Meet country’s ones to watch: Preston Cooper, Cole Goodwin, and Sarah Vanderzon

Don’t just take it from us — country powerhouses Preston Cooper, Cole Goodwin, and Sarah Vanderzon are the industry’s newest artists to watch.

The three rising stars entertained a packed house at The Lounge at Live Nation in Toronto last night (Oct. 21) as part of the promoter’s Ones to Watch performance series, which serves to amplify diverse voices and encourage creative expression from an array of genres and communities. The evening marked the series’ first all-country celebration of music and gave fans and industry tastemakers alike a lot to love at first listen. Read more about each set below.

Sarah Vanderzon

Fresh off the release of her debut EP ‘Fortune Teller‘ last week, Sarah’s artistry took centre stage to open the night. Effortlessly blending Americana, folk, and country, it’s easy to see why she took home top honours at Boots and Hearts Music Festival’s 2024 Emerging Artists Showcase. Our favourite moment of the set: hearing the cleverly-written “Hey Partner,” described as the tale of a cowboy in a singles bar hitting on the wrong type of a girl (that is, one that isn’t looking for a cowboy).

 

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Cole Goodwin

Cole is booked, busy, and having a blast along the way. As a go-to opening act to the stars (Zach Top, Luke Bryan, and next up, Ernest and Vincent Mason, just to name a few), Cole is stepping into his own spotlight and developing a dedicated, fast-growing fanbase he’s dubbed “The Cole Train.” His setlist included your new favourite cheating song (his words) “Girlfriend’s Got A Boyfriend” and “Dust On The Dancefloor” (watch that below), but we especially loved “Women Want Me, Fish Fear Me” because few song titles are better than that.

 

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Preston Cooper

If you’re a fan of Chris Stapleton, Preston will be right at home on your playlist (he even covered “Fire Away” during his set). Nashville’s newest mainstay is set to make his Grand Ole Opry debut this weekend, but he made a quick stop in Toronto to captivate the crowd with his debut single “Weak” and tracks from his debut album ‘Toledo Talkin’‘. Fun fact: Preston shared that the demo for “Weak” landed on Keith Urban’s desk, and though the hitmaker ultimately passed on the song, he offered high praise for Preston’s vocals.

 

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We’re excited to hear more from this talented trio, and you can count on us bringing every release to you here at Love at First Listen.