guitar tuning he learned at a blues café in the Mississippi Delta, before evolving into a ferocious, psychedelic number about knowingly getting involved with the wrong person. ‘Broken Wing Bird’ features a guest turn from Sierra Ferrell, with the pair’s distinctive voices seamlessly blending over a delicate guitar part.
Culpepper chose to record Act I at Ivy Manor Studio in Muscle Shoals—a decision rooted in both Alabama pride and musical history. “So much history between the soul giants of the world, like Aretha and Wilson Pickett, and then some of my favorite bands, like the Allman Brothers,” he notes. The converted mansion became the birthplace of his distinctive sound, a blend of country, soul and blues that reflects everything he absorbed growing up.
This year Culpepper takes his timeless new album on the road for headliners in New York, Boston, Nashville and more amidst dates in Australia with Wyatt Flores and an opening slot supporting Eric Church. For more information or tickets, visit kashusculpepper.com.
