2025 Songwriter lineup

In addition to her career as a solo artist, McKenna continues to enjoy success as one of the music industry’s most in-demand songwriters. In 2023, she was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Song for co-writing “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version)(From the Vault),” performed by Taylor Swift. In 2017, McKenna became the first woman to win the Academy of Country Music’s Songwriter of the Year award and the first woman to win the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year award two years in a row. She also won back-to-back Grammys for Best Country Song: for “Girl Crush,” performed by Little Big Town, in 2016 and “Humble and Kind,” performed by Tim McGraw, in 2017. In 2021, McKenna won her third Best Country Song Grammy for co-writing “Crowded Table,” performed by the Highwomen, with Brandi Carlile and Natalie Hemby. In addition to writing songs for a multitude of award-winning artists — including Hunter Hayes, Faith Hill, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw and Carrie Underwood —McKenna also co-wrote “Always Remember Us This Way,” which was featured in the Oscar-winning 2018 film “A Star Is Born.”

Barry Dean takes nothing for granted. Even after earning a GRAMMY nomination for Tim McGraw's "Diamond Rings and Old Barstools" and topping charts with four No. 1 singles, he remains awestruck each time he hears a song he wrote on the radio. Dean still can’t help but think of how he seemed destined to work a 9-to-5 in Kansas––a fate that now seems preposterous, given his track record: two No. 1 singles for Little Big Town, "Pontoon" and "Day Drinkin'"; "Think a Little Less," which topped the charts for Michael Ray; "Heartache Medication" which most recently hit #1 for Jon Pardi; Ingrid Michaelson's Top 40 smash "Girls Chase Boys"; and an ever-growing list of country and pop successes prove Dean is doing exactly what he was made to do.

Kelly Archer hails from the beautiful Pacific Northwest of Canada and has been a signed writer in Nashville for the past 20+years. Kelly's songs have been recorded by Jason Aldean, Brett Young, Justin Moore, Travis Denning, Reba, Tricia Yearwood, Bailey Zimmerman, Cody Johnson,  Eli Young Band, Dustin Lynch, Jo Dee Messina, Montgomery Gentry, Cassadee Pope, Lindsay Ell, Natalie Hemby, Chris Lane, Spencer Crandall and many more, including several #1’s in Canadian Country.  Kelly has had songs place in the series “Nashville” and she received the AIMP "Rising Songwriter of the year" award for 2017. Kelly celebrated her first number one song with Brett Young's  "Sleep without you", her second number one with Justin Moore's "Somebody Else will", her 3rd #1 with Travis Denning's "After a few” and most recently hit #1 with her song “Wild as Her”, performed by Corey Kent. Soon to be released is “I’m gonna love you” by Cody Johnson featuring Carrie Underwood!

Steve Moakler is a country music singer/songwriter with Pennsylvania roots.  More than 15 years into his career, with a series of acclaimed albums, co-written hits with Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen, Ben Rector, Reba McEntire, and more, and cross-country tours with Old Dominion, Willie Nelson, Dan + Shay, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in the rearview, his album Make A Little Room presents a recipe for something different.  A life of unforgettable moments, savored in the spaces between. Writing or co-writing all 10 songs on Make A Little Room, what emerged was a set steeped in uncommon wisdom, and delivered with a spark of enlightened electricity.  Just as spacious in approach as it is in theme, it features an easy-going, rootsy, front-porch pop spirit, as tender vocals alive with gratitude join a bare minimum of bright, breezy guitars.  And all throughout, Moakler wraps himself in the freedom of the here and now. 

Originally from Springboro, Ohio, Mantia made the move to Nashville to attend Belmont University, where she recently graduated with a songwriting degree. While at Belmont, she won the 2019 GrammyU songwriter showcase, as well as the 2019 Belmont ASCAP Writers’ Night, which led her to play at the university’s annual Best of the Best showcase. Mantia quickly became an integrated part of the Music Row community, garnering the attention of artists, songwriters and publishers for her clever ideas and overall capability to hold her own in a writing room, and on a stage. 

Jonathan Hutcherson infuses country with uplifting affirmations culled from his own real-life underdog journey.  His independent single “Strangers” racked up 1 million-plus Spotify streams as he logged countless sessions around Music City, balancing a job at Lowe’s to stay afloat. In 2019, he caught the attention of Creative Nation and signed a publishing and development deal. Co-writing with the likes of Parker Welling, Jamie Moore, Josh Jenkins, and Heather Morgan, he spent the next year cultivating his sound, drawing equally from those formative gospel influences, classic country, and homegrown bluegrass with a twist of modern pop.  He forged a close connection to audiences on his 2021 self-titled debut EP and with singles, “Go South,” “Blue Collar,” “Makes A Man,” “Dust,” and “Fight,” he has no plans of stopping now.