There is a new talent competition coming to Apple TV+ looking to break the next big country music star.
The streamer announced on Friday (Jan 13) that that country singer-songwriters, including American Idol alums Jimmie Allen and Mickey Guyton and singer-songwriter Orville Peck joined the new music competition series, My Kind of Country, as “scouts” searching the globe to find talented artists and break the next big country star. Reese Witherspoon and Kacey Musgraves are featured in the series, set to premiere globally on March 24 on Apple TV+.
The press release describes My Kind of Country as a “fresh take” on a competition series, “breaking down barriers in country music by providing an extraordinary opportunity to diverse and innovative artists from around the world.”
The “scouts” each handpick a roster of up-and-coming artists and invite them to the home of country music in Nashville, Tennessee, to showcase their sound. The competition winner will receive a prize from Apple Music, receiving “unprecedented support and exposure on the platform.”
A “fresh take” on country music competitions
It appears that Jimmie and Mickey who are all groundbreaking country artists of color, and Orville who is LGBTQ, but has never revealed his face, will travel the world looking for country artists who are off the beaten path. Country music is not as popular in other parts of the world as it is in the United States. But the genre’s fans are everywhere. If a country music competition could find an artist that isn’t the typical country singer that usually wins talent competitions, that would be a welcome development.
The producers of My Kind of Country include vets of shows like The Masked Singer and Dancing with the Stars. Adam Blackstone, who has quite the resume, will serve as musical director.
Witherspoon and Musgraves executive produce alongside Hello Sunshine’s Sara Rea and Lauren Neustadter; Sandbox Entertainment’s Jason Owen; showrunner Izzie Pick Ibarra (The Masked Singer, Savage x Fenty Show Vol. 3, Dancing with the Stars, Ladies of London); and Done + Dusted’s Katy Mullan (The Disney Family Singalong, John Legend’s A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy, The Little Mermaid Live!, Dear Class of 2020, London Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies). Adam Blackstone serves as music director (musical director to Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Faith Hill, Rihanna and for Super Bowl Halftime Show, the Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards, The Masked Singer).
