Tucker Wetmore took the main stage at CMA Fest for the first time this year, and the event was one in a series of career highlights for the 26-year-old country music star. His debut album What Not To dropped in April 2025, and he’s been riding the high of hits like “Wind Up Missing You” and “Brunette” over the past year. Tucker took a break from the CMA Fest frenzy to talk to Country Living about what life has been like and what his fans can expect next.
From the Stands to the Main Stage
Tucker seemed a bit emotional as he took in the scene from Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, where a crowd of more than 50,000 sang along to his biggest hits on the first night of CMA Fest. Not long ago, he was on the other side of the stage, cheering along with the legion of country music fans.
“We were just debriefing how crazy the last couple years have been,” he said. “It's crazy to think that three or four years ago, I was there as a fan in the stands. And the year after that, I was playing the Hard Rock stage when we shut down Broadway. And then year after that I was playing the satellite stage, and then last night I played the main stage. It's crazy to think about. And I don't know, it doesn't feel real.”
He explains the experience as an “overwhelming feeling of blessing.” He admitted, “I got a little emotional up there just thinking about how much my life has changed, how much these songs have changed my life—not just my life, my family's life, my friends’ lives. My team and everybody around me is reaping the benefits of the fruitfulness.”
“I knew I wanted to play as many songs as we could fit in 25 minutes,” he said. “I knew I wanted to show off piano, trumpet. I wanted to make it a the slam-packed set, one of one.”
“We didn't finish a lot of the songs,” he continued. “We just played verse, chorus, verse, chorus, and then we're on to another song. Then we played a couple full ones. But it was a set that I probably won't ever do again.
“It was my first time playing CMA Fest, main stage stadium. My first time playing a real stadium in general. And I just wanted to make it a special performance. And a special show, not just for the crowd, but for me and my guys. Everybody up there on stage.”
Finding His Sound
Tucker’s CMA Fest performance gave fans a sneak peek at what he’s working on by debuting an unreleased track, “Who Told You That.”
He talked about getting feedback on new music in real time. “I was nervous. It’s different. Nerve-wracking,” he said. “But I kind of like it. There are so many different avenues you can tease music nowadays. So it's a different avenue that I'm taking with the song, and it's a fun song. I feel like even if you don't know the song, you can dance along to it.”
Is this a sign of more new music to come? While Tucker isn't ready to reveal many details about what's next, he said he's found the sound that’s “unapologetically me.” He said, “It feels like songs that I would I would like to turn on in my truck and drive around the road. It's very sonically ’70s, ’80s. A little bit of ’90s.”
A Seat at the Table
Last month, Tucker took home the ACM Award for New Male Artist of the Year—and his mom was by his side and even introduced his live performance alongside host Shania Twain. “It was literally everything,” he said of the experience. “Everything just went right. It was one of those nights where it was just like, wow, I am so blessed to be able to not just be in this room with these people, but to be acknowledged as having a seat at the table.”
“I feel like Nashville has kind of like wrapped its arms around me, and it feels good to be part of the mix. I look up to a lot of these artists out here, and I have for a very long time, so it's cool that they see me as up here now.”
“I think a big reason why we're all here on this earth is communion, fellowship, and brotherhood, sisterhood. We're all here to love on each other. That's it. And it's cool to feel that.”
Faith, Family, and Life on the Road
Tucker’s Brunette World Tour has, in fact, taken him all over the world, and it picks up again later this month. How does he stay grounded when he’s spending so much time on the road? For Tucker, the answer is pretty simple: “I pray. I pray, and I pray, and I pray, and I pray, and I read, and I pray, and I read.”
He also gives credit to his family and friends. His mom joins him on the road when she can, as do his friends. “I grew up in a very large family, so I've just always been surrounded by my people. Even my friends are my family. That's the way I look at it and it's leaning on them and leaning on God.”
He admitted, “Being honest, sometimes it’s hard to not get so mixed up and so discombobulated in the brain, but prayer answers everything.”
Tucker’s Favorite Summer Drink
Tucker says his partnership with NÜTRL has become a natural fit for his life on the road. He says the vodka seltzer is part of his pre- and post-show ritual, plus he’ll pack a cooler of the drinks any time he’s hanging out with friends. His go-to flavor is watermelon, but he’s a fan of the new blueberry flavor too. “They're just such a great partner in literally everything that I do, from the tour to stocking up my house.”
Katie Bowlby is Digital Director at Country Living, where she covers pop culture news including country music, Yellowstone, and all things HGTV, plus gift guides and product reviews. She has been with Country Living for more than 11 years. Before that, she worked for Southern Living. The Indiana University grad also stitches up the cross-stitch pattern for every issue of the magazine.
