Avery Anna Wins ACM New Female Artist of the Year at 22

Avery Anna Wins ACM New Female Artist of the Year at 22

Country music has a way of finding its next great voice exactly when the genre needs it most. And right now, that voice belongs to a 22-year-old girl from Flagstaff, Arizona who went from posting TikTok covers in her bedroom during a pandemic to standing on one of country music's biggest stages with an ACM Award in her hands.

Avery Anna is the moment. And if you have not been paying attention yet, now is the perfect time to start.

A Viral Moment That Changed Everything

Avery Anna was just a teenager when the COVID-19 pandemic shook the world. Like many teens, she turned to TikTok at the time — and that decision would have a lasting impact on her life. She soon went viral on the app after posting a cover of Christina Aguilera's "Say Something."

What happened next is the kind of story that sounds too perfect to be true but is entirely real. According to Entertainment Now, Matt Thomas of Parmalee saw Avery Anna's viral TikTok and sent it to David Fanning, who signed the teen to a talent manager — and that single connection marked the beginning of her professional music career.

It is a reminder that in the age of social media, genuine talent does not stay hidden for long. All it takes is one right person watching at the right moment.

From Arizona to Nashville at 17

Long before the awards and the Billboard chart entries, there was a teenager with a dream big enough to uproot her entire life. Avery Anna was born on March 3, 2004, and grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona. Her full name is Avery Anna Rhoton. Her mother, Tess Nelson Rhoton, is a volleyball coach at Coconino High School, while her father, Brian Rhoton, owns Capstone Homes in Flagstaff. She also comes from a large family, with one older sister, Taylor Rhoton Anderson, and two younger siblings, Clayton Rhoton and Paisley Rhoton. 

Avery Anna graduated from high school in May 2021, finishing virtually due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. Shortly after graduation, she moved to Nashville to continue building her music career. The following year, she signed a record deal with Warner Music Nashville in June 2022. 

Moving to a new city at 17 to chase a music career takes a level of certainty and courage that most adults never find. Avery Anna found it before she was old enough to vote.

Two Albums and a Rapidly Growing Name

The music came fast and it came with intention. Avery Anna released her debut album, "Breakup Over Breakfast," on July 19, 2024. Her sophomore album, "Let Go Letters," followed on May 16, 2025.  Two albums in under a year tells you everything you need to know about both her work ethic and the depth of material she has been sitting on.

 

Her songwriting talent has also attracted major collaborators. The 22-year-old co-wrote and featured on the 2024 single "Indigo" with fellow country star Sam Barber, which peaked at number 8 on Billboard's US Country chart and number 40 on the Hot 100. She also collaborated with Barber on "Restless Mind" and "Fear in God."

Breaking into the Hot 100 as a rising artist is not a small thing. It is the kind of number that makes radio programmers and record labels pay very close attention.

The ACM Win That Made It All Real

On April 26, 2026, the Academy of Country Music announced that Avery Anna had won the New Female Artist of the Year award. The moment she actually received it, however, was something far more cinematic.

According to Entertainment Now, Sam Barber presented Avery Anna with the award during her performance at the Lone Star Smokeout festival in Arlington, Texas — a surprise reveal that made the moment even more emotionally charged. 

She was up against MacKenzie Carpenter, Dasha, Caroline Jones, and Emily Ann Roberts for the award.  Winning in that field is no small feat. Each of those names carries real weight in the current country music landscape, which makes Avery Anna's victory all the more significant.

She went on to perform at the 61st ACM Awards on May 17, 2026, and spoke to Country Now about what the experience felt like. "I am feeling like there's so much going on I can't even process it. I still can't believe I'm here," she said, adding that performing on the ACMs was "way beyond my wildest dreams."

She also noted that she leans a little outside of the genre sometimes, and expressed deep gratitude at being embraced by the country music industry with love and understanding.  That kind of artistic honesty — admitting you do not fit perfectly into the box but being accepted anyway — is exactly the kind of thing that builds a long, lasting career rather than a short viral moment.

Why Avery Anna Is Just Getting Started

There is a particular kind of artist who comes along every few years in country music — someone whose sound is rooted in the tradition of the genre but whose instincts pull them slightly beyond its edges. Avery Anna is that kind of artist.

She did not arrive polished by years of industry grooming. She arrived raw, real, and entirely herself. From a TikTok bedroom cover to a Billboard charting duet with Sam Barber to an ACM Award at 22 years old, her trajectory has been nothing short of remarkable.

And the most exciting part is that this is almost certainly only the beginning. With two albums already behind her, a growing fanbase, and now an official industry stamp of recognition, Avery Anna is building exactly the kind of foundation that sustains careers for decades.

Country music found its next voice. And her name is Avery Anna Rhoton from Flagstaff, Arizona.