Every year in June, Nashville transforms into (an even deeper) sea of cowboy boots and neon for CMA Fest, the country music industry’s annual homecoming. With the streets packed and every honky-tonk from Lower Broadway to the Cumberland buzzing, it’s hard to ignore the energy. We know that for some of my readers—many of whom lean towards indie rock, pop, and EDM—the idea of spending four days immersed in country music can be, at best, a stretch.
We get it. Modern mainstream country—especially the stadium-filling, radio-charting brand—can sometimes feel out of step with the diverse, genre-blurring musical tastes that drive so many of us.
So why do we go to CMA Fest every year? Simple: beneath the stadium spectacles and the Top 40 radio repeats, there’s a different story. Dig a little deeper into the festival’s daytime stages and you’ll find a patchwork of artists who defy the genre’s stereotypes. From songwriters rooted in classic country traditions to new voices blending folk, rock, soul, pop, and the occasional hip-hop, there’s a lot more to this festival than meets the eye.
There’s also the charitable side: The festival partners with the CMA Foundation, which invests in music education programs across the United States. Since 2006, thanks to artists who donate their time and talent, the festival has helped raise more than $30 million to enrich music education nationwide—supporting the next generation of musicians and the transformative power of music itself.
This two-part recap is our attempt to share the other side of CMA Fest—the shows that made us think twice about what modern country music can be and why this festival matters beyond the stadium lights. We spent our time digging through playlists, bouncing from stage to stage, showcase to showcase to the places where the music felt honest and relevant. If you’ve ever written off country music entirely, we invite you to follow along. Some of these artist embrace the classics, some bring authenticity to the modern craft of country music, and some push the limits of pop country to the point it becomes just that–popular music. You might be surprised by what you find.
WEDNESDAY AT CMA FEST 2025 – THE PRE-PARTY
The advantage to being based out of Music City is being able to attend the Wednesday pre-parties held at local venues across town. The only trouble is finding the right ones to fit your musical taste–and not succumbing to too much FOMO about what the other venues are doing. With that in mind we restrained ourselves to two stops for the pre-CMA festivities:
GOWA GIBBS – Kubota + Friends Honky Tonk Hangout
Gowa Gibbs opened our CMA week with a set at Cannery Hall’s Kubota + Friends Honky Tonk Hangout. Raised in rural Virginia with deep Appalachian roots, Gibbs’ music reflects her blue-collar upbringing, offering a genuine connection to the traditions of country music.
Her set of course included “On the Fence,” her debut single that was produced by award-winning musician and producer Dave Cohen. The song captures the push-and-pull between past and future—something Gibbs knows well from her own journey from Virginia to Nashville at 17. The crowd responded warmly, drawn in by the song’s blend of classic country vibes and relatable storytelling. Gibbs’ vocals, relaxed yet heartfelt, carried a sense of authenticity that resonated with the audience.
Later, she covered Merle Haggard’s “Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down,” giving the classic a heartfelt, lived-in delivery that showed her attachment to traditional country sounds. As Gibbs continued through her set, a few audience members even occasionally broke into a two-step, adding to the atmosphere of community and celebration that marked the start of the festival week.
SHANTAIA – 615 House Party
Ahead of the official festival kickoff, Shantaia performed at a pre-CMA Fest party hosted by 615 House, a Nashville-based music discovery and media initiative that spotlights emerging country talent.
Armed with just her acoustic guitar, Shantaia was still able to immediately capture the large room with an intimate performance. Highlighting the set was “Rose Colored Glasses,” a song of her own that’s all about putting aside worries and focusing on good times—a message that resonated with the crowd and set the tone for the night.
Her sincerity and authenticity showcased the strong singer/songwriter culture at the heart of the country music scene. Her ability to connect with the audience, even in a stripped-down acoustic set, highlighted her strengths as a performer.
ANGEL WHITE – 615 House Party
Following Shantaia, Angel White took the stage at the 615 House Pre‑CMA Fest Party, bringing a full band that transformed his songs into a country-rock experience. A fifth-generation Texan, White’s music blends folk, country, soul, and rock, and with the band behind him, those influences came alive in a set that felt both authentic and electrifying.
Backed by dynamic guitar solos and an animated stage presence, his performance moved easily from introspective to high-energy, creating a vibe that had the crowd on their feet and moving. The combination of raw musical personality and danceable grooves made White’s set stand out as one of the unexpected finds of the weekend. In fact, we liked it so much we found ourselves spinning his music at home while editing festival photos—proof that great music leaves a mark long after the lights go down.
