No, we don’t have a crystal ball — but we do have nine out-there country predictions for what’s going to happen in country music in 2026.
In this list, we named some artists who we think will release new music, including one very high profile new duet partner for Ella Langley. This country superstar actually appears in two separate predictions. We’re also guessing he’ll get zero nominations at awards shows, despite being massively popular with fans. Can you guess who it is?
Read More: The 10 Best Ella Langley Songs
We also singled out an artist who we think is going to rise to mainstream fame from a reality show, and picked the exact month that Jelly Roll will get a cover story feature in a major publication.
And we took a stab at naming the CMA Entertainer of the Year, even though 2026 hasn’t even started yet. Hey, go big or go home, right?
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Taste of Country’s batting average hasn’t been too great over the past couple years of country music predictions: We usually score about 4/9. So don’t expect all of these guesses to come true.
In fact, for the past two years, we’ve incorrectly guessed that two artists will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. And you know what? We’re predicting those same artists for 2026. Sooner or later it has to be true, right?
Read More: 60 Surprising Artists Not in the Country Music Hall of Fame
But taking wild guesses is kind of what makes these country predictions fun, especially when some come true.
Keep scrolling to read what Taste of Country staffers think will happen in 2026, and make sure to let us know your country music predictions on Facebook.
9 Bold Country Music Predictions For 2026
No, we don’t have a crystal ball…but we DO have nine out-there ideas for where country music could be headed in 2026.
This predictions list includes the stars we think will release new music, and we named a star we think will rise out of reality television. Plus, we predicted the exact month we think Jelly Roll will have a major cover story spot and took a stab at guessing the 2026 CMA Entertainer of the Year.
Our batting average for country music predictions has been about 4/9 in the past couple of years, so don’t expect all of these to come true. But hey, even if they don’t — there’s always 2027.
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
