Powerhouse Vocalist Set to Return to Grand Ole Opry Stage
This Weekend, Oct. 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Opry NextStage has named GRAMMY-nominated musical powerhouse Yola as the featured artist for October.
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. Yola joins prior 2021 Opry NextStage artists Hailey Whitters, Parker McCollum, Lainey Wilson and Niko Moon.
The artist Rolling Stone calls “a tour de force of showmanship” is set to return to the Grand Ole Opry stage on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. CT. Tickets are available now at opry.com. Yola recently released her anthemic sophomore album, Stand For Myself, produced by Dan Auerbach and released on Easy Eye Sound, it was hailed as a sonic shift, by publications including The New York Times who stated, “Stand for Myself draws from the same Americana soundbook as Yola’s first record, but it’s also shot through with disco and pop,” and NPR Music’s “All Songs Considered,” who anointed the album “the best soul record of the last 20 years.”
Yola recently performed on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and she became one of the few artists to perform at both Newport Folk and Newport Jazz Festivals in the same year. Following the return to live music this summer, Yola will join Chris Stapleton on his rescheduled tour in 2021, with dates including Madison Square Garden on Oct. 8 and two nights at Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 22-23. Yola will tour the US in 2022 as well as perform at Stagecoach Festival.
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.