Corey Kent

Oklahoma-born and bred singer and songwriter Corey Kent mixes classic country influences with contemporary pop melodies and production. He first came to the public's attention while competing on the talent show The Voice in 2016, after which he released his debut EP, The Long Way, and his 2021 sophomore album, 21. In 2022, he broke through to an even wider audience with his cover of Tyler Joe Miller's "Wild as Her," paving the way for both his third full-length, Blacktop, and companion acoustic album '23 in 2023. Released in early 2024, "This Heart" became a Top 40 success on the Hot Country Song chart.

Born Corey Kent White, Kent grew up in Bixby, Oklahoma, and began singing at the age of three, inspired by his favorite artist, Garth Brooks. He started playing guitar at age eight and made his first appearance on-stage when he was 11 at the Oklahoma State Fair in Tulsa. While the audience for his show was small, one patron liked what he heard and introduced him to Oklahoma Stomp, a group of young musicians playing classic Western swing. Kent became Oklahoma Stomp's vocalist, working with the group for five years, and he began considering a career in music. He graduated from high school when he was only 16, and soon moved to Nashville in hopes of making his way into the music business. In time, Kent returned to his home state to attend Oklahoma State University, but he kept writing songs in between classes and put together a band to play local clubs. He developed a strong regional following and before long was dividing his time between Oklahoma, where he and his band had regular bookings, and Nashville, where he hoped to get a record deal. In 2014, Kent released an independent three-song EP titled Making Noise.

The following year, Kent (then known as Corey Kent White) was selected to appear on season eight of the television talent competition The Voice. He became part of Blake Shelton's team, and made it into the Top Ten before it was whittled down to the Top Eight. While he didn't win, appearing on The Voice introduced him to a larger, wider audience, and he and his band spent plenty of time on the road playing for his new fans. In May 2016, Kent released another independent EP, a five-song effort titled Long Way, which reached number 42 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. It was around this time that he dropped White from his stage name, and he returned in 2020 with his album 21.

In 2021, Kent released a cover of Canadian singer Tyler Joe Miller's song "Wild as Her." The single gained popularity on streaming services, cracking the Top 20 of Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and making it onto the Hot 100. On the heels of his success, he signed to Sony's RCA Nashville imprint. Following the signing, he released a duet version of "Wild as Her" featuring Carter Faith. Along with it, Kent released two more singles, "She's Gonna Kill Me" and "Once or Twice." All three of these songs were included on his third full-length, Blacktop, which arrived in June 2023. It hit number 27 on the Top Country Albums chart and charted on the Billboard 200. That December, he returned with an all-acoustic album, '23. Kent's next single, 2024's "This Heart," was a Top 40 country hit and he followed it with "Rust" and "Never Ready." ~ Mark Deming