Sure, everyone likes Taylor Swift, Rihanna or Justin Bieber (bear with us here). They’re not short on talent, but they also enjoy all the promotion and big record label money that one could hope for, leading to them getting worldwide recognition and commanding an almost divine influence over people.

But what about musicians that haven’t yet caught their lucky break and are still struggling for recognition? Some might just be starting out, others might not have yet found a good manager or label that will propel them while others still may not have the option of going full-time with their popularity suffering as a result. Whichever the case, everyone should make a point of supporting at least a couple of upcoming music artists aside from the usual platinum sellers – the ‘smaller’ musicians need all the recognition they can get, and every listener counts.

Here are 3 of the country’s top upcoming music artists, each of them singing some great tunes on their way to that big break every musician dreams of.

Upcoming Music Artists

Kyle: A rapper like very few others, Kyle Harvey doesn’t spend too much time waving his ‘bands’ and showing off how tough he is. Instead, his music is meant to relax the listener and put them in a good mood for a while to come. Having grown up in California, Kyle’s love of the beach shows in every aspect of his singing, from making music that is most at home in a beach bar to surfing over his audience during live performances (really). Making him stand out from the crowd even further, Kyle is unique in that he connects with fans on a very personal level, offering to support them back just as readily as they support him.

Kelsea Ballerini: Speaking of Taylor Swift, did you know she once played exclusively country before she was ‘encouraged’ to make something more appealing to the masses on her way to that billion-view music video? Well, Kelsea Ballerini almost seems like Taylor’s younger sister that kept playing country in her big sis’ shadow: blonde, beautiful and with all the talent needed to make it in the biz and then some. Kelsea isn’t nearly as ‘upcoming’ as many other fresh musicians – she’s already gained a bit of recognition despite being only 22 years old. Regardless, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she still isn’t on the general public’s radar and there are likely quite a few country music lovers unfamiliar with her, so make sure to check her out if smooth female vocals are your thing.

Highly Suspect: There’s nothing suspect about Highly Suspect’s electrifying music, and you’re sure to agree with us after listening to just a couple of their tracks. These guys are true rockers and aren’t afraid to show it every step of the way, from an uncompromising theme to each of their songs to live performances that are as improvised as one could imagine. For a band that loves putting their guitars through a hurting, though, Highly Suspect have a couple of mellow tracks (as mellow as hard rock can get, that is) that will appeal to the banging audience’s softer side. The band members have a healthy dose of ambition, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t fulfill it so long as they stay true to themselves.