Kevin Powers performed "Move On," "Can't Help Myself" and "When He Made You" during his KYGO Performance Studio visit.

Powers – Boston, Mass., born and Raleigh, N.C., raised – began releasing music in the hip-hop and R&B vein in 2019. It didn't take long for success to take hold, with his 2020 singles "Walked In" and "How You Been?" amassing 22 million and 15 million streams on Spotify to date, respectively.

With some of his fans likening his path to Post Malone's, he has since moved to Nashville and pivoted his sound to a genre he describes as "Southern pop," the change marked by the release of "High & Dry" in 2024.

The North Carolinian's big break materialized after reconnecting with hitmaker Shaboozey in a Nashville bar. As legend has it, the "Good News" singer asked Powers to join his joint venture record label American Dogwood, where he's currently signed.

The two have worked together many times since: Powers had a hand in writing Shaboozey and Jelly Roll's "Amen," which won the Grammy in 2026 for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, he opened for Shaboozey on his Great American Road Show tour and collaborated with him on "Move On," a single released in 2025.

Powers is further establishing himself in the Southern pop realm with his latest single "Can't Help Myself" (2025), and teased an EP release for spring or summer of 2026.

Spencer Hatcher, a 28-year-old Virginian, played unreleased "Love Button," "Cold Beer and Common Sense" and "When She Calls Me Cowboy" alongside younger brother Connor Hatcher in KYGO's Performance Studio.

Hatcher was brought up in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, where he was raised on bluegrass and the music of country greats like George Strait, George Jones, Buck Owens and Roy Clark. Bluegrass took hold of Hatcher, which led him to learn how to play the mandolin – which he "didn't really care for much" – at age 8 and banjo at 12. From there, he started playing with others and in front of an audience during jam sessions, even at the cost of missing Friday night football games. During those days, he played as one of the Hatcher Boys, a bluegrass family band that included Connor and his father.

He continued to pursue music while in college, participating in four different groups throughout, even playing in a professional bluegrass band. Ironically, that's when his passion for country music took hold, and when COVID hit in 2020, the Virginian decided to redirect his attention to the genre.

It was around this time that he started posting music content on Facebook and later to other social media platforms, quickly earning thousands of followers.

The "When She Calls Me Cowboy" singer has now amassed over 700,000 followers on TikTok and released his first EP – "Honky Tonk Highway" – in November.

Parmalee stopped in 98.5 KYGO's Performance Studio prior to their Halloween show at the Grizzly Rose and performed "Take My Name," "Cowgirl" and "Carolina."

Parmalee, whose name is a nod to their roots in Parmele, North Carolina, is a family affair of sorts, made up of brothers Matt and Scott Thomas, their cousin Barry Knox and lifelong friend Josh McSwain. The Thomas brothers formed the group after their dad retired from their trio, dubbed Jerry Thomas and the Thomas Brothers Band.

A lot has changed for the Thomas', Knox and Scott since the release of their first album "Daylight" in 2002.

Their most recent LP "Fell in Love with a Cowgirl," released in April, is preceded by seven studio albums – the most successful being their 2013 release "Feels Like Carolina." The album – their first with Stoney Creek Records – was their breakout, with singles like "Carolina," "Close Your Eyes" and "Already Callin' You Mine" reaching No. 1, 4 and 10 on the Country Airplay chart, respectively. All in all, they've racked up five No. 1 country hits.

The band isn't stopping – or slowing down – anytime soon.

The North Carolinians are touring through December and into the first few months of 2026, and also released their single "How Do I Let You Go" November 21.