Jessie Murph

Singer Jessie Murph brings a sugarcoated, country-inflected grit to her moody trap- and blues-influenced pop. She first broke through in 2021 with singles like "Upgrade" and "When I'm Not Around." Her debut EP, If I Died Last Night, appeared in 2022, followed by the 2023 mixtape drowning. Collaborations with Maren Morris, Diplo, and Jelly Roll (the Top 40-charting "Wild Ones") followed later that year, with 2024 bringing a U.S. Top 30 duet, "High Road" with Koe Wetzel. That set the stage for a Billboard 200 Top 30 appearance for Murph's official debut album, the anguished That Ain't No Man That's the Devil, which arrived later in 2024.

Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, Murph grew up in Alabama, where she moved with her musician parents at age five. Living first in Huntsville and later in Athens, she became interested in performing, listening to a mix of pop, hip-hop, and country. She began posting vlogs and cover songs online, drawing both fans and cyberbullies, the latter of whom would inspire her emotive and deeply felt songwriting style. The industry also took notice, and in 2021, she signed a recording contract with Columbia Records and released her debut single, "Upgrade." More tracks followed, including "Sobriety," "When I'm Not Around," "Always Been You," and 2022's "Pray," the latter of which appeared on her first EP, If I Died Last Night.

In early 2023, Murph returned with a full-length mixtape, drowning. That June, she teamed up with Maren Morris on the moody "Texas," then took part in a Diplo and Polo G collaboration, "Heartbroken." The latter reached number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100. Murph's next track, "Wild Ones" featuring Jelly Roll, fared even better, reaching 35 on the same chart. The latter song was included on Murph's proper debut album, September 2024's That Ain't No Man That's the Devil, which favored the country, blues, and hip-hop portions of her eclectic influence spectrum. Also included was her biggest hit yet, the number 22-charting "High Road" with country singer and Columbia Records labelmate Koe Wetzel, which had originally appeared earlier the same year on his album 9 Lives. That Ain't No Man That's the Devil went on to crack the Top 30 of the Billboard 200 and Canadian Album charts. ~ Matt Collar