The 11 Youngest Stars to Make it Big in Country Music

Everyone knows that youth and beauty give performers a leg up in the entertainment business. But these 11 country stars were even younger than most when they got their big break.

Jessica Andrews, Taylor Swift and Hunter Hayes are just a few of the singers who weren’t yet old enough to drink when they scored their very first big chart hits.

Then there’s another group that were not only under the legal drinking age — they weren’t even old enough to drive a car to the recording studio where they cut their big hits.

Marie Osmond, Tanya Tucker and LeAnn Rimes are a few of the stars who secured a No. 1 hit on the country charts before their 16th birthdays.

Not every musical artist wants to be a child phenom. For example, Carrie Underwood was 21 when she won American Idol, but she likely delayed her musical pursuits just a little bit because she was wrapping up the final requirements for her college degree.

Miranda Lambert is another performer who waited: She had a likely shot at stardom as a contestant on Nashville Star at 19 years old, but she has said she didn’t want to win because she knew she was not yet ready to record an album.

It’s easy to see why they waited: Careers that start out hottest often burn out brightest, and several of the young superstars on this list couldn’t maintain their momentum as their careers wore on.

But others have gone on to become some of the most successful artists in music history. Keep reading for Taste of Country’s roundup of some of the youngest stars in the genre.