THURSDAY AT CMA FEST 2025 – THE START OF THE MAIN EVENT
MAE ESTES – Good Molecules Reverb Stage
On the first official day of CMA Fest, Mae Estes took the Good Molecules Reverb Stage just outside Bridgestone Arena, bringing a lively mix of classic country elements and throwback country-pop, all with a modern twist.
Her set opened with “What I Shoulda Done,” a fast-paced barnburner that carried 90’s country rock-pop into the modern era. The song, inspired by her early years in Nashville, is all about reckless nights out and ignoring better judgment—exactly the kind of energy we can relate to at CMA Fest!
Estes’ performance had serious throwback vibes thanks to jamming guitar and dobro twang, yet felt fresh and accessible, bridging the gap between 90s country and today’s scene. Like her music, Este’s vocals felt both timelessly country, yet clear and powerful enough to challenge any of today’s pop stars.
Estes’ set felt familiar and classic, but never old. It was a vibe that was well received as her crowd featured plenty of head nodding and toe tapping early on a Thursday afternoon.
DANIELLE BRADBERY – Dr. Pepper Amp Stage
Next, we were off to see Danielle Bradbery perform on the Dr. Pepper Amp Stage—one of CMA Fest’s main free stages. Arriving, we found the largest crowd we witnessed at that stage all weekend. Fans packed the lawn, and their enthusiasm was impossible to miss—cheers and “woo’s” punctuated her entire set, a testament to her dedicated following.
Leaning toward the pop side of country, Bradbery’s songs carried a polished but authentic feel. Her voice—clear and strong—cut through the festival noise, delivering both upbeat jams and heartfelt ballads with equal impact.
She opened with “Stop Draggin’ Your Boots,” her gold-certified hit, and kept the energy high with songs like “Never Have I Ever” and “A Special Place.” Each song showcased her ability to blend contemporary pop-country hooks with sincere, relatable storytelling.
HAILEY WHITTERS – Kubota + Friends Honky Tonk Hangout
Hailey Whitters performing at the Kubota + Friends Honky Tonk Hangout was one of the highlights of our week at CMA Fest. As a GRAMMY-nominated, platinum-selling singer-songwriter, Whitters has written for everyone from Little Big Town and Alan Jackson to Brandy Clark–all artists who put on amazing live shows. With that common connection we were excited to see how Whitters would make her music come alive on the stage.
The performance was also perfectly timed: her latest album Corn Queen was set to release just a few hours after she stepped off stage. At that Kubota + Friends Honky Tonk Hangout Whitters gave the crowd a preview of that album, weaving in new songs like “Shotgun Wedding Baby” and the title track “Corn Queen.” The latter, a quick-paced, key-changing country throwback, was an instant crowd favorite as toes tapped and some clapped along.
She also paid homage to her ‘90s country influences with a cover of Brooks and Dunn’s “She’s Not the Cheatin’ Kind,” giving it a fresh spin while staying true to the original’s classic feel. People in the audience nodded along to its laid-back groove and joined in on the easy sway of the chorus.
Whitters’ band had the perfect blend of modern polish and traditional twang: electric and acoustic guitars swapping out to the mood of each song, plus fiddle and pedal steel that anchored everything in country tradition.
Some of the most memorable moments came as she introduced the themes behind Corn Queen—stories about growing up in the Midwest and the ways those small-town roots shaped her. Such as how her parents first met at a cornfield keg party—and how the events of that night…which led to her birth…in part earned her the corn queen nickname. It was a sly nod to how those rowdy nights can change the course of things, and it made the album’s down-home themes feel even more personal.
Throughout the set, Whitters balanced the weight of her songwriting with an easygoing charm that made the show feel like a backyard gathering. And it’s exactly that mix—honesty, humor, and good old fashioned country music storytelling—that made her set a memorable way to end our second day of CMA Fest 2025!
FRIDAY AT CMA FEST: STORMS & CANCELLATIONS
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t get the memo that people wanted to day drink and listen to country music on Friday at CMA Fest. Although the Fest repeatedly tried to get the show started between breaks in the storm, new lightning strikes mostly kept the official venues closed. While disappointing (and unavoidable), it also gave us an opportunity to sit back and relax at Robert’s Western World and then call it an early day. Saturday and Sunday at CMA Fest was going to be a marathon! Make sure to check out part 2 of this series to find out who and what we saw!
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