Opry NextStage has named MCA Nashville’s Platinum-selling, rising country star Parker McCollum as the featured artist for July.

Developed by Opry Entertainment Group and the Grand Ole Opry, Opry NextStage invests in the discovery and development of new artists and highlights one up-and-coming artist per month. Nashville-based country breakout artist Hailey Whitters served as the inaugural artist for 2021.

McCollum, the ACM-nominated New Male Artist of the Year, stepped into the iconic Opry center stage for his Grand Ole Opry debut in February of this year and is set to return to the Opry on Tuesday, July 20.

“Parker has a way of connecting with fans through a sound that is about as real as it gets,” says Jordan Pettit, Director of Artist Relations & Programming Strategy at Opry Entertainment Group. “We look forward to shining a spotlight on his craft as he continues to win over the hearts of our audiences.”

Opry NextStage collaborations include live performances, strategic marketing support and short-form documentary-style storytelling created by Opry Entertainment’s award-winning content team.

Opry NextStage initially launched in 2019 with four diverse artists making incredible music at the forefront of their careers. The inaugural class included Riley Green, Tegan Marie, Tenille Townes and Travis Denning.

Opportunities for Opry NextStage artists include but are not limited to:

• Feature performances on the Grand Ole Opry and Circle’s Opry Live broadcast and livestream (when possible)
• Performance at a special Opry NextStage concert in 2021 and additional live opportunities
• Content produced by Opry Entertainment’s award-winning content team that utilizes all Opry Entertainment venues including Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and Ole Red locations in Nashville; Gatlinburg, TN; Tishomingo, OK; and Orlando, FL
• Exclusive content to be distributed via Circle broadcast, streaming and video-on demand channels
• Customized marketing and promotion activations utilizing Opry web and social assets including Opry.com and Opry Entertainment’s millions of combined social followers
• Other opportunities including outdoor advertising, 650 WSM-AM radio specials

For more information on Opry NextStage, visit opry.com/nextstage.

For 95 years, the Grand Ole Opry has created opportunities for artists throughout the country music spectrum to make strong connections with fans and fellow artists – on its stages and across its channels – from terrestrial radio to network television to the digital universe and to Circle, which is home to Opry Live and earned the Opry the No. 1 spot on Pollstar’s Top 100 Livestreamers Chart. Audiences around the world look to the Opry to showcase the very best in country music.

Since its inception, the Opry has helped launch the careers of countless artists, including Roy Acuff, Patsy Cline, Little Jimmy Dickens, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Bill Monroe, and Dolly Parton, to name just a few. Award-winning group Little Big Town made its very first public appearance as a group on the Opry stage in 1999, and Carrie Underwood cemented a place in country music with her first Opry appearance less than two weeks after having been named American Idol in 2005.