Featured Artist News category interest

Koe Wetzel, the chart-topping renegade whose electrifying blend of Red Dirt country, grunge rock and outlaw spirit has earned him a loyal following across the globe, kicks off 2025 as this week’s POLLSTAR cover artist. Highlighting Wetzel’s meteoric rise and his unparalleled connection with fans, the profile explores how the Texas-born artist has reshaped the boundaries of country music with his unapologetic authenticity and relentless touring schedule.
 
From headlining sold-out shows at iconic venues like Red Rocks and throughout Europe to making history with his latest album 9 Lives and five-week No. 1 lead single “High Road (feat. Jessie Murph),” Wetzel has proven that his unique “hillbilly punk rock” sound resonates far beyond the genre’s traditional limits.
 
“This tour, we had a lot of new fans who weren’t used to how hard we go. I could see it on their faces,” Wetzel shares in the cover story celebrating the “under-the-radar superstar.” “People leave going, ‘That was a lot.’ But they love everything about it.”
 
“Koe doesn’t hold back onstage,” added manager Jeb Hurt. “He says outlandish things. He cusses. He tells wild stories. Fans respect that and have come to expect it from him. They look forward to Koe’s shows, because it’s an opportunity to be yourself and not worry about who’s watching or listening.”
 
AEG’s Adam Weisser echoed Wetzel’s fan-first mentality, recounting a time when his drummer missed a flight to a show – something that would push most artists to postpone or cancel. “Koe had the best idea,” he shared with POLLSTAR. “He said ‘Refreshments are on me. Go get beers. Go get whatever. I’m buying the concessions. I’m coming back in 15 minutes, and I’m gonna play.”
 
“Koe didn’t build it from TikTok or one radio hit,” noted Chicago-based promoter Ed Warm, who has booked him multiple times on progressively larger stages, from Joe’s on Weed St. and Joe’s Rosemont to now headlining the 2025 Windy City Smokeout. “It was one fan at a time, one city at a time, but everywhere he played, they came back with three or four friends. That first time he played (for us), I was energized. I thought, ‘This is different. This isn’t your dad’s Red Dirt music, it’s a seismic shift in how the music’s going. But it fits how raw and real and genuine Red Dirt is.’” 
 
His music has resonated overseas, too, with BBC Radio 2’s “Country Show” producer Mark Hagen adding, “What Koe does very well is not be any one thing – not a straight up country player, not a Southern rocker, not a metalhead, but a bit of all those at once. Historically, that really appeals to the UK audience accustomed to the idea that genre is not as important as the quality of your songs… We have a fondness for acts who have a distinct character to them. Koe certainly has that. You can’t mistake him for anyone else.”
 
Following the landmark success of 2024, Wetzel is already gearing up for another high-throttle year on the road, with upcoming headlining shows at the San Antonio Rodeo, Windy City Smokeout, Tailgate N’ Tallboys and more, plus prominent sets at Stagecoach and CMC Rocks (Australia) and more exciting tour news coming soon.

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