The Best Independent Folk and Country Artists to Follow in 2024

The indie music scene has always been a space where creativity and authenticity shine, and nowhere is this more evident than in the worlds of folk and country.

Independent folk and country artists are bringing fresh perspectives to classic genres, blending the traditional sounds of acoustic guitar with modern storytelling that resonates across generations. These artists are breaking boundaries - unlike mainstream counterparts, indie folk and country musicians are able to experiment with themes, sounds, and lyrics that dig deep into personal experiences, social issues, and universal emotions.

From soulful ballads about life’s struggles to upbeat tracks that make you want to tap your feet, today’s indie folk and country artists are creating soundscapes that both honour their roots and explore new creative territory. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most exciting voices emerging from the indie folk and country scene today, their inspirations, and how they’re shaping the future of these beloved genres.

The Best New Indie Folk and Country Artists

If you’ve never heard of New Artist Spotlight before, allow me to enlighten you. We are a supportive community of artists from around the globe who work together to promote each other’s music. We have a vast range of playlists for you to enjoy, including some of the best folk and country artists.  

If you’re an independent artist looking to make friends with like minded artists then submit your song here. You won’t regret it!

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Mel Randall

Mel Randall is a singer songwriter guitarist mainly in the Folk music Genre. He has been in the music industry since the early 70s and featured in several bands including 5th Amendment and FTM.

He now performs solo in folk clubs and has been doing this for around 25 years. Since his release 'The Stripey Tent' he has gone on to release music covering other genres and is currently working on a new Folk album loosely about his life growing up in Yorkshire in the UK.

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Bernice Marsala

Bernice Marsala is an award-winning singer/songwriter and classically-trained guitarist. She studied music and audio production in college and graduated Magna Cum Laude with her Bachelor’s in Music Business. She is originally from Sycamore, IL and now resides in the Nashville, TN area with her husband and daughter.

Her vast catalog of infectious melodies and intricate lyricism have led to various awards, nominations, press, and radio airplay.

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Teley Irons

Teley Irons is an independent musician writing about living in the real world. He is influenced by the greats, such as Merle Haggard, George Jones and Hank Sr to name a few.

In Teley's back catalogue you will find an array of songs crafted over a lifetime. His music is unapologetically open, honest and with no holds barred. His music is hand-crafted using guitars, pianos, fiddles, pedal steel, dobro and other instruments.

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Jóhannes Bjarki Sigurðsson

Jói Bjarki is a singer songwriter hailing from Akureyri in northern Iceland. He writes songs about anything close to his heart so people should expect to be emotionally moved by his folk-rock-ballad style music.

Jói Bjarki is influenced by artists such as Guns ‘N’ Roses, Alice In Chains, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and the Icelandic band Jet Black Joe.

He released the songs Stuck and Endless Years in September 2022 and followed that up by releasing his first song in Icelandic, Bergmál Náttúrunnar, in June 2024.

His next release will be in late 2024 or early 2025 and is called Alone. A powerful classic rock style ballad. Studio work will begin very soon.

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United Duality

United Duality is the genre-free musical project of Ortwin Wendt, based in Celle, Germany. He makes music, often collaborating with other vocalists, with clear links to and inspiration from the likes of The Beatles and other pop-rock creatives of the sixties and seventies with always beautifully engaging and uplifting results.

United Duality has been releasing his songs officially since August 2018, including his autobiographic debut album 'Enlightening Snapshots' in September 2020 and his latest single 'Turn The Tide' in October 2023.

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The Midnight Wrens

The Midnight Wrens blend threads of Americana and Folk Rock into deep, soothing, original compositions. Laced with colorful, harmonies and heartfelt lyrics, their songwriting is adventurous and eclectic as it wanders down familiar roads, with passionate diversions that captivate their audiences.

Still Remain is an electrifying love anthem with high energy from start to finish.

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About New Artist Spotlight

New Artist Spotlight is an international network of music artists devoted to helping new musical talent! We're a grassroots team of hundreds of independent artists from around the world who work together to promote each other through listening to fellow NAS member's music, social media shares, feature interviews, artists reviews, podcasts, a Top 20 list voted on by our artists and announced each month on multiple radio stations, and much, much more. We have playlists on all major platforms including Spotify, iTunes & YouTube - if you’re looking to get your music to a wider audience we’ve got you covered.

We're also 100% FREE.

We believe in power in numbers and working together to improve all our chances of greater exposure and success. If you are willing to work with others to help us all grow together, submit your song now to join the world's largest cooperative indie music community!