Hottest Country Stars of 2015

Credit:

Carrie Underwood

Those legs! After welcoming her first child — son Isaiah — in February 2015, Underwood (pictured here at the Apple Music Festival in September 2015) didn’t slow down one bit, releasing her fifth studio album, Storyteller, in October of that year. Her lead single “Smoke Break” was No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Country charts by its second week.

Credit:

Brad Paisley

Coming off the 2014 success of his album Moonshine in the Trunk, Paisley (pictured here on the Today show in September 2015) promoted the new album all through 2015. It paid off, becoming his eighth No. 1 album on the Billboard Top Country Albums.

Credit:

Miranda Lambert

It was a year of ups and downs for Lambert, who announced her divorce from husband of four years, Blake Shelton, in July. But the country superstar (pictured here in April 2015) didn’t let that hold her down. In fact, after the split, she relocated to Nashville where she’s already teased new music is in the works. “I’ve never felt more inspired,” she said in October. “I listen to live music or I've written music basically every single day for the whole summer and it was my first summer off the road, and I've never felt more ready to make music and learn from music and learn from songwriters.”

Credit:

Blake Shelton

Shelton too had to deal with his speedy divorce from Miranda Lambert in 2015, but with so much time in the public eye, he handled it with grace. The “Honey Bee” crooner (pictured here in September 2015) returned for his eighth season of The Voice as a coach and continued to promote his 2014 album, Bringing Back the Sunshine. In October 2015, he also released an album of greatest hits.

Credit:

Dierks Bentley

The hunky father of three has had a standout year, promoting his eighth album, Riser. The record’s fourth single “Say You Do” reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay in May 2015, and he released the title track as a single in June 2015. In late September, Bentley (pictured here on Good Morning America in June 2015) joined Taylor Swift on stage as one of her celebrity guests.

Credit:

Kacey Musgraves

Coming off the success of her first album in 2013, the Texan singer-songwriter released her second album, Pageant Material, in June 2015. Along with the release came a host of glam appearances, including this one on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September 2015.

Credit:

Florida Georgia Line

The bro-country duo of Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard (pictured here at the CMA Festival in June 2015) continued their reign on the country music airwaves with the late 2014 release of their second album, Anything Goes. The pair also went on tour, raking in almost $6 million in ticket sales.

Credit:

Tim McGraw

Decades in the business haven’t lessened McGraw’s sexy appeal. The crooner released his new single “Top of the World” in August 2015 and will release a new album, Damn Country Music, in November 2015. The cowboy hat-loving singer performed on the Shotgun Rider Tour all through the summer (pictured here in June 2015).

Credit:

Kip Moore

Though he’s relatively new to the country music scene, Moore (pictured here in June 2015) has already made his mark on Nashville. The former Abercrombie & Fitch store manager got his first record deal in 2011. He released is second album, Wild Ones, in August 2015, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 charts.

Credit:

Hunter Hayes

The blonde, spiky-haired cutie (pictured here in June 2015) has made girls across the country swoon with his melodic voice and infectious smile. In 2014, he performed his single “Invisible” at the Grammys, and later that year broke the record for more concerts played in multiple cities in 2014 to raise money for childhood hunger. Aww!

Credit:

Jake Owen

Despite going through a tough divorce to his wife of three years, Lacey Buchanan, Owen (pictured here at the CMT Music Awards in June 2015) has moved forward with his career (and fortunately cut those long locks). He’s already released his single “Real Life” off his upcoming, currently untitled fifth studio album.

Credit:

Luke Bryan

The Georgia-born cutie (pictured here in NYC in August 2015) continued his streak as one of the most recognizable faces in country music. He released his fifth studio album, Kill the Lights, in August 2015 and it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Credit:

Thomas Rhett

That facial hair! Rhett (pictured here in concert in August 2015) released his second studio album, Tangled Up, in September 2015, and it reached No. 1 on the Country Airwaves that same month. No “Crash and Burn” here!

Credit:

Sam Hunt

The former college football star (pictured here at the CMA Festival in June 2015) has made a name for himself in country music. Tickets for his Lipstick Graffiti tour sold out within minutes of going on sale in all 15 venues. Hunt released his first full-length studio album, Montevallo, in October 2014 and reached No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart in its first week.

Credit:

Shania Twain

She’s back! After 11 years off the road, the country music legend went on her Rock This Country Tour to celebrate her comeback on the scene. Though it was originally billed as her farewell tour, Twain has since confirmed that she will continue her career after the tour wraps in late October 2015.