Country artists to watch in 2019: Jimmie Allen, Chevel Shepherd, Ryan Hurd and more

2019 is set to be an exciting year for country music.

Though it can be difficult for rising stars to make it in Nashville, where men dominate the airwaves and the same established singers are routinely given the industry's top prizes at awards shows like the CMAs and ACMs, change is in the air as a new crop of promising, diverse -- in terms of gender, race and sexual orientation -- talents gear up to take the country music scene by storm.

Whether they've already had hit singles -- like Jimmie Allen and Jordan Rager -- or they were some of the finalists on "The Voice" this past season -- like winner Chevel Shepherd and third place finisher Kirk Jay -- or simply have voices that we can't stop listening to, AOL has rounded up a group of country artists to watch next year.

Check out 2019's most promising country singers below